First Light

Product Information

To read the events of WWII through the eyes, ears, and feelings of someone so young, so vulnerable, and brave is something that is rarely found in published histories of war. When interviewed many years later by Michael Parkinson, Parkinson asked him about how the pressure of playing top-level cricket, to which Miller gave the immortal, and precise, answer: 'Pressure is a Messerschmitt up your arse, playing cricket is not. He was dead right when he took one last long look at the schedule just before we began the shoot and, having considered the weather and all the other infinitely frightening variables, commented dryly: "We're going to have to be 100% lucky on this one! It's less about the actual flying and more about the physiological effects on the lead person, the combat stress.

First Light - Penguin Books UK

It's reasonably played and in a way it's interesting to hear the actual pilot's comments in between the bits of movie. His recollections of time on the ground with his fellow pilots are still lighthearted and amusing, but this is in stark contrast to time spent in the air fighting over Southern England and later over Northern France. It is the story of an idealistic schoolboy who couldn't believe his luck when the RAF agreed to take him on as a "pupil pilot" at the minimum age of seventeen and a half in 1939. For Wellum and his comrades the intensity eased, as Spitfires were unsatisfactory nightfighters, and the squadron moved into winter quarters at Manston in Kent.It was the first, first-person account I'd ever read of the Battle of Britain, and my heart ached for the author (the youngest pilot to take part in the Battle). Wellum puts you up there in the cockpit with his masterful command of language and fantastic descriptive prowess. Tragedy strikes again and again as a steady stream of his friends are killed and badly wounded, and the pressure on these pilots to keep flying is relentless. We become so involved during the battles that we feel as though we’re in the cockpit with him, being chased by Messerschmitt 109.

First Light: The True Story of the Boy Who Became a Man in

We honour Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' continuous connection to Country, waters, skies and communities. Aged 18, in spring 1940, Wellum was posted to 92 Squadron – and it was then that he encountered, and flew, a Spitfire for the first time. We all know the classic "the battle of Britain", the definitive movie about the British struggle to keep the Germans out of the UK in WWII. It was at 92 Squadron that he first encountered a Spitfire, and flew the aircraft for the first time. This is an absolutely outstanding book, and Wellum's writing throughout is a delight, as he is engaging, witty and modest.By using the Web site, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the Terms and Conditions. Wellum also appeared in the documentary "Greatest Events of World War II in colour," being interviewed on his experience at the Battle of Britain. It only seems a few weeks or so ago that I walked out of the school gates for the last time, but it can't have been a matter of weeks because I'm dressed up in a blue suit with a pair of wings on it. The Germans were flying a formidable new fighter, the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, and Wellum was beginning to suffer from persistent headaches. It's interesting to see that side but it misses a bit of something that makes the rating of this TV movie not as high as it could be.