Search results for ""Author Air Marshal 'Black' Robertson""

A Spitfire Named Connie is an exciting rollercoaster of a story of Robbie Robertson, a front line fighter pilot who lived through the Battle of Britain and the Blitz and, inspired by the exploits of Fighter Command, joined the RAF. As he learnt his trade Robbie rubbed shoulders with national figures and wartime heroes, amongst them Battle of Britain legends Brian Kingcome, Ginger Lacey and Bob Stanford Tuck. By 1942, Robbie is in action in the skies over North Africa and at last in combat with the Luftwaffe. It was there, though, that tragedy struck. Wounded and shot down, his Spitfire crashed to the ground. Rescued from the wreckage of his aircraft by the Army, he is moved from casualty clearing stations to hospitals across Tunisia and Algeria, as doctors try desperately to save his sight. Unable to stand the pain any longer, he finally agrees to the removal of his right eye, presaging permanent grounding and an eventual return to the UK. Desk-bound for the remainder of his RAF career, the second, and more poignant period of his life begins. For the young schoolgirl me met at the beginning of his training, and with whom he had been in frequent correspondence with ever since, becomes his wife. It is the letters which passed between the two, along with other correspondence from RAF colleagues and Robbie s flying logbook, which form the basis of this powerfully moving and emotional story many of which are reproduced in this highly-charged tale. A Spitfire Named Connie reads like a novel, filled with pathos, tragedy, and compassion, yet, incredible as it seems, every word is true.

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This is no ordinary memoir. Moving back and forth through time, two stories with fascinating parallels gradually unfold. One is of a Second World War Spitfire ace whose flying career came to a premature end when he was shot down and lost an eye, the other is about his progeny, a second generation fighter pilot who rose to the rank of air marshal. There were times when the lives of both father and son, Robbie' and Black' Robertson, hung in the balance - occasions when survival was simply a matter of luck. The narrative is unique in its use of two separate and distinct voices. The author's own reminiscences are interwoven with those of his father recorded more than thirty years ago. Intensely personal and revealing, controversial too at times, this memoir is above all about people. There is a final irony though. The son spent a lifetime training for the ultimate examination - one that despite strictly limited preparation his father passed with flying colours. To Black Robertson's eternal regret he was never able to put his own training to the test. His father was awarded the DFC and retired as a flight lieutenant after five years or so. He himself served for nearly thirty-six years, earned a Queen's Commendation, an OBE and CBE and served as an ADC to HM The Queen. But after reaching almost the top of the RAF tree, in one important sense he retired unfulfilled; his mettle was never tested under fire. Anyone interested to know more about flying, about the RAF, about leadership, about character even, need look no further than this beautifully crafted, immensely readable account.

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