Not Ooh, this is frightening, but Oh God, this bloke is going to kill me. Several times he narrowly evaded being shot down. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. He joined a firm of commodity brokers in the City of London before retiring to live in Cornwall. He was awarded the Freedom of the City of London.[15]. [6] Bushell was shot down and captured almost immediately after Wellum's arrival, and was later executed by the Gestapo in the aftermath of the "GreatEscape". James Holland, now a well-known historian, was struck by their emotional punch rare in first-hand accounts of the Battle of Britain and showed them to colleagues. I even began to enjoy [teaching] pupils". You may request to transfer up to 250,000 memorials managed by Find a Grave. Geoffrey Wellum married Grace Christian in September 1943. After the war, Wellum remained in the RAF until 1961. Wellum was educated at ForestSchool, Snaresbrook, where he captained the school cricket team.[3]. How did he cope? I thought, 'Hold on a minute, this is bloody dangerous! "[4], Soon after Dunkirk, 92 Squadron was transferred from RAF Duxford in Cambridgeshire to RAF Pembrey in Carmarthenshire, Wales. There is a little bit of artistic licence in it, the BBC wanted a bit of a love scene in it and as I was going to get a bag of gold well, not exactly, something to buy me another beer I went along with it.. 'Recollections of an RAF Squadron Leader' - Battle of Britain, Heros Of The Battle Of Britain: A Nation Remembers | Timeline. It was the crucial point of the Second World War. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. My poor parents, they must have been very brave. Geoffrey Wellum was born on 4 August 1921, an only child, in Walthamstow, Essex, to Percy and Edith Wellum. In 1943 he married Grace Neil and they had three children. "I see you, you sod," reads one passage as he dives on an enemy bomber. Make sure that the file is a photo. The movie wasn't so much about Spitfires as it was on the affects the fighting had on the pilots. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. Later, Wellum recalled: "You make yourself a difficult target. Is Geoff wellum alive? [6] Bushell was shot down and captured almost immediately after Wellum's arrival, and was later executed by the Gestapo in the aftermath of the "Great Escape". A medal and a royal handshake didnt seem important any more I felt destroyed by the war.. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. Geoffrey Harris Augustus Wellum was born at Walthamstow, on August 14 1921. We have created a browser extension. No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. It was exactly 79 years ago that Squadron . It should have been. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. The marriage was later dissolved. Nothing else mattered after that, nothing was worth recording." I'm not much for war movies. There it all is, the whole arena for bloody battle, and there they are, the enemy. Geoffrey Wellum was born on August 4, 1921 in Walthamstow, London, England. During the hectic fight that followed he sighted a lone Heinkel 111 bomber, pursued it and shot it down off Dungeness. [3], In the mid-1980s, with the family business in liquidation and his divorce pending,[14] Wellum retired, as he had promised himself in his youth, to TheLizard peninsula, Cornwall,[14] settling in Mullion. '", 'First Light' is published by Viking, 16.99, Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. ", His first Commanding Officer was Roger Bushell, (later immortalised in The Great Escape), shot down with two others the day after Wellum's arrival, covering the evacuation of Dunkirk. A funeral was held in the village for the country's youngest ever Battle of Britain Spitfire pilot following his death at home in Mullion last month, at the age of 96. Youngest Battle of Britain Spitfire pilot whose bestselling war memoir was hailed as one of the most powerful and poignant ever written. Wellum remained in the RAF after the war and served in a number of appointments in Fighter Command before serving as a weapons specialist in the Second Tactical Air Force in Germany. The film was first shown by the BBC on 14 September 2010 starring Sam Heughan.