Ketchil a biography of Vic Bargh

[phasselgren]

I´ve just finished reading Ketchil - A New Zealand pilot´s war in Asia and the Pacific. It´s written by Neil Frances and based on interviews with Vic Bargh.

It´s an interesting book mostly concentrating on his wartime flying in Burma with 67 Squadron (this fighter unit had from 1941 to the beginning of 1943 mostly New Zealand pilots). Several chapters are dedicated to the fighters he flew on operations - Buffalo, Hurricane, Mohawk, Spitfire, Kittyhawk and Corsair. Surprisingly the only fighter he disliked was Hurricane. He made most of his claims flying Buffaloes and never had the opportunity to engage any japanese fighter when he flew Spitfire.

I bought the book from Arts Centre Bookshop www.booksnz.com/index.php

[Damon]

I bought my copy just a couple of weeks ago at the Auckland War Museum .I am only about part way through.A very interesting book.Well worth finding and reading.Not much is written about RNZAF and the Buffalo's , so quite fun!

Damon

[phasselgren]

Hi Damon,

If you want to read more about Buffaloes and RNZAF I can recommend Buffaloes Over Singapore by Brian Cull with Paul Sortehaug and Mark Haselden. It includes a lot of information about the New Zealand pilots.

Peter

[Damon]

Thanks Peter.

I am about to contact Paul about the books you mentioned .Its difficult to find those books .Just dont seem to be around these days.Cheers!

Damon

[phasselgren]

Try with Amazon (www.amazon.co.uk or they have a good selection often with good prices. An alternative is Abebooks (www.abebooks.com) which co-operates with many book-sellers of new and second-hand books including several companies from New Zeland.

Cheers
Peter

[steveh]

Sorry if this is dragging up a thread from too long ago, but I've just finished reading my copy of this & thoroughly enjoyed it, well written & appearing to be well researched by the author, I found nothing that jarred, as along the way I enjoyed the way he'd woven Vic Bargh's remembrances in with some solid history. A search on Trademe will reveal any number for sale, at reasonable money & mostly free post. If you haven't already treat youself, its an important piece of the Kiwi WW2 flying picture. For the record, I've no invovlement in any way with any of the sellers on Trademe.
Steve.

[suthg]

I have a copy, just can't find it at the moment, and never quite finished it but I do remember the stories of the skylark flying he did in the Wairarapa and I think a little ticking off - low flying stunts over the family home etc... just a slight deviation from the route! Bargh's were our neighbours in Kahutara, Sth Wairarapa. They had one of the largest 700 cow dairy herds at the time. I must find it again!

[Mustang51]

I have read both books and they are a great read each! I was very fortunate in that my copy of Ketchil was obtained through Johnny Bargh after Wings over Wairarapa show. Love to see a Hurricane in those marks over the Long White Cloud.......... There are a lot of books out there about the early days of Pacific War and Singapore/Malaya/NE Indies. "Bloody Shambles" is another that also goes further afield into Philippines