Survival From the Skies

Airmen who Fell, Floated, and Walked from Adversity in the Second World War

Colin Pateman

• Publisher: Pen and Sword
• Year: 2025
• eBook ISBN: 9781036115791
• Edition: 0
• Subtopic: Military Biographies

Many are the remarkable stories of the men who, through good fortune or sheer determination, survived the loss of their aircraft in the Second World War. Depending on the circumstances, these aircrew often became members of the Caterpillar, Goldfish or Late Arrivals clubs, as well as the famous Guinea Pig Club where membership was reserved to aircrew who were operated on by the legendary plastic surgeon Sir Archibald McIndoe. Such individuals include Captain R.L. Morrison who was injured when his Curtiss P-40 Tomahawk was shot down over North Africa; he was one of six aircraft brought down by the Luftwaffe Ace Hans-Joachim Marseille in just eleven minutes. Having survived his crash landing, Morrison was eventually picked up by a South African armoured car unit operating behind enemy lines. He finally reached Tobruk, gaining membership of the Late Arrivals Club in the process, from where he was evacuated just two days before the port-city was taken by Rommel's Afrika Korps. Then there is the story of Flight Lieutenant Charles Parish, who was the sole survivor of the crew of a Wellington bomber which was shot down in the English Channel. In pitch darkness, Parish swam seven miles to reach the English coast supported only by his Mae West life-preserver. For this remarkable achievement Parish was admitted into the hallowed ranks of the Goldfish Club. Other airmen who became a member of the Goldfish Club include rear-gunner Sergeant Frederick Price, who had been adrift at sea for six days before being rescued, and navigator Brian Beecroft, who survived not one, but two ditchings at sea. After parachuting to safety over France, and in so doing gain membership of the Caterpillar Club, Flight Engineer Kenneth Board evaded capture with the help of the Resistance. Some, however, survived the horror of the downing of their aircraft only to land in the hands of the enemy. Sergeant John Lord, who became a member of the Caterpillar Club, was one of these men; he was killed in error while a prisoner of war. Sergeant Cecil Room, meanwhile, had been adrift for three days before he was rescued by the Luftwaffe. Often these men received gallantry awards, and all have fascinating experiences to relate but their tales have not been told – until now. This collection of more than twenty accounts covers several theatres of war and deals with a wide variety of escapes following the disastrous loss of an aircraft over land or sea in the Second World War.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Foreword
• Introduction
• Chapter 1 Parachutes
• Chapter 2 The Caterpillar Club
• Chapter 3 Warrant Officer Bailes – The British Parachute Company
• Chapter 4 Flight Lieutenant Charles Woodbine Parish – Swam 7 Miles
• Chapter 5 Sergeant Kenneth Board – Caterpillar Club Evader
• Chapter 6 Sergeant Percival Miller – Caterpillar Club
• Chapter 7 Flight Sergeant Cecil Lockwood – Caterpillarm Club, Japanese Prisoner of War
• Chapter 8 The Goldfish Club – Ditching
• Chapter 9 Pilot Officer Roger Osborn DFC – Goldfish Club
• Chapter 10 An Extraordinary Goldfish Crew
• Chapter 11 Sergeant Brian Beecroft – Goldfish Club Twice and Prisoner of War
• Chapter 12 Sergeant Frederick Price – Goldfish Club, Adrift for Six Days, Prisoner of War
• Chapter 13 Flight Sergeant Victor Jarvis DFM – Air-Sea Rescue
• Chapter 14 Sergeant James Burness – Caterpillar Club, Dinghy Dropping
• Chapter 15 Warrant Officer Robert Rawlins – Goldfish Club Endorsed Member
• Chapter 16 Flight Sergeant Alexander Sutherland DFC – Goldfish Club
• Chapter 17 Sub-Lieutenant Reginald Singleton, Fleet Air Arm – Goldfish Club
• Chapter 18 The Late Arrivals Clu
• Chapter 19 Sergeant Henry Rolph – Late Arrivals Club
• Chapter 20 Flight Sergeant Thomas Docherty – Caterpillar Club and Late Arrivals Club
• Chapter 21 Major Robert Morrison DFC – Late Arrivals Club
• Chapter 22 Guinea Pigs
• Chapter 23 Sergeant Dennis Taylor – Guinea Pig and Goldfish Club
• Chapter 24 Pilot Officer William Batson DFM – Caterpillar Club, Captured
• Chapter 25 Sergeant Cecil Room – Goldfish Club, Adrift for Three Days, Rescued by the Luftwaffe
• Chapter 26 Sergeant John Lord – Caterpillar Club, Killed in Error as Prisoner of War
• Chapter 27 The Importance of the Written Word
• References
• Plates