[19]. Squadron Leader Geoffrey Harris Augustus Wellum DFC (4 August 1921 18 July 2018)[1][2] was a British fighter pilot and author, best known for his participation in the Battle of Britain. Drama-documentary telling the story of Geoffrey Wellum who, at the age of just 18, was one of the youngest Spitfire pilots to go into . A swarm of gnats on a warm summer evening the whole spectacle frightens yet fascinates.. He had been mad about aircraft as a boy and joined the service straight out of school. The books success reawoke painful memories for Wellum: People say, Youve got to forget all this, it was a long time ago. And I say, I quite agree with you, but can you tell me how? Yet he was glad of the chance to educate younger generations who knew little of the sacrifices made by his. Percy had served at Gallipoli during the first world war and was commissioned on the battlefield. Battle of Britain pilot who wrote a dramatic personal account of his wartime experiences. From early 1941, Fighter Command went on the offensive, flying sweeps over northern France, sometimes escorting small bomber formations, all with the intention of drawing the Luftwaffe into combat. In air combat over France, Wellum's number two, Freddie Haskett, was killed by a Fw 190, and Wellum himself survived only by "throwing the spit all over the sky without really looking round". He was awarded the FreedomoftheCityofLondon.[15]. I experience an exhilaration that I cannot recall ever having felt before, he wrote in First Light. In the mid . Even now, he suffers from bad dreams. He was a writer, known for Witness 1939: When War Broke Out (2014), Battle of Britain (2015) and First Light (2010). [3], Wellum saw extensive action during the BattleofBritain. "I just wanted to sit quietly and convince myself" He takes a deep breath. Geoffrey Wellum, who has died aged 96, was the author of one of the most gripping personal accounts of aerial warfare ever written. Video, The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, Explosion derails train in Russian border region, Banana artwork in Seoul museum eaten by visitor, Trump says 'great to be home' on visit to Scotland, NFL player's daughter, aged two, drowns in pool, Father tells how gunman opened fire on Texas home, Trevelyan relative 'would consider' famine payment, JP Morgan snaps up troubled US bank First Republic. His father, Percy, who managed an off-licence, had fought at Gallipoli as a quartermaster sergeant before receiving a battlefield commission. For Wellum and his comrades the intensity eased, as Spitfires were unsatisfactory nightfighters, and the squadron moved into winter quarters at Manston in Kent. Wellum recovered from his breakdown, married "Grace", his girlfriend in the book, had three children and stayed in the RAF for another 20 years. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. It is 40mph faster, has very good armament and a very high rate of roll". During the passage of the vital re-supply convoy to Malta, Operation Pedestal, Wellum flew patrols over the convoy and the island and attacked ground targets in Sicily, but his headaches became severe and he was grounded with sinusitis. Never stay still, never fly straight and level, chuck it around. He was involved in dozens of dogfights over France and England. Resend Activation Email. Having learnt to fly in Tiger Moths, he first went solo on September 1, 1939. He was 21 and his war was over. It was the German you didn't see who shot you down. "[4], In the summer of 1941 Wellum was taken off active duty, and assigned to a training squadron: No 52 Operational Training Unit at Aston Down, flying Hawker Hurricanes. Their son and daughter survive him and a second daughter predeceased him. Many of the chaps became alcoholics.". "As the three ships come through the harbour entrance, just about maintaining steerage way, the cheering of the Maltese who have to welcome her in slowly subsides until there is absolute silence. Wellum, right, in 1941 posing for Cecil Beaton with Brian Kingcome at RAF Biggin Hill, Kent, Wellum in 2015 with Jodie Kidd, the model, in Fairford, https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/register/squadron-leader-geoffrey-wellum-obituary-prswmxfsr. Wellum had married, in 1943, Dorothy Grace Neil, with whom he was to have three children: Anna was flight attendant and now works part-time in the NHS; Deborah, who died in 2017, had a career in the music business, notably with Apple Records; and Neil has been latterly a senior marine environmental inspector and manager. [3] "Quite simply, the Fw 190 outclasses our Spitfire 5Bs. Born an only child in Walthamstow, Essex, Wellum was educated at Forest School, Snaresbrook before serving in the RAF. Learn more about managing a memorial . Later in the war he served in the defense of Malta before returning to England for duty as an instructor pilot. Here they were, coming over our green and pleasant land, bombing everything in sight, I dont know what they were up to . (One journalist who interviewed him for a national newspaper asked if it was the computer in his Spitfire that told him when his ammunition had run out. