Alone I Fly: A Wellington Pilot's Desert War by Bill Bailey

Alone I Fly: A Wellington Pilot's Desert War by Bill Bailey

After several years at sea, Sgt Bill Bailey arrived in Cairo in 1942 as a new recruit to the RAF, hoping to fulfill his ambition to fly bombers. Within hours of his arrival he is sent on his first bombing mission as second pilot in a 104 Squadron Wellington. The aircraft was hit by enemy gunfire and suffered continual loss of altitude as it struggled to return to base. In thick cloud over a vast expanse of barren desert the aircraft hit a rock outcrop and disintegrated. Bill came too lying alone on a precipitous ledge and soon realized that he was the sole survivor. If he was to live he had to find help. To walk in temperatures of over 100 degrees proved impossible, so he trudged over seemingly endless dunes at dusk and dawn, his energy gradually fading. On the point of near collapse he found what he thought was a small cave in which to shelter from the searing sun. His luck now changed as he realized that his shelter was in fact an abandoned German reconnaissance truck. He found water and a little food, but no radio. He gradually resigned himself to death as he was incapable of moving any further, but then with a last desperate inspiration he realized that it may be possible to attract attention by heliograph. He found enough equipment in the truck and rigged a mast with the mirror at the top and commenced signaling and was eventually rescued by a Long Range Desert Patrol.After recuperation he rejoined his squadron and was given a new crew with whom he completed his tour. He was then sent to Malta where much to his amazement he was made ground controller of a satellite fighter airfield. He eventually was repatriated to the UK suffering with Malaria.

Bill Bailey is a comedian, musician, actor and presenter. He is perhaps most well known for his live shows - most recently Qualmpeddler, Limboland, and The Remarkable Guide to the Orchestra. His work on television includes programmes such as Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Black Books and QI. He was also the host of Bill Bailey's Birdwatching Bonanza in January 2010, and wrote and presented his award-winning documentary about Alfred Russel Wallace, Bill Bailey's Jungle Hero, in 2013. He lives in West London with a small menagerie of animals and humans.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781848841659
ISBN 10	1848841655
Title	Alone I Fly: A Wellington Pilot's Desert War
Author	Bill Bailey
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Pen & Sword Books Ltd
Year published	2010-02-20
Number of pages	196
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.