First Light
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Amazon.co.uk Review
Surviving Battle of Britain fighter aces were thin on the ground even in 1941, so any new book more than 60 years later from a previously unknown pilot is bound to get noticed. And First Light is not just any book. It might not turn out to be a lasting classic, like Richard Hillary's The Last Enemy or Erich Maria Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front, but it is a cut well above the bog standard wartime reminiscences of many retired military bods. For a start Wellum can write, but more than this he has an instinctive feel for a good story. He begins First Light as a fresh-faced, rather obnoxious public schoolboy keen to blag his way into the RAF in March 1939; just three years, two full tours on Spitfires, the Battle of Britain, nearly 100 escorts and fighter sweeps over occupied France and a Malta convoy later, Wellum was physically and mentally burnt out before the age of 22. An old man in a boy's body. His descriptions of the excitement, freedom and, at times, sheer terror of operating in a three-dimensional airspace are vividly powerful, but perhaps his greatest gift is to get across the way the fatigue and the emotional shutting off creeps up unnoticed.
At the start, the death of a friend leaves Wellum devastated and wondering when his turn will come; within the space of a few hundred pages, the failure of a pilot to return is dropped in almost as an afterthought. This is not the response of a man who cares too little, but of one who cares too much. Without being aware of it, he has experienced and felt too much and his mind and body have involuntarily separated. This comes into even sharper relief at the end when Wellum is stood down from active service; he is the only one not to see--quite literally, as his vision has become impaired--that his ailments are rooted in his psyche rather than his body. The only one false note is his desire to see his role as part of a bigger picture; written many years after the events he describes, Wellum sometimes interjects thoughts and feelings about the war that simply do not ring true. That aside, one is left wondering what became of Wellum the man between the war ending and the book's publication. What sense did the prematurely aged fighter pilot make of the post-war age and did he learn to love again? But that, maybe, is the subject for another book. --John Crace --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
This may turn out to be the last great undiscovered memoir of the Second World War. Ex-Spitfire pilot Geoffrey Wellum wrote the book with no intention of ever seeing it published. Penguin picked it up, and since its appearance such luminaries as Max Hastings have been full of praise. First Light tells the story of Wellum's time as a pilot during the war. In the Battle of Britain, he and his comrades began to live each day with a fierce intensity. The thrill of flying a Spitfire was coupled with the sheer terror of combat, and when the day was over, the Squadron drank and played as hard as they could. One by one his friends stopped returning home. By the age of 21, Wellum was drained, mentally and physically. A harrowing book, but also a celebration of life.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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First Sentence
"There are some days in the early spring when the weather is such that, no matter where you are, either in town or countryside, England is at her best and it's good to be alive." Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
"There are some days in the early spring when the weather is such that, no matter where you are, either in town or countryside, England is at her best and it's good to be alive." Read the first page
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
70 of 70 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I am a modern pilot (though only born 10 years after WW2) but like most pilots would give almost anything (within reason) to fly a Spitfire! Geoffrey has made me feel as though I have finally achieved that dream by 'taking me for a cockpit ride in his Spitfire!'
I read a review or two by other readers of 'First Light' and was surprised at the mention of 'class' or 'priviledge' in some reviews. Maybe as a fellow former 'public schoolboy' the language and style seemed quite normal, but from his writings, I think it highly unlikely that Geoffrey would have consciously written with the slightest thought of having been privileged, other than the most obvious one of being allowed to experience the ultimate flying experience.
I like most readers, I suspect, was humbled by reading such a modest account of bravery and incredible airmanship.
Despite the passage of time between Geoffrey's flying training and my own, there are so many similies to draw upon which hold true to the present day. All pilots (of all experience) will be immediately taken back to their own flying training days when reading the early accounts. The description of 'seat of the pants' flying is extremely modestly described in various accounts of flying at night, in very marginal weather conditions and in particular, of chasing a target over the North Sea in weather that under normal conditions, no pilot would normally consider even thinking about removing the chocks!
I loved the book, couldn't put it down, empathised completely with the author - a man whose hand I would very much like to shake!
I read a review or two by other readers of 'First Light' and was surprised at the mention of 'class' or 'priviledge' in some reviews. Maybe as a fellow former 'public schoolboy' the language and style seemed quite normal, but from his writings, I think it highly unlikely that Geoffrey would have consciously written with the slightest thought of having been privileged, other than the most obvious one of being allowed to experience the ultimate flying experience.
I like most readers, I suspect, was humbled by reading such a modest account of bravery and incredible airmanship.
