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Anyone who has ever given any thought at all to the pleasures or
the hardships of flying, will find Witt Wittridge's book "An Evil
Boy" hard to put down. If one man has ever told of a life in
aviation with passion, humour and hard, cold facts Witt Wittridge
has! From his pilot training days under the Commonwealth Air
Training Scheme, through his wartime operational flying on
Spitfires, Mustangs and Thunderbolts and his post-war flying, on
early military jets such as the Meteor and Vampires, and then on to
his days as a test pilot, he recounts a captivating tale - always
massaged with modesty and self-deprecation.
Fast and upside down
flying behind him, Witt's final aviation appointment was as Chief
Pilot for a UK-based multi-millionaire. With over 90 aircraft types
in his log book, Witt's had an extensive flying career by any
standard - and his book is really one not to miss.
Squadron Leader Colin Pomeroy RAF (Ret'd). |
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Witt Wittridge evil?
No. A mischievous youth yes, but then someone who has lost his
father at the age of six and whose mother is a welder in an aircraft
factory is bound to have a certain amount of what we might refer to
as “character”, but never evil or malicious.
An early interest in
flying and the outbreak of WW2 saw Witt joining the RAF as soon as
he was old enough and, having completed pilot training in Canada,
being sent to India on active service flying ops against the
Japanese. With self effacing humour he describes how his
over-enthusiastic flying brought him on several occasions during his
career to the unwelcome attention of the authorities resulting among
others things with a loss of seniority and twice being placed under
close arrest. Seriously injured when a mechanical fault caused his
Mustang to crash on landing Witt was returned to the U.K. to recover
and to return to flying fitness.
With the war over he describes how
fear of a desk job saw him looking for ways to remain airborne and
to notch up new types of aircraft in his log book. He succeeded in
this task in the most spectacular fashion as a test pilot both in
the RAF and then afterwards in the civil sector. There can be few
pilots who can match Witt Wittridge for the number and variety of
types of aircraft flown - a most impressive list.
This book charts
the life of an ordinary man who, like many others of his time, was
drawn into events that were far from ordinary and yet rose to the
occasion without hesitation. His love of flying is evident
throughout and in particular his undying affection for that enduring
symbol of Britain’s WW2 spirit - the Spitfire.
To men like this we
all owe a debt of gratitude.
Adrian Lemmon.
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Dear Witt.
I have just sat down and read your book, the only disappointment was
that I wanted it to go on for longer. That however does not detract
from a marvellous piece of work to get back all those memories.
I live on the
south coast and am surrounded by the memory of the Battle of Britain
and D-DAY.
As a boy I would
sit and watch the Tiger Moths in the circuit at Shoreham, I knew I
had to get off my a** and fly, but without the academic background
it was a non starter in the forces.
So I paid my way
and have never looked back, I am lucky enough, through hard work and
a bit of blag, to be flying some nice types these days.
Your story tells
me of your affection for Vera Lynn, well the grand lady lives only
some 15 miles from me, I do not know her but I feel compelled to
loan her your book.
She has
graciously attended our annual airshow at Shoreham when her busy
schedule allows.
Thank you for
putting pen to paper and writing such an informative and amusing
book.
My collection of
aviation books has been enhanced greatly by adding your story to
many others who have made their mark in the history of this once
great country.
Your remarks about the current state of our nation are also shared
by many.
Yours Truly.
Bev Pook
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Carlo Barnett in
a letter to Witt:
Dear Witt,
I have great fortune in that I have just finished reading your
book” An Evil Boy”. It made an excellent read with many a wry smile.
It was a privilege to be guided through some of your life and
experiences. Your fortitude and skill are clearly present along with
an obvious love of the air & the machines that took you there. I can
only wonder at what these feelings are really like and would confess
a sense of envy.
Much has changed since this country called upon you to fly such a
beautiful creation in the Spitfire, and to fly it in anger. I can
see frustrations and maybe disappointments in the shape of things
today but if nothing else we have got where we are now as a free
nation. This was only made possible by people like you.
I am proud to call myself British, not perhaps for the way we are
but more for the way we were, for here lays the true Brits, along
with the deepest respect of so much sacrifice that should never be
forgotten.
You make a very fine representative of a “true Brit” and I feel
honoured to offer you a simple but heartfelt THANK YOU.
May you continue to be content and happy.
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Sid Munro from
New Zealand wrote this :
We were
interested to read the Readers' Comments. The second comment from NE
(fellow Spitfire Pilot, 155 Squadron, Burma), must be from Norman (Chota)
Edwards. It mirrors what all the others we know from 155 say about
Witt; that he was indeed an exceptional pilot.
