Fighter Boys

Last night I finished reading “Fighter Boys” by Patrick Bishop, the very well written and thoroughly research account of how RAF Fighter Command won the battle for the skies over Britain in the summer of 1940 (the period commonly referred to as the Battle of Britain). The book is based on diaries, letters and records kept by various fighter pilots at the time and with interviews with surviving family members. It’s a fascinating read that left me wondering whether it would be beneficial for every young person in the country to read this book and to discover more about the fortitude and resilience shown by everyone involved in the efforts to defend British shores from German attack. I’m a bit of a sucker for old planes going back to childhood days building Airfix models but I didn’t properly know the history and when it is written down like this, with real people and real memories it hits home quite hard. So often you find yourself reading about the exploits of such-and-such a pilot only to end the paragraph with a short sharp sentence noting when and how they were killed. Sad, uplifting, interesting and challenging in equal measure this is a great read – perhaps a little on the long side, but then those who fought off the enemy forces day after day would also have enjoyed a little more brevity and they didn’t have any choice…