Jimmy Corbin - Ten Fighter Boys

Edited by

and

To the Memory of PETER STUDD, KEN GILLIES, GEORGE CORBETT, Sgt. SMITH, JOHNNY MATHER, MAXY MAXWELL, BUTCH BAKER, MOULDY MILDREN, PETER KING, Flight-Sergeant HAYMAN, Sgt. Rob TAYLOR, Sgt. GREEN, Sgt. CLAUDE PARSONS, TED HOGG, PICKLE PICKERING, and BOGLE BODIE, all of the old squadron, who lost their lives as they would have wished, flying SPITFIRES in defence of their country, is this book very humbly dedicated.

Cover Page

Title Page Ten Fighter Boys Edited by

Dedication To the Memory of PETER STUDD, KEN GILLIES, GEORGE CORBETT, Sgt. SMITH, JOHNNY MATHER, MAXY MAXWELL, BUTCH BAKER, MOULDY MILDREN, PETER KING, Flight-Sergeant HAYMAN, Sgt. Rob TAYLOR, Sgt. GREEN, Sgt. CLAUDE PARSONS, TED HOGG, PICKLE PICKERING, and BOGLE BODIE, all of the old squadron, who lost their lives as they would have wished, flying SPITFIRES in defence of their country, is this book very humbly dedicated.

The Ten Fighter Boys THE TEN FIGHTER BOYS DOUG HUNT JOHN ‘DUREX’KENDAL JIMMY ‘BINDER’ CORBIN CRELIN ‘BOGLE’ BODIE ROBERT ‘OXO’ OXSPRING MAX MAXWELL HUBERT ‘DIZZY’ ALLEN ATHOL FORBES JOHN ‘PICKLE’ PICKERING CLAUDE PARSONS

Foreword FOREWORD It was November 1940 and I and the other pilots of 66 Squadron were sheltering from the cold in the dispersal hut at Biggin Hill aerodrome, each of us glad to be back from another sortie. The conversation flowed back and forth, very little of it serious, then Sqn Ldr Athol Forbes joined us. He had aspirations of becoming a writer after the war. He thought it would be a good idea if we pilots wrote the stories of our experience while our memories were fresh from the heat of battle. He would edit them and have them printed and published. We eventually got round to this in early 1941 and ten of us handed our stories to Sqn Ldr Forbes. The result was the book Ten Fighter Boys published in 1942 by Collins. The pilots were a mixed bunch from many walks of life and various experience as combat pilots – NCOs and officers. It is sad to say that some of the pilots were killed before the book was published. My particular effort was written in about March 1941 when I was 23½ years old, the second oldest in the squadron at that time. It was always hard when we lost pilots but we could not afford to dwell on these occasions. We had a job to do and dying was a very possible part of the job. We all did our best and now I do my best to remember the good times and not the bad. I was surprised and delighted when I was informed that Collins were re-issuing the book after all these years, over 66 years. It will be a very fitting tribute to my old colleagues of 66 Squadron, all of them no longer with us. It will also be great for any of their families and friends. They were a fantastic bunch of young men, all characters in their own way, good fun to be with and we always had a very strong sense of trust. I am proud and very grateful to have had the privilege of knowing them. Looking back I think I really enjoyed my flying time especially in such a beautiful aeroplane, the magnificent Spitfire. It was an extraordinary time to have lived through, the fantastic sense of comradeship, and the trust between us kept us going through the many days often fraught with danger. We had our moments of triumph and of course fear and I was one of the lucky few to survive to tell the tale. I must finally add that the publishing of my book Last of the Ten Fighter Boys has brought me refreshed interest and many new friends. It was amazing that during my signing sessions a number of people turned up with a copy of Ten Fighter Boys for me to sign – an indication of how the book has been cherished over the years. Now it will be available for a new audience. Jimmy Corbin

Introduction

Introducing Duggie

Introducing Durex

Introducing Jimmy

Introducing Bogle

Introducing Bob

Introducing Max

Introducing Dizzy

Introducing Athol

Introducing Pickle

Introducing Claude

Epilogue

Slang

Copyright

About the Publisher

DOUG HUNT

JOHN ‘DUREX’KENDAL

JIMMY ‘BINDER’ CORBIN

CRELIN ‘BOGLE’ BODIE

ROBERT ‘OXO’ OXSPRING

MAX MAXWELL

HUBERT ‘DIZZY’ ALLEN

ATHOL FORBES

JOHN ‘PICKLE’ PICKERING

CLAUDE PARSONS

It was November 1940 and I and the other pilots of 66 Squadron were sheltering from the cold in the dispersal hut at Biggin Hill aerodrome, each of us glad to be back from another sortie. The conversation flowed back and forth, very little of it serious, then Sqn Ldr Athol Forbes joined us. He had aspirations of becoming a writer after the war. He thought it would be a good idea if we pilots wrote the stories of our experience while our memories were fresh from the heat of battle. He would edit them and have them printed and published. We eventually got round to this in early 1941 and ten of us handed our stories to Sqn Ldr Forbes. The result was the book Ten Fighter Boys published in 1942 by Collins.

The pilots were a mixed bunch from many walks of life and various experience as combat pilots – NCOs and officers. It is sad to say that some of the pilots were killed before the book was published.

My particular effort was written in about March 1941 when I was 23½ years old, the second oldest in the squadron at that time. It was always hard when we lost pilots but we could not afford to dwell on these occasions. We had a job to do and dying was a very possible part of the job. We all did our best and now I do my best to remember the good times and not the bad.

I was surprised and delighted when I was informed that Collins were re-issuing the book after all these years, over 66 years. It will be a very fitting tribute to my old colleagues of 66 Squadron, all of them no longer with us. It will also be great for any of their families and friends. They were a fantastic bunch of young men, all characters in their own way, good fun to be with and we always had a very strong sense of trust. I am proud and very grateful to have had the privilege of knowing them.

Looking back I think I really enjoyed my flying time especially in such a beautiful aeroplane, the magnificent Spitfire. It was an extraordinary time to have lived through, the fantastic sense of comradeship, and the trust between us kept us going through the many days often fraught with danger. We had our moments of triumph and of course fear and I was one of the lucky few to survive to tell the tale. I must finally add that the publishing of my book Last of the Ten Fighter Boys has brought me refreshed interest and many new friends. It was amazing that during my signing sessions a number of people turned up with a copy of Ten Fighter Boys for me to sign – an indication of how the book has been cherished over the years. Now it will be available for a new audience.

Jimmy Corbin

THE IDEA occurred to me one morning over a cup of coffee. My squadron had just returned from a sortie involving a spot of bother with a large number of Huns, and we pilot boys were taking it easy. General conversation was going on about what was to be done when the war had finished and there were no vacuum cleaners to be sold. Someone or other had decided to take a dozen battlescarred Spitfires over to America complete with war veteran pilots to give displays of aerobatics and fake combat over various parts of the States.