"Moral Fibre" - The "Aussie" Red Forrester
Kit Moran flew 36 operations as a flight engineer before he started operational training as a pilot. That makes him both cautious and circumspect. Yet he is forced to push himself beyond his comfort zone by the cheeky Australian "Red" Forrester, who is intent on competition.
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Excerpt 1:
“Look, Red, can’t we lay this to rest?”
“What?” Forrester answered with a pretense ofinnocence.
“Your resentment over the fact that you got a redendorsement in your logbook on Black Friday and I didn’t.”
“Yeah, sure — if you can tell me one good reasonwhy I got that endorsement and you didn’t! We both disobeyed orders!”
“I can’t answer that, Red. I don’t endorse thelogbooks, the CO does.”
“Well, I can!” Forrester snarled. “Because you’re aPom and I’m a Colonial, that’s why.”
Kit could identify with Forrester’s resentment.He’d been in his shoes. But he also thought Forrester was wrong. “I canunderstand why you feel that way, but actually I’m not as ‘Pom’ as you think Iam.” He paused and then admitted, “I’m classed as coloured in South Africa.”
“What?” Forrester swung around and gawked at him.
“My grandmother was a native South African. Black.”
“Are you stiffing me?”
“No. Furthermore, I admire you for landing withouta green given the circumstances in which you did it. I wish I’d had the courageto do that — and that’s precisely what I told the inquiry panel. I’ve alreadytold you about pausing in the corkscrew and throttling back to let your reargunner get in a good shot. I still think it’s risky, but it seems to work. I’mperfectly willing to admit you’re a more natural pilot than I am. Whether Ilike your crew as individuals or not, I recognize that they’re a first-rateteam. Now, can we bury the hatchet?”
Forrester seemed to think about this for a moment,and then he grinned and clapped Kit on the shoulder so hard it jostled him.“You’re all right, mate!”
“No more rivalry?”
“Ah, no.” He shook his head. “I didn’t say that. Ican’t stop myself. It’s just the way I am. But don’t take it wrong, mate. Wecan be friendly rivals.”
Red is an Australian pilot who arrives at the same Operational Training Unit as Kit Moran at the same time. They share a room, and they soon become, well, bitter rivals. Forrester is ambitious. He wants his crew to be the best in everything -- flying, bombing, gunnery, navigation. He selects a crew of like-minded individuals, who are as aggressively competitive as he is. And when they do well at anything, they brag about it.
In the course of the novel, this sets up several situations where Moran is forced to make choices and take actions that would not otherwise have been necessary. Forrester acts as a foil to Moran. He forces Moran to re-evaluate who he is and what he wants. He is the shadow that sets Moran into greater light.
Excerpt 2:
About an hour later Forrester arrived and made a beeline forKit and Adrian. “Well, if it isn’t Zulu Moran himself!” he declared in a loudvoice that turned heads across the anteroom.
“That’s not—” Kit started to protest, angry with himself forconfiding in Forrester about his background. Adrian caught his eye and shookhis head sharply. Kit understood. If he protested, he’d only increaseForrester’s delight in this new nickname; by laughing, he rendered it harmless.So, Kit laughed and went on the offensive, “What happened to you? A girl take exceptionto your amorous advances?” Forrester had a black, swollen eye and a bad, jaggedcut on his chin.
“Had to teach some snotty Americans a lesson,” Forresteranswered grinning. “Best fight I’ve had in years. What are you drinking?”
Kit and Adrian let him buy them a round, and Forrester pulledup a chair beside Kit. “So, give me the gen on the Lanc,” he demanded.
Kit smiled and kept the tone light and bantering. “She’s notat all your type, Forrester. She’s a lady. Steady, sedate, smooth, andsophisticated.”
Forrester wasn’t offended. “Think I can’t handle a lady? I’llbet I solo on her sooner than you do.”
“Save your money. You may need it to pay bail next time youdecide to break things.”
“I’ll give you odds. If I solo first, you pay me ten bob, butif you do, I’ll pay you a whole quid.”
Kit didn’t want his reacquaintance with the Lanc rushed by thepressure of competition. He shook his head. “No, thanks. I told you before I’mnot a gambling man.”
“I’ll take the bet,” Adrian offered his hand to theAustralian.
Forrester shook it firmly. “Glad to see someone on Zulu’screw has balls. Bet’s on then!”
“Your money, but for the record: it’s not getting in the airfirst that counts but getting back again too.”
MORAL FIBRE WON THE HEMINGWAY AWARD 2022 FOR 20TH CENTURY WARTIME FICTION
IT WAS ALSO A FINALIST FOR THE BOOK EXCELLENCE AWARD 2023
Riding the icy, moonlit sky, they took the war to Hitler.
Their chances of survival were less than fifty percent.
Their average age was 21.
This is the story of just one bomber pilot, his crew and the woman he loved.
It is intended as a tribute to them all.
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"This is the best book on the life of us fighter pilots in the Battle of Britain that I have ever seen.... I couldn't put it down."-- RAF Battle of Britain ace, Wing Commander Bob Doe.
Winner of a Hemingway Award for 20th Century Wartime Fiction, a Maincrest Media Award for Military Fiction and Silver in the Global Book Awards.
Find out more at: https://crossseaspress.com/where-eagles-never-flew
For more information about all my books visit: https://www.helenapschrader.com
Disfiguring injuries, class prejudice and PTSD are the focus of three tales set in WWII by award-winning novelist Helena P. Schrader. Find out more at: https://crossseaspress.com/grounded-eagles