When I was his
No 2 on Spitfires on 155 Squadron in Burma. He was wonderful to fly
with; always steady and never got lost, as some did. If he got cheeky
I'd climb up his wing with mine until he pleaded with me and said
sorry. My wing would take his lift and he got very tired of holding it
up. So he would apologise and I would pull away and say 'until next
time!', and then make it even harder the next time. You couldn't fault
his airmanship. We had a lot of fun. I preferred flying with him to
any other.
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Do you remember me riding along with you, partial
pressure-suit clad, in various aircraft, including Canberra WD933 before Jim
Starky & I arrived back engineless and upside down on 10 November '54!
Incredibly, fifty years ago. PAT (Flight Test Observer, Armstrong Siddeley),
25.1.05
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Witt was a wonderful pilot. We admired his piloting
considerably. To be able to do 3 upward rolls in a Spit is no mean feat.
NE (fellow Spitfire pilot, 155 Squadron, Burma) December 04
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My school chum JDM, flew Spits in Burma between '44 and
'45 as a F/Sgt in 273 Squadron, did you, by any chance, know him? EDB
4.2.05 |
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I enjoyed reading the book as I spent 20 years myself
flying in the RAF, 1951 to 1971, and a lot of the aircraft in the book are
very familiar to me. Good luck with your sales efforts. BW, 28.2.05
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Thanks for the book received today. I look forward to
a good read. DW, 2.3.05 |
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I enjoyed the book very much (ex Spitfire pilot) and I
wish your sales well. Sqdn LDR IB, 3.3.05
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Many thanks to you for the copy of you father' book 'An
Evil Boy'. I was most interested to read that your father served at
Boscombe Down at the time I served there on 'B' Squadron from 1948 until
1953. I was an aircrew signaller and for the last few months before posting
away from A & AEE I was the Flying Wing Adjutant with Grp Cap. Bobby
Clayton. AJRR, 6.2.05 |
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I have read the book and found it most interesting,
especially since I did my training in South Africa and was posted to SEAC
via Poona in late 1944 as a Hurricane pilot and thence on to the ACU
(Airborne Commando Unit) part of Force 136 for operation Zipper. Happily
the Atom bomb prevented my getting myself killed on this operation!!
Eventually posted to a 'Com Flight' at Peshawar NWF, flying the Harvard
around the forts of the NWF and subsequently flying Spitfires Mk16 to Mk 24
on 80 Sqdn as part of BAFO Germany. (No gongs of course) then civil flying
ending up as a training captain in what became British Airways. Best
regards, JT. 2.2.05 |
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Thanks for sending me a copy of your father's
fascinating book. I read it and thoroughly enjoyed the book. He certainly
had a wealth of flying experience over a long period. I found the list of
aircraft flown particularly interesting, since I once served on RAF Handling
Squadron, Boscombe Down and was able to fly a number of different types.
Wng Cdr RJW,7.2.05 |
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There has been great interest in the branch (Air Crew
Association) in 'An Evil Boy'. WP, 15.2.05
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We agreed that we would purchase a copy for use by all
our members (Air Crew Association), PH. 25.2.05
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I will never
forget Witt's accident. At the time I was Adjutant of 213 Squadon. I
was at the door to the office when I heard a Mustang on the circuit.
Looking up at it I thought he was doing a very tight circuit with the
undercart down. Lining up with the runway he went behind a brick
building and I did not see him past the building. There was no sound
but I shouted at some of the NCO pilots that I thought there had been an
accident and took them in the 15cwt to the end of the runway. We
couldn't see anything at first and then some metal reflected the sun. I
think the first bit of wreckage was the prop and then the engine.
Witt was in a
small section broken off behind the engine and just behind the armour
plated seat. Witt's head was under the gun sight which I broke off from
the mounting. I had been a second year medical student and although I
could see that his leg was smashed up I was worried about his spine. I
was able to reach under the cockpit and unlock the American type of
straps and also his parachute. We then very carefully extracted him
from the cockpit and laid him on the ground. The ambulance arrived and
took him away. If I remember the MO was in Haifa so we had no
professional help at the accident site.
A little
extra. Colin Willdey returned from a visit to Witt and said he was very
distressed at having lost his dental plate. We all went to the wreckage
complete with spades and on the site we realised it would be impossible
to find the denture. Fortunately one of the NCO pilots had the sense to
put his hand just in front of the instrument panel and came out with the
plate. Colin took it on the next visit to Witt.
Witt rang me
up just after I had spoken to you to order a copy of An Evil Boy. It
was great to hear his voice again after all these years.
Yours aye,
Jock Luckas
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