The Elephant on My Wing

This book recounts the extraordinary tale of a young Kiwi, Flight Lieutenant Bobby Campbell, who  sailed to England in 1938 intending to become a flying instructor at a London aero club, but an old school mate soon had him roped into the RAF instead. After cutting his teeth in basic flight training at Yatesbury, Bobby found himself stationed at No.4 FTS at Abu Sueir in Egypt and by July 1939, he was with 211 Squadron, operating out of Ismailia.

When Mussolini decided to join the party, 211 was the first squadron to give the Italians a taste of British resolve in the Western Desert, launching daring missions from their El Daba base. Bobby completed 13 bombing raids at the controls of a Blenheim, including a hush-hush operation that saw him dropping off Stirling’s nascent SAS commandos behind enemy lines to wreak havoc on Italian airfields.

When Italy turned its ambitions towards Greece, 211 was dispatched to lend a hand. Bobby managed 25 raids before his luck ran out over Valona harbour. Shot down, he ditched into the drink, swam three miles with a broken leg and scaled a 4,000ft cliff, only to be nabbed by Italian troops after a brief partisan pit stop. Shipped off to a concentration camp in Albania, he later found himself shuffled through various grim POW camps on the Italian mainland.

But Bobby was far from done. After several attempts, he finally broke free from PG47 Modena with a few fellow officers. With a bit of help from some friendly Italian farmers and their even friendlier daughters, he navigated through enemy territory to the safety of Allied lines near Biferno. From there, it was homeward bound to England and eventually back to the Land of the Long White Cloud.

This riveting biographical account captures the essence of his wartime escapades, delivering a ripping yarn of courage and camaraderie that’s as gripping to read as a blockbuster novel with the added bonus that its all true.

And in case you’re wondering, the elephant in the title refers both to the Blenheim’s lumbering performance and to the fact that the Squadron mascot in Ismailia was a real live elephant which, as a young officer, Bobby was tasked with looking after.

Publisher - Woodfield Publishing Ltd

Language - English

Perfect Bound

Contributors

By author

Peter A. Wright

Published Date - 2011-10-01

ISBN - 9781846831195

Dimensions - 23.4 x 15.6 x 1.1 cm

Page Count - 188