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. You may not upload any more photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 20 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 5 photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 30 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 15 photos to this memorial. . Born an only child in Walthamstow, Essex, Wellum was educated at Forest School, Snaresbrook before serving in the RAF. The youngest Spitfire pilot to fly in the Battle of Britain during World War Two has died, it has been announced. In 1940, when he was 18, Wellum had, as the youngest Spitfire pilot in the RAF, flown in the Battle of Britain. English Eventually, Wellum relaxed: "I found a new peace andgradually I seemed to unwind. He was previously married to Grace Neil. The series aired on Netflix in 2019, after his death, and the episode "Battle of Britain" is dedicated in his memory. He was a member of the Royal Air Force Club. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. Geoffrey Wellum dead - youngest WWII Spitfire pilot to fly in the Battle of Britain who was just 18 when war broke out dies aged 96 The veteran, who was just 18 when he joined the RAF in August. It would be a good film for a hight school history class. Wellum's first solo flight was on 1 September 1939. [3], Wellum's first commanding officer was RogerBushell, (later immortalised in TheGreatEscape). His headaches became severe and he was diagnosed with sinusitis. He worked for a family haulage business and, after that went under, spent time working as a commodity broker in the City. Retirement. Officers and guests celebrating the first anniversary of the arrival of No. I even began to enjoy [teaching] pupils". He left the service in 1961, after 22 years, in the rank of squadron leader. The Nazis, flushed with a series of astonishing victories, appeared invincible, with a far greater number of planes and pilots. Search above to list available cemeteries. Squadron Leader Geoffrey Wellum, who has died aged 96, was flying a Spitfire in the Battle of Britain before he was 19 years old. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. A few weeks later Wellum was in his local in Cornwall when the landlady handed him the phone. Dad would drive past and then, in about 1937, there was one of the new Hurricanes taxiing in, and there was the pilot with the oxygen mask on him, and I thought, God, I want to be one of those. . Looking at him through the site, getting larger much too quickly, concentrate, hold him steady, that's it, hold it". From the fort a bugle sounds the "Still" and not a soul moves". "I'd never seen a Spitfire before, let alone flown one, but there was a war on and they needed pilots. Sam Heughan and Gary Lewis also start in hit Starz series Outlander together. Later, Wellum recalled: "You make yourself a difficult target. The family settled in Epping, Essex.[3]. I use WIKI 2 every day and almost forgot how the original Wikipedia looks like. After the Battle of Britain, the squadron continued to fly from Biggin Hill, and during November Wellum damaged at least three enemy bombers. He joined the local choir, and became deputy harbourmaster. He had a second victory in the summer of 1941, claiming a BF-109 over occupied France. "I was shot up badly on three occasions," he says. That made the unexpected attention in his eighties all the more gratifying, although he always saw himself as a representative of all who had served. [11], In February 1942, he was reassigned to combat duties, being transferred to 65 Squadron based at Debden, where he was appointed a Flight Commander in March 1942. Soon after his arrival, 92 Squadron moved from Duxford in Cambridgeshire to Pembrey in Carmarthenshire. The unmistakable engine tone of a Spitfire could be heard echoing over Mullion yesterday for a flypast in memory of Geoffrey Wellum. Wellum insisted that the drink be served in a tankard with a handle, the same as it had been at the White Hart in Brasted during the height of the Battle of Britain. People say, 'You've got to forget all this, it was a long time ago'. The intention was to engage with the Luftwaffe in combat, and to escort RAF bombing missions. My target, concentrate, the target. Wellum left the Royal Air Force in 1960[13] and took over the family haulage business. Geoffrey Wellum, born . It is 40mph faster, has very good armament and a very high rate of roll". Wellum has contributed to various television documentaries on the Battle of Britain, including Spitfire Ace produced by RDF Media/Channel 4 (2004),[16] Dangerous Adventures for Boys produced by Channel 5 (2008),[17] and The Spitfire: Britain's Flying Past produced by the BBC (September 2011). "The