Despite the passage of time between Geoffrey's flying training and my own, there are so many similies to draw upon which hold true to the present day. All pilots (of all experience) will be immediately taken back to their own flying training days when reading the early accounts. The description of 'seat of the pants' flying is extremely modestly described in various accounts of flying at night, in very marginal weather conditions and in particular, of chasing a target over the North Sea in weather that under normal conditions, no pilot would normally consider even thinking about removing the chocks!
I loved the book, couldn't put it down, empathised completely with the author - a man whose hand I would very much like to shake!
34 of 34 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have read countless military history books by now and all the autobiographical ones follow a set pattern: young blood doesn't know he'll make the cut, eventually finds he's doing reasonably well, and reaches a certain proficiency, then becomes depressed with the hopelessness of war and loss. Wellum's book follows the same path but more than any other he puts the reader right there. It's hard for our generation to imagine being put in such a situation as a 17 year old school boy but Wellum makes you be that boy. What separates this from the others is the very human self-doubt that the author experiences along the way reminds us the fighter boys weren't just heroes, they were normal people with normal doubts and fears doing heroic things.
K Cowburn (above) feels the book has too much extraneous detail. Not so, the detail places the book firmly in reality and helps create pace. Take the eponymous chapter; it opens with banal descriptions of taking a cup of tea and builds and builds into a life or death crescendo. Better than a Mahler symphony.
This is one book I've turned to again and again. Buy it.
K Cowburn (above) feels the book has too much extraneous detail. Not so, the detail places the book firmly in reality and helps create pace. Take the eponymous chapter; it opens with banal descriptions of taking a cup of tea and builds and builds into a life or death crescendo. Better than a Mahler symphony.
This is one book I've turned to again and again. Buy it.
24 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Simply written, totally compelling, utterly convincing. In fact, a book that terrifies in a way no fiction can. His description of training, of night-flying and of missions had me reading by the seat of my pants...
What I don't accept is K.Cowburn's review: "There's also masses of pointless religious and naive philosophising about the meaning of war which never comes to any conclusion." I don't know what kind of religion could prepare you for the transition from cricket pitch to Spitfire cockpit, but I doubt it was to be found in a 1930s English Public School. It felt completely natural, therefore, that such questions should arise alongside so many others in his young man's stream-of-consciousness writing style. In any case, it is surely better to let the reader come to his own conclusions once he has let the writer share his experiences.
A book in a million.
What I don't accept is K.Cowburn's review: "There's also masses of pointless religious and naive philosophising about the meaning of war which never comes to any conclusion." I don't know what kind of religion could prepare you for the transition from cricket pitch to Spitfire cockpit, but I doubt it was to be found in a 1930s English Public School. It felt completely natural, therefore, that such questions should arise alongside so many others in his young man's stream-of-consciousness writing style. In any case, it is surely better to let the reader come to his own conclusions once he has let the writer share his experiences.
A book in a million.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Fascinating
I bought this as a gift for my husband. He is very interested in wartime documentaries/films. He had enjoyed the TV programme so much that I hoped he would like the book. Read more
Published 1 month ago by CMP
This is a great read
From leaving school and training on Tiger Months, progressing to Harvard's and eventually spitfires this book gives us a real insight of what it was like to be a Second World War... Read more
Published 1 month ago by @uptocloudbase
Brilliant
Reads like a novel - superbly well written and highly recommended. Hard to understand why this wasn't published much earlier, clearly a writing talent.
Published 2 months ago by Paul S
A Really Good Read
I have always been interested in the Battle and Britain and after reading the reviews on this book, I thought I would give it a try. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Bookworm
First Light
First Light by Geoffrey Wellum was a wonderful read. It brought me back to a time of my youth when I used to read about Paddy Payne ( a fictional RAF pilot) in the Lion comic. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Tony from Eire
Incredible read!
I first read this when I was about 16, having a personal interest in this type of book and at that time hoping to join the RAF, started it again to kill a long train journey every... Read more
Published 5 months ago by J. M. Skinner
The only book I've read 4 times.
This should be compulsory reading in all boys schools, and held in large print at libraries.
Is this country still able to produce such men?????
Is this country still able to produce such men?????
Published 5 months ago by Mr. Peter CARR
First Light
An amazing read, much better than the television program - which though good was nothing to the book.
Would highlyFirst Light recommend it.
Would highlyFirst Light recommend it.
Published 6 months ago by em
Enjoyable Read
I enjoyed this as I do all first hand accounts of war action whatever the period. A very humble man and to have experienced all this at such a young age is unbelievable. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Surveyor
Magnificent A must read
This review will be possibly be the shortest one i have written simply because so much has already been said about this magnificent book. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Mr. P. J. R. LEWIS
Listmania!
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