Old Forge Publishing

A Survivor's Tale

The true life story of a wireless operator/air gunner from enlistment in 1941 to demobilisation in 1946

by Ted Nelson.

Ted Nelson was born in Hazel Grove, Stockport in May 1923 and despite attending six different schools in Lancashire, London and Southampton between the ages of 4 and 11 he still managed to obtain an academic scholarship to King Edward VI Grammar School in Southampton in 1934.

  To avoid becoming an evacuee when the Second World War began he ‘ran away’ from school and later enlisted in the RAF as aircrew at just 17, recording his age as 18, despite signing a declaration that any untruth could result in 2 years imprisonment with hard labour!

  In completion of his training as a Wireless Operator/Air Gunner he survived 87 operational flights spread over 698 operational flying hours.

  In total he completed 717 flights covering 1658 hours, flew with 125 different pilots in 25 different aircraft. He landed or was stationed at 75 airfields during his service, with 206 Squadron, the Coastal Command Development Unit and the Air/Sea Warfare Development Unit.

  He was demobilised in 1946 and finally wrote ‘A Survivor’s Tale’ in the Autumn of 2008 at the age of 85. He is married to Ona and has 3 children and 7 grandchildren and has lived in Dorset for the past 46 years.  

A Survivor's Tale is being launched at The Gullivers Bookstore in Wimborne on the 2nd December 2009 at 11am.

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Built to Endure

The Story of the Airfield Construction Branch in the Cold War

by Gp Capt Nigel Walpole

‘Built to Endure’ tells the story of airmen who laboured outside the limelight to provide airfields and the facilities necessary to support Allied air power in the Cold War, and for the UK to exercise its national responsibilities world-wide. They were the unsung heroes of the RAF Airfield Construction Branch (ACB).

    The ACB came to life in 1948, and was soon committed heavily to urgent work on airfields and associated installations needed for the Berlin Airlift, and in its aftermath it became deeply involved in the refurbishment or construction of new airfields optimised for the second generation jet fighters, the new V-bombers, missile and radar sites, nuclear storage and command bunkers. Much of this work took place in Europe, but the ACB also had detachments spread widely across the world, its men often working in extreme weather conditions, from the wind-swept Outer Hebrides to  isolation in the Seychelles and Maldives and in the searing   heat of South Arabia, the jungles of Thailand, Sarawak and  North Borneo. Moreover, in Aden, Cyprus, Sarawak and North  Borneo these men came under attack from terrorists,  typically on the border between the Aden Protectorates and the  Yemen at Beihan and in the Radfan mountains, but they  were always ready, willing and able to defend themselves.    

   In some 110,000 words and 347 pictures, personal anecdotes   of airmen at work and play are woven into a factual framework   drawn from official archives, to pay tribute to the ACB.

AUTHOR’S ROYALTY WILL BE DONATED TO THE CHARITY ‘COMBAT STRESS’.

270 x 220mm Hardback, 240 pages, 347 photos 

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Fall Out Roman Catholics and Jews

A personal account of this distinguished officer’s RAF career

1956-1963 with a bit added on...

by Tony Haig-Thomas

Foreword by

Air Chief Marshal Sir John Allison KCB, CBE, RAF (Retd) 

Tony Haig-Thomas tells his highly personal story of a young man in hog-heaven (well, most of the time) but also painting an affectionate and authentic picture of that Air Force that he loved so much. Some of his descriptions of flying are lyrical. Passages on operational flying in Venoms and Hunters out of Aden (and ground operations with the Army) are exciting and play down the gallantry involved.

  If you know what it was like to be in the Royal Air Force in the late 50s and early 60s, then you must wallow in the nostalgia generated by Tony’s story. If you would like to know what the Air Force was like in those days, then read this book, because it is the real thing. If you are just curious to know more about Tony, then much will be revealed by this book.

  The author was educated at Ludgrove Preparatory School and Eton. He had one ambition which was to fly in the RAF but was rejected four times due to short sight. Never taking no for an answer, and a preparedness to bypass official channels, eventually paid off. He joined the RAF in April 1956, training on Jet Provost and Vampire, ‘Wings’ were awarded in December 1957 and he then flew Hunter, Venom and Meteor in the Middle East. Following a disastrous low-flying episode in Rhodesia, he became a Flying Officer with minus four months seniority. After returning to England he became ADC to the AOC 11 Group and flew Seahawk, Javelin and Canberra, eventually leaving the RAF to join a City merchant bank.

  As a civilian his weekends were spent at Redhill with the Tiger Club where, joining forces with Neil Williams, he flew a Zlin at the World Aerobatic Championships of 1966 in Moscow. The book ends with the author back flying Hunters in Saudi Arabia. It is written with an immaturity that is appropriate to his age at the time of the events and with a self-deprecating sense of humour. He is currently the Aviation Trustee of the Shuttleworth Trust.

210 x 145mm Hardback, 232 pages, 60 photos

 Officers with Air Rank potential are conspicious from an early age

by their dress and bearing!

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