Battle of Britain made me want to put a value on life. Verify and try again. [5] It was at 92 Squadron that he first encountered a Spitfire, and flew the aircraft for the first time. Wellum had an extraordinary story to tell, and the book he wrote is a huge success it has reached number three on the non-fiction bestsellers list, behind Antony Beevor's Berlin: the Downfall and The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton. Wellum, still a teenager, got used to close friends never returning. Wellum returned to operations in February 1942 as a flight commander with No65 Squadron, flying sweeps over France and Belgium. [11], In July 1942, Wellum was sent to Glasgow, where he participated in Operation Pedestal, a convoy mission to carry supplies for the relief of the besieged garrison at Malta. [4], Much later, in an unpublished interview with TheTimes, Wellum recalled: "After I joined the squadron they went to Dunkirk and by the end of that day we'd lost five people, four of whom I'd met the night before in the officers' mess. Congratulations on this excellent venture what a great idea! When did Fade from Grace happen? [3], After his return to England, Wellum did not return to combat duties, instead finishing the war as a gunnery instructor. Squadron Leader Geoffrey Harris Augustus Wellum DFC (4 August 192118 July 2018) was a British Battle of Britain fighter pilot and author.. Wellum suffered severe sinusitis and battle fatigue after three years' intensive frontline flying. He wrote: Will I ever know quite the feeling and trust and comradeship in a front line Spitfire squadron, and in such a period of our countrys history, ever again? This browser does not support getting your location. You can always change this later in your Account settings. Patrick Tootal, secretary of the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust, said members of the charity's staff and volunteers had been "much saddened by the news". Disappointed to be leaving frontline service, Wellum initially found the experience to be "almost unbearable". Geoffrey Wellum recalls the RAF's 'finest hour'. [8], Wellum claimed a HeinkelHe111 shot down on 11 September, and a quarter share in a JunkersJu88 downed on 27 September 1940. In May 1940 eighteen-year old Geoffrey Wellum joins the 92 squadron of the Royal Air Force and is taken to the pub,where pilots who have seen action sign their names on a blackboard. Reading it, you feel you are in the Spitfire with him, thrown around at 20,000ft, chased round by a German Heinkel, with your ammunition gone. Next day,with no flying experience,he is expected to pilot a Spitfire;he is nervous but exhilarated. Born in Walthamstow, on the eastern edge of London, Geoffrey was the only child of Percy, who managed an off-licence, and his wife, Edith. Geoffrey Wellum, born August 4 1921 died July 18 2018. First Light: Directed by Matthew Whiteman. 92 Squadron RAF at RAF Biggin Hill, September 1941. Nor were their teachers. "It was always the other chap. He left the service in 1960 with the rank of Squadron Leader. The comradeship in a fighter squadron that has survived the Battle of Britain is something that you will never be able to understand, he observed, and I will never experience again. The book, First Light, ends here and the reader hopes for a happy ending. [11], On Malta, Wellum was diagnosed with severe sinusitis and battle fatigue, after three years' of intensive frontline flying. "I was 20 and, since then, everything else has seemed anticlimactic. And I cant put it into words., England was a peaceful place, all I wanted to do was watch England play Australia at Lords. Wellum was a great supporter of the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust. This account has been disabled. Within a year, he was sent to join his boyhood heroes in the hellraising 92 Squadron. He remained on the island as part of the air defence force before returning to Britain, suffering from exhaustion. Please reset your password. Drag images here or select from your computer for Geoffrey Harris Augustus Boy Wellum memorial. He has destroyed at least three enemy aircraft and damaged several others. A year later, in preparation for Pedestal, the convoy operation carrying vital supplies to Malta, Wellum led a flight of eight Spitfires out to the island via north Africa. [3], Wellum's first commanding officer was Roger Bushell, (later immortalised in The Great Escape). Aged eighteen, Wellum signed up on a short-service commission with the RoyalAirForce in August 1939. At 17, in his last year at school and six months before the war began, he applied to the RAF. Geoffrey Wellum, who was just 18 when he joined the RAF in August 1939, died on Wednesday evening, the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust said. