NZ Ace's books

[Dave Homewood]

In an email to me today Larry Hill (flyinghilly on the forum) mentioned that the excellent book "From North Africa To Arakan" will likely be the last book ever written by a New Zealand ace, Sadly he's right.

I wondered just how many kiwi aces have written books now. Here's a list I have compiled.

WWI
no autobiographies that I know of but the following biographies:

Arthur Coningham (Coningham : a biography of Air Marshal Sir Arthur Coningham KCB, KBE, DSO, MC, DFC, AFC by Vincent Orange)

Keith Park (Biography of Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith Park GCB, KBE, MC, DFC, DCL by Vincent Orange)

Malcolm Macgregor (Mac's Memoirs : the flying life of squadron-leader McGregor by by G.H. Cunningham)

WWII
The following WWII aces have written their autobiographies

Alan Deere (Nine Lives)

Geoff Fisken (in a chapter of 'Mates and Mayhem' compiled by Laurence Watt)

Colin Gray (Spitfire Patrol)

Raymond Hesselyn ( Spitfires over Malta by Paul Brennan, Ray Hesselyn and Henry Bateson, 1942)

Johnny Houlton (Spitfire Strikes)

Alan Peart (From North Africa to Arakan)

Jack Rae (Kiwi Spitfire ace: a gripping World War II story of action, captivity and freedom)

Desmond Scott (two books, Typhoon Pilot and One More Hour)

Jim Sheddan (Tempest Pilot)

Robert Spurdle (The Blue Arena)

Jack Stafford (No book that I know of but he has written some memoirs online - I wish he would write more though, his stories were great)

And autobiographies with the ace's input:
Johnny Checketts (The Road to Biggin Hill: By Vincent Orange)

Raymond Hesselyn (Hess: a Kiwi Malta ace / James Sutherland)

Evan Mackie (Spitfire leader : the story of Wing Cdr. Evan "Rosie" Mackie, DSO, DFC & Bar, DFC (US), top scoring RNZAF fighter ace by Max C. Avery, with Christopher Shores)

So I have found 15 of the 94 aces who's lives or flying careers have been detailed in books (or online in one case). Can you add any others? This is not counting any small mentions in books or websites on wider topics - just full biographies or autobiographical accounts.

[corsair67]

Was "Chalky" White an ace?

[Dave Homewood]

No, I don't think so. But Errol Braithewait's book on his escape is superb.

[Brett]

Jim Sheddan's book is 'Tempest Pilot'.

'Typhoon Pilot' was written by Des Scott.

[Dave Homewood]

Correct. I will alter the above list.

[Brett]

I have a book entitled 'New Zealanders in the Air War' by Alan W Mitchell. It was published in 1945 and has 24 chapters, each devoted to a particular pilot or squadron.

It has chapters on Cobber Kain, PG Jameson and WVC Compton.

I'm not sure of that is the sort of thing you are looking for. They are short biographical accounts, rather than autobiographical works.

[Dave Homewood]

Yes, I think that book almost counts. It's a great book, I'd love to find more of Alan Mitchell's writings - he was official war correspondent for the RNZAF in Europe.

[smithy]

Off the top of my head, here's another couple...

Not a memoir but there's Michael Burns' biography of Cobber titled "Cobber Kain" (there's a couple of flaws in it but it's the only treatise on Cobber currently out there.

Not an ace but Norby King wrote of his experiences in "Green Kiwi Versus German Eagle"

The very noted WWI historian Alex Revell was researching writing the biography of Grid Caldwell but when I asked him via email a few years ago what had happened with it, he said it was on the backburner. Shame as if it was anything like his bio on Arthur Rhys Davids ("Brief Glory") it would be a humdinger.

[smithy]

Here's another,

Richard Smith's recent bio of Al Deere, "Al Deere Wartime Fighter Pilot, Peacetime Commander".

Be interesting to know how high up the RNZAF chain Al would've gone if he had returned to NZ instead of making his career with the RAF.