Battle of Britain Fighter Pilot, Bob Foster provides an extraordinary account of his time in the RAFVR. In September 1939, he joined the thousands of other reservist pilots who would defend their country high in sky over the English Channel. As a Wing Commander, Bob Foster flew Hurricanes and Spitfires with 605 Squadron in Battle of Britain. It was the start of an incredible career that would eventually lead him across the equator to fight the Japanese off the coast of Australia. As the war in the Pacific escalated, he joined 54 squadron. Bob recounts his arrival in Australia as one that was shocking. He believed that for them, 'Life went on' in Australia and the War felt very separate from everyday life there. Here, he was credited with destroying and damaging a number of enemy aircraft including at least 5 Japanese aircraft while flying from airfields in northern Australia. His story highlights his pride, achievement and satisfaction in the RAF as a young man in his 20s.

George Duffee shares his extraordinary journey, serving as a young RAF pilot during World War II. Growing up in East London during the Blitz, he joined the RAF at the age of seventeen and a quarter. After his training, he was sent to an RAF station in Yorkshire where he was assigned to an air crew who were participating in the bombing of Germany. It was here, so early in his service, he witnessed his life flashing before his eyes when his plane was shot down by enemy forces above Holland. He describes feeling a strange sense of calm as the plane plummeted towards the ground, believing that it was already over for him. However, he managed to escape and reach the ground safely before it finally crashed. The next thing he knew, he was all alone in an unfamiliar environment, not knowing if his crew had survived. He would learn much later that he was the only survivor who did not become a POW. This marked the beginning of a long journey, crossing from border to border to escape enemy territory back into the safety of the British Military. After evading German patrols in Holland, he passed into Belgium where he met members of the Comet Line (a resistance organisation) who would be responsible for successfully helping over 700 Allied Airmen by escorting them away from Belgium and France into Spain where the British were occupied. After arriving in Paris, he exercised in preparation for his climb across the Pyrenees mountains into Spain, later taking a ship to Gibraltar where he finally felt a sense of freedom from the enemy. Along his journey, he met many interesting people of different professions or ranks who were willing to help him. This included a Dutch schoolmaster who he would later refer to as his Dutch brother, a French artist who offered him false papers to get through to Paris and a Gendarme who he initially thought was a potential foe but when George was forced to reveal his identity, he was no longer seen as a threat. However, his constant evasion from German patrols caused an inner battle with his morale as it became more compelling to surrender himself and become a POW, yet he managed to always fight back and regain control of himself. Some time later, after returning to England, he resumed his career as a pilot. He worked as a skipper, participating in 39 bombing missions, even after already being shot down and facing a near death experience so early in his military career. He also contributed to the Berlin Airlift, flying 236 flights in a Lancaster over Berlin while supplying food to the German people who were plagued by famine. George's journey is a fascinating example of the bravery, resilience and luck that is required to be an RAF pilot in WWII, especially when things don't go according to plan.

Leo Hatcher shares his memories as a young Royal Air Force (RAF) conscript in 1947 aged eighteen. With an older brother already in the RAF as an engine fitter, Leo was inspired to do the same. He instead became an airframe technician, or ‘rigger’, on the Sunderland flying boats (also known as the Short Sunderland). Stationed at Finkenwerder near Hamburg, Germany, supporting the Allied Forces’ post-war operations in June 1948, he recalls witnessing first-hand the utter devastation wreaked upon German cities from the air.  In contrast to the tensions between the Allied Forces and the Soviet Union in Berlin, he remembers the friendliness of Berliners who would gather on the beach of Lake Wannsee to watch the Sunderlands come and go. Told with warmth and poignancy, Leo’s reflection of his role during the Berlin Airlift offers a vivid account of what it was like to fly in one of these iconic aircraft, in addition to describing the logistics of delivering vital aid to a divided city.