In for a Penny, in for a Pound: He Adventures and Misadventures of a Wireless Operator in Bomber Command - Hardcover

Hewer, Howard

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 077373273X ISBN 13: 9780773732735

Publisher: Stoddart Publishing,Canada, 2001

Synopsis

The gripping story of the twentieth century’s greatest struggle in the modest voice of a Canadian teenager in the RAF.

In 1940, nineteen-year-old Howard Hewer dreamed of being the next Billy Bishop, of piloting Spitfires or Hurricanes over Europe. His dream was shattered when he was selected instead for a career as a wireless operator in Bomber Command.

But he got all the adventure he signed on for. Hewer and his crews of 218 and 148 Squadrons flew important night operations over Germany and North Africa, dropping their deadly payloads and dodging enemy flak.

And he was not always much safer on the ground. He survived the Blitz in London, a U-boat attack in the South Atlantic, a fire-fight with Italian troops near el-Alamien, as well as chaste love affairs, fistfights, and beers with Boer rebels.

Self-deprecating, bittersweet, and alive to both the horrors of war and the friendships and courage of the men and women who fight it,In for a Penny, In for a Pound is the unforgettable story of a young Canadian’s experience of history’s greatest war.

About this title

Review

"Like a perfectly aged wine, bursting forth in splendid maturity after fifty-five years in cask. It's a riveting tale, perfectly told."
--"Toronto Star"

Synopsis

Not since Dave McIntosh's acclaimed Terror in the Starboard Seat has a war memoir captured so completely the horror and camaraderie of the airforce during World War II. At times comical, at others tragic, Hewer's adventures during his life in bomber command were unique and exciting. He fell out of a bomber in training and was saved only when his boot heel got caught on the gunring. He survived a run-in with a Piccadilly Commando in London and he almost killed a wing commander on his first mission as an RAF driver. As a bright-eyed teenager dreaming of piloting planes over World War II Europe, Hewer could not imagine the vital role he would play in invading enemy skies as a wireless operator flying in Wellington bombers. In this thrilling memoir, he recounts his unique odyssey through a dangerous time.

Edition details

• Publisher: Stoddart Publishing,Canada
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 077373273X
• ISBN 13: 9780773732735
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 312