Family members linked to this person will appear here. [4], Much later, in an unpublished interview with TheTimes, Wellum recalled: "After I joined the squadron they went to Dunkirk and by the end of that day we'd lost five people, four of whom I'd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. He was technically inexperienced and emotionally immature. After Wellum left the RAF the family settled in Epping, Essex. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. Geoffrey Wellum - Wikipedia Read about our approach to external linking. He is survived by two children, Anna and Neil. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/219366673/geoffrey-harris_augustus-wellum. Geoffrey Wellum obituary | Second world war | The Guardian Squadron Leader Geoffrey Harris Augustus Wellum DFC (4 August 1921 - 18 July 2018) was a British fighter pilot and author, best known for his participation in the Battle of Britain. Geoffrey Wellum recalls the RAF's 'finest hour'. In 1953 he converted to jet aircraft and six months later joined No192 Squadron flying the Canberra on reconnaissance sorties. Another Bf 109 was claimed in 1941, and there may have been more, as he was not one greatly concerned with recording such things. Next day,with no flying experience,he is expected to pilot a Spitfire;he is nervous but exhilarat Read allIn 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. It is 40mph faster, has very good armament and a very high rate of roll". He was immediately attacked by a Messerschmitt Bf 109; he had run out of ammunition and he had great difficulty escaping after his Spitfire was badly damaged. After a rest he was loaned to the Gloster Aircraft Company to test-fly the Typhoon fighter, and later in the war he became an air gunnery instructor. He has destroyed at least three enemy aircraft and damaged several others. 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. Geoffrey Wellum married Grace Christian in September 1943. Dear Jesus why this?. 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). [3], To prove to himself that he had actually done something with his life,[14] Wellum took his wartime notebooks and wrote a longhand memoir of his time as a Spitfire pilot, that he never intended for publication. VideoThe secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, LGBT troops take love for Eurovision to front line, Why an Indian comedian is challenging fake news rules. My only regret is that it had to happen so early in life". "I was a cocky little bastard, a bit full of myself. [8], Wellum claimed a Heinkel He 111 shot down on 11 September, and a quarter share in a Junkers Ju 88 downed on 27 September 1940. [9], In the summer of 1941 Wellum participated in more than 50 "sweeps" over occupied France (also known as Circusoffensives) flying escort for Blenheim and Stirling bomber formations, taking the war to the enemy. He was subsequently diagnosed as suffering from exhaustion, aged 20, having by then completed two full tours, including dozens of fighter sweeps and bomber escort details. [3] This was followed by a four-year tour with 192 Squadron. [3], Wellum's first commanding officer was Roger Bushell, (later immortalised in The Great Escape). Every night, listening to the news on the wireless 'Ten of our Spitfires are missing'.". Geoffrey Wellum - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia His marriage and business collapsed. "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. 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. 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. In August he was awarded the DFC for his great skill and determination. Geoffrey Wellum was born on 4 August 1921, an only child, in Walthamstow, Essex, to Percy and Edith Wellum. This officer has been with his squadron since the evacuation of Dunkirk. Its like one of those wonderful dreams, a Peter Pan sort of dream. Wellum was stationed during the battle first at Pembrey, protecting Bristol, and then, from September, at Biggin Hill. Not 'Ooh, this is frightening', but 'Oh God, this bloke is going to kill me'. . Although alive to the beauty of flight, there is little of the heroic romanticism about aerial combat that afflicts other memoirs of the period. Battle of Britain RAF Spitfire pilot Geoffrey Wellum dies You may request to transfer up to 250,000 memorials managed by Find a Grave. Sqn Ldr Geoffrey Wellum, who was just 18 when he joined the RAF in August 1939 . Soon after his arrival, 92 Squadron moved from Duxford in Cambridgeshire to Pembrey in Carmarthenshire. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. . I must be getting lightheaded! The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. He was also stationed at RAFGaydon, and in East Anglia. Some of them men, mostly elderly, take off their hats and the womenfolk in their black hoods and cloaks cross themselves. Surprised and gratified by the book's success, he's eager to step down from the publicity bandwagon and return to the Cornish village where he lives. A 1941 photograph taken at Biggin Hill, Kent, of Geoffrey Wellum, right, and Brian Kingcome, another fighter pilot, in front of a Spitfire. Among his appointments he was with the Second Tactical Air Force in Germany, converted to jets flying Gloster Meteors, de Havilland Vampires and English Electric Canberra bombers on reconnaissance sorties served at RAF Gaydon, and finally, in East Anglia, with a Thor intermediate-range ballistic missile unit. Dogged by despair, he began to write a memoir about his youth: I just wanted to convince myself that at some point in my life I had been of use.. based on information from your browser. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. It will enhance any encyclopedic page you visit with the magic of the WIKI 2 technology. In 1943 he married Grace Neil and they had three children. By September his time with 92 Squadron had come to an end, and he was tired. The book became a best seller and Wellum enjoyed a period of celebrity as its author, as well as for being among the last surviving fighter pilots of the Battle of Britain, known as "The Few". Here they were, coming over our green and pleasant land, bombing everything in sight, I dont know what they were up to . Trout streams, water meadows, waders, fast-flowing water, the pretty barmaid at the inn. In 1943 he married Grace Neill and the couple had three children. Of the numerous Bf 109 fighters which escorted the German bombers, Wellum wrote "God, is there no end to them? His are the inchoate thoughts of a young man who grows wearily accepting of death. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. Wellum's first solo flight was on 1 September 1939. The Battle of Britain was a pivotal moment in WW2 when the country stood alone against Hitler's seemingly unstoppable military power, In July 1940 the RAF deployed 640 planes, although more were available, and aircraft production was subsequently ramped up, The Luftwaffe could call upon 2,600 fighters and bombers, Nearly 3,000 aircrew served with RAF Fighter Command during the battle, The average age of a pilot was 20 years old, 20% of the pilots were from the British Dominions, and occupied European or neutral countries, The RAF lost 1,023 planes and the Luftwaffe lost 1,887 planes in the battle. Later he became a commodities broker. "I am certain that my time came with my three years as an operational fighter pilot in our nation's finest hour. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. Spitfire flypast for funeral of war pilot Geoffrey Wellum Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. As Wellum put it, Id shot my bolt. He was evacuated to England: Something inside me gave way and I broke down. The story is deeply moving and astonishingly evocative. Geoffrey Wellum, who has died aged 96, was the author of one of the most gripping personal accounts of aerial warfare ever written. Soon he is seeing action against the Luftwaffe,his sense of duty dispelling fear,and,h Read all. "Even on my way home from Malta, I knew I'd reached the peak of my life," he says. Is climate change killing Australian wine? Geoffrey Wellum Wikipedia Republished // WIKI 2 No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments. "It was always the other chap. Later, in First Light, he wrote of the experience: "I experienced an exhilaration that I cannot recall ever having felt before. "Aged seventeen, he signed up on a short-service commission with the Royal Air Force in August 1939. Thats whats important, not medals or thanks., Geoffrey Harry Augustus Wellum was born in Walthamstow, Essex, in 1921. English Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). "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. It was the German you didnt see who shot you down.. His father, Percy, who managed an off-licence, had fought at Gallipoli as a quartermaster sergeant before receiving a battlefield commission. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. Geoffrey Wellum was still just 18 when the Battle of Britain started in July 1940.
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