Bring Back My Stringbag: Swordfish Pilot at War, 1940 45

by John Godley, Lord Kilbracken

Vigorous, light-hearted and extraordinarily vivid, this account by Lord Kilbracken of his five years in the Fleet Air Arm during the Second World War provides a remarkable picture of personal dealings with Swordfish aircraft, affectionately known as Stringbags, which, he asserts, 'seemed to have been left in the war by mistake.' At the same time he reveals what a significant often dramatic, role they played in the world course of hostilities.

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

John Godley, the third Lord Kilbracken, was a distinguished fighter pilot, author and journalist, who chose to report for more than 50 years from some of the remotest areas of the world.

Born in Belgravia, he had just finished with Eton, and was ready for Oxford, when he chose to enlist. Having spent three years in frontline squadrons, flown on 67 operations, achieved 132 deck landings, piloted for 1,000 hours (once through Newcastle's balloon barrage), and having experienced four complete engine failures, Lieutenant Commander Godley was given the DSC and officially grounded.

Working initially for the Daily Mirror and the Sunday Express, and then as freelance, Kilbracken became a roving reporter, choosing hot spots and hotter topics, as well as out-of-the-way areas not within the normal remit of foreign correspondents. Being a lord was never a hindrance, even in the remotest areas. Along the way he became intrigued by the master forger, Han van Meegeren, who, accused in 1945 of selling art treasures to the Germans, confessed to painting them himself, notably a Vermeer which had passed official scrutiny. Sentenced to 12 months in jail, the faker promptly died, aged 58, to be revered as a hero and a great subject for a couple of Kilbracken books.

So, too, Captain Morgan's treasure and then, more surprisingly, works on tree and bird recognition. Living on his inherited Irish estate, in County