Synopses & Reviews
The gripping story of the twentieth centurys greatest struggle in the modest voice of a Canadian teenager in the RAF.
In 1940, nineteen-year-old Howard Hewer dreamed of being the next Billy Bishop, of piloting Spitfires or Hurricanes over Europe. His dream was shattered when he was selected instead for a career as a wireless operator in Bomber Command.
But he got all the adventure he signed on for. Hewer and his crews of 218 and 148 Squadrons flew important night operations over Germany and North Africa, dropping their deadly payloads and dodging enemy flak.
And he was not always much safer on the ground. He survived the Blitz in London, a U-boat attack in the South Atlantic, a fire-fight with Italian troops near el-Alamien, as well as chaste love affairs, fistfights, and beers with Boer rebels.
Self-deprecating, bittersweet, and alive to both the horrors of war and the friendships and courage of the men and women who fight it, In for a Penny, In for a Pound is the unforgettable story of a young Canadians experience of historys greatest war.
About the Author
Wing Commander T.W.H. (Howard) Hewer, CD, RCAF (retired), flew operations in Bomber Command during the Second World War as a wireless operator in 148 and 218 Sqdns. He has received the Queens Coronation Medal, the Queens Golden Anniversary Medal, the Malta George Cross Fiftieth Anniversary Medal, and the Canadian Special Service Medal. Hewer lives in Toronto with his wife, Doris.
Table of Contents
Foreword by G/C Kenneth McDonald, OBE, DFC, RAF (Retd)
Preface
Introduction by F/L William H. Dixon, RCAF (Retd)
List of Maps and Illustrations
PART I: In for a Penny
1 -- First Steps into War
2 -- Wireless School in the West
3 -- Gunnery School and Real Warplanes
4 -- On the High Seas with HMS Rodney
5 -- London and the Blitz - First Loss of Innocence
6 -- Yatesbury Wireless School - Collision of Cultures
7 -- Operational Training: The "Wimpy"
PART II: In for a Pound
8 -- Operational - "The Glamour Period Is Over"
9 -- Unto the Breach - Final Erosion of Innocence
10 -- Blooded Members of the Club
11 -- Adventures on Squadron Leave
12 -- Long Night to Berlin
13 -- Fear, Courage, and LMF
14 -- The End of the Beginning - A New Captain and Crew
15 -- Off to a Different War - Gibraltar, Malta, and Egypt
PART III: The Remaining Fifteen Shillings
16 -- The Land of the Pharaohs
17 -- Kabrit - Into the Desert War
18 -- In Support of Eighth Army
19 -- A Fine Line to Mutiny
20 -- The Mail Run
21 -- Tymbaki - A Cruel Victory
22 -- A Costly Assault on Sicily and Leros
PART IV: All Spent
23 -- Our Last Bomb Runs
24 -- Mission Behind Enemy Lines
25 -- Exit from Egypt
26 -- South Africa - Uncle Percys Boers
27 -- Christmas Convoy
28 -- A "Screen Tour" and Tragic News
29 -- The End of My Odyssey - Going Home
Epilogue
Bibliography
Index