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. . Family members linked to this person will appear here. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. ANDY PARADISE/REX FEATURES. "Only this week Sqn Ldr Wellum had been talking enthusiastically about attending the Memorial Service at Westminster Abbey on 16 September," he said. Two days later Britain entered the war. By September his time with 92 Squadron had come to an end, and he was tired. He had never flown a Spitfire and his squadron commander, Roger Bushell, of Great Escape fame, was not impressed to receive half-trained youngsters. The family settled in Epping, Essex. [11], The convoy was heavily damaged by German and Italian forces, and many ships were sunk. Dear Jesus why this? First Light (2002), which was made into a BBC drama in 2010, was . "Most fighter-pilot memoirs are fascinating, but they tend to be anodyne, devoid of any emotional punch. Wellum's first solo flight was on 1 September 1939. He then became a commodity broker in the City before setting up his own business. . Start your Independent Premium subscription today. "It wasn't going to happen to you," he says, looking me firmly in the eye. In rare off-duty moments, he relaxed and allowed the strain of fighting to ebb away by joining his colleagues at the nearby White Hart Inn: You had a couple of pints and had to snap out of it.. It was like one of those wonderful dreams, a Peter Pan sort of dream". Three loves emerged from Wellums account of that fateful summer: his country, his comrades and flying a Spitfire. Here, he is remembered and his life as a fi. By now, the Luftwaffe was flying a new fighter aircraft, the Focke-WulfFw190, superior in all but turn radius to the SpitfireV, and the squadron took heavy losses. Two (and one shared) Messerschmitt Bf109s were claimed "damaged" during November 1940. The sun glints on their wings and bellies as they roll like trout in a stream streaking over smooth round pebbles. He composed a memoir of his wartime experiences that was finally published in 2002, entitled "First Light: The Story of the Boy Who Became a Man in the War Torn Skies Above Britain". There were new problems. [3] In 1943, he married Grace Neil, his wartime girlfriend, with whom he had three children. Wellum remained in the RAF after the war and flew a variety of early jets. Never stay still, never fly straight and level, chuck it around. The couple divorced in 1975, and six years later he relocated to Mullion on the Lizard peninsula in Cornwall. You could also do it yourself at any point in time. I must be getting lightheaded! It was there that Wellum began his combat career, "chasing isolated German aircraft all over the south-west". All rights reserved. "Well, it has been," he says without pity. Geoffrey Harry Augustus Wellum, pilot and writer, born 4 August 1921; died 18 July 2018, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. "One time, I had literally to fight my way back to the White Cliffs; on another, there was a German hanging on my tail, who wouldn't let me go. Geoffrey Wellum was born in Walthamstow in 1921. Wellum was stationed during the battle first at Pembrey, protecting Bristol, and then, from September, at Biggin Hill. As the battle came to a close at the end of October he was able to enjoy a rest and some leave with his family, but he missed his time on 92 Squadron, which he recorded as being the pinnacle of his life. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. Squadron Leader Geoffrey Harris Augustus Wellum DFC (4 August 192118 July 2018) was a British Battle of Britain fighter pilot and author. . In his evocative memoir, First Light (2002), he wrote: I look into the far distance, the vast panorama of sky. Please try again later. In the mid-1980s, with the family business in liquidation and his divorce pending, Wellum retired, as he had promised himself in his youth, to The Lizard peninsula, Cornwall, settling in Mullion. people today dont realise that feeling; its all too clinical.. After the war he remained in the RAF until 1961, and later ran a haulage business. His business had failed, his marriage was . [3] On 11 August 1942, Wellum led his flight of eight Spitfires, flying without ammunition to save weight (the .303 cartridges were replaced with cigarettes), and landed at Luqa airfield on Malta, joining 145 Squadron on air defence duties. 0 cemeteries found in Mullion, Cornwall Unitary Authority, Cornwall, England. Sitting in the lobby of a smart London hotel, Wellum is white-haired, smartly dressed and strongly built.
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