FIRST LIGHT
The True Story of the Boy who became a Man in the War-torn Skies above Britain
Signed by Geoffrey Wellum DFC
Signed on the title page by
Geoffrey Wellum
Published by Viking. First edition, third impression, 2002. 338 pages and well-illustrated with photographs.
A Fine condition hardback book and Fine condition unclipped dustjacket with an even light tan to the pages. Clean, tight and unread. A superb copy.
An exceptional autobiography of life in the air in WW2. Posted to 92 Squadron in 1939 aged just 1, Geoffrey Wellum became one of the youngest participants in the Battle of Britain. In March 1942 he went to No 65 Squadron at Debden, and from there to Malta. Returning to England he became a Typhoon test pilot and stayed in the RAF after the war as a staff officer.
The first print run of this book was very small, but the book quickly became a bestseller. There were at least 14 later impressions of the first edition hardback before it went into paperback. It has been reprinted several times and in 2018 was chosen by Penguin to be one of the 6 books published in the Centenary Collection to mark 100 years of the RAF. It is also on the reading list for officers at the RAF College Cranwell.
‘First Light’ is a true modern classic, totally compelling reading and ranks alongside Hillary’s ‘The Last Enemy’ as a testament to ‘The Few’. A signed copy is an essential volume for any Battle of Britain library.