Suzy Henderson

Many people have heard about Douglas Bader, the RAF pilot who miraculously survived an aircraft crash in the 1930s, but sadly lost both of his legs. Bader, through sheer courage, willpower, and true grit returned to flying after the outbreak of WW2. But Bader was not the only double amputee to serve in the war. There was another. Colin Hodgkinson Colin Hodgkinson was born in Wells, Somerset on February 11th 1920 and he joined the Fleet Air Arm for pilot training in 1938. He trained on the aircraft carrier Courageous. Sadly, during training, Colin was involved in a mid-air collision with another Tiger Moth and suffered severe injuries, and like Bader, had to have both legs amputated. He had been flying blind, with a hood over his head during instrument training. The instructor accompanying Colin was killed.  Once he was fit enough, Colin was sent to Roehampton to the limb centre and fitted up for a set of tin legs. He was subsequently invalided out of the for...

On this day in 1940, Germany, Italy, and Japan signed the Tripartite Pact, an alliance that would be later joined by Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Slovakia and finally, Croatia. The Daily Mail leads with a story on a record air raid on Berlin. In other news, 46 more survivors are found and rescued at sea after drifting for 8 days. They were on the SS City of Benares when she was sunk. The survivors are spotted by a Sunderland Flying Boat. Of the survivors, six are boys aged between nine and sixteen. They were evacuees. Seventy-seven evacuees are dead. Meanwhile, the Battle of Britain continued and Friday 27th September saw 504 Squadron take to the skies in their Hurricanes to ward off a group of German raiders. The Luftwaffe offloaded their bombs in local woods in the Bristol area. In the London borough of Lambeth, no 139 Clapham Road took a direct hit, and there were a number of people in the shelters at this business premise who were badly injured or ...

Today, I'm thrilled to reveal the cover of my debut novel, The Beauty Shop , so here it is: Well, as my frequent readers have seen, I've been writing recently about the Guinea Pig Club - a club formed by a group of burned airmen during the Second World War. It was for severely burned airmen, who were under the care of Archibald McIndoe. The club continues to this day, and out of the original 649 members, there are 17 remaining. When I began to write the story, it seemed that not many people knew of the existence of this club and the history around it. However, due to the efforts of the Guinea Pig Club and all who support them, there has been more media coverage, a memorial to the plastic surgeon Sir Archibald McIndoe and various events. So, it seemed apt for me to release my novel this year, given that it is the 70th anniversary of the Guinea Pig Club. I have been fortunate enough to have spoken with several people who worked with Archie McIndoe, one of whom worked ...

BBMF Image  © B Henderson 2016 When I heard recently that the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) would be dropping in at my local airport to refuel, I grabbed the camera and dashed out the door. Destination - airport. Luckily I made it with ten minutes to spare. Time to warm up the camera and take a few practice shots (I'm not very good) and then I heard those magnificent Rolls-Royce Merlin engines humming in the distance, growing into a throaty growl as they flew overhead before landing. The image below is the Battle Of Britain Memorial Flight Hurricane PZ865 (Mk IIc). This was the last Hurricane ever built, and she rolled off the production line at Hawker in July 1944. She bore the inscription, "The Last of the Many" on her port and starboard sides, but years later this was removed and placed on display at the BBMF HQ. In 1950, this particular aircraft was flown by Group Captain Peter Townsend CVO DSO DFC in the King's Cup Air Race and came second. ...

The 15th September marks Battle of Britain Day, the day the Germans launched a large-scale aerial assault on London. Hitler believed that the RAF were at breaking point and Germany's objective was simple. Throw everything they had at London, destroy the RAF and defeat Britain. The day before, Hitler addressed his commanding officers, stressing that they must have complete air superiority. At the same time he set a new date for the invasion of Britain - September 17th, 1940. September 15th, 1940 happened to fall on a Sunday. The Luftwaffe launched two large bombing raids on London, and smaller attacks were planned for Portland and Southampton. Since the 7th September, the Luftwaffe had moved away from bombing RAF bases and radar stations to focus on Britain's capital. This gave RAF Fighter Command the chance to recoup, and so by the 15th they were in a far stronger position, with rested, fresher pilots and aircraft. German Heinkel HE 111s head to London. Image via...

The poor weather today over Britain kept the Luftwaffe at bay, at least for a while. Bombing raids were scattered and minimal this night. A barrage balloon brought down a raider over Monmouthshire, Wales. Some bombs fell on London, and a delayed action bomb fell near St Paul's Cathedral which took three days to remove. Two Royal Engineers receive the George Cross for their actions in dealing with this, and two other bomb disposal experts receive the British Empire Medal. Wing Commander J.S. Dewar Wing Commander J.S. Dewar, the commander of 213 Squadron at Exeter, decided to fly to Tangmere during a quiet spell and never arrived. It seems he encountered an enemy attack and had to bail out. Tragically, the Luftwaffe strafed him on the way down and killed him. His Hurricane went down in the Channel, and his body washed ashore at Kingston Gorse, Sussex on 30th September 1940. Isolated raids occurred over Hull, Wolverhampton, Liverpool and a number of ports stretching al...

The 11th September 1940 was in the midst of the Battle Of Britain. Luftwaffe raids had been ongoing for some days, with raids taking place during daylight hours and at night. The country languished beneath an air of uncertainty and fear, as they waited day after day for the news or sightings of a German invasion. However, the RAF had bombed the ports from Calais to Boulogne, and all along the Dutch coast, causing damage and destruction to the barges there waiting to be used for the invasion. The RAF had not been put out of action as Hitler had hoped, and he had no choice but to postpone his plans for Operation Sealion until the 24th September. As for Britain, her coastal defences were strong; her seaports stood firm, and her forces were ready and waiting for action. Of course, Churchill did not know at this time of Hitler's decision to postpone his plans for the invasion. The Luftwaffe had raised their game and now launched mass raids, with 300-400 aircraft sailing across...

Welcome to Ward III of the Queen Victoria Hospital, in East Grinstead. The men we care for here are young men who found the courage to face death when they went off to war. Now they've been brought here, they must find the courage to live life again. The Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead. We're barely one hour away from London, but fortunately, have not suffered in the bombing raids as yet - touch wood. Take a stroll through. When the men are not here, it's fairly average. A typical ward. But when they return, the radio is flicked on and the volume is high. The beer flows - it's kept in a keg on a small table down at the end there, and then someone plays the piano - they always do - the lads like to have a sing-song now and again. Ward III Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons You won't find a mirror on this ward. The men are only allowed to see their faces when Archie says so. The shock is too great and so the right time is essential. The men have s...

Dianne E. Butts About Writing: 25 Free Ways to Market Your Book : Morguefile.com One question I get frequently from many writers and authors is, "Now that I have my new book out [or have one coming...

On the 1st September 1939, Germany invaded Poland, attacking all fronts. People throughout Britain heard the whispers of war grow and grow and by the morning of the 3rd September 1939, the tension hung in the air of many a household. While Chamberlain tried to avoid war at all costs, it was not to be. At 11 am on the 3rd September, people tuned in to listen to the news on their radios, and to their prime minister Neville Chamberlain, who was to address the nation. His voice was grave and he said: "This morning the British Ambassador in Berlin handed the German Government a final Note stating that, unless we heard from them by 11 o'clock that they were prepared at once to withdraw their troops from Poland, a state of war would exist between us. I have to tell you now that no such undertaking has been received and that consequently, this country is at war with Germany." Once his speech had ended, church bells rang all around the country and sirens wailed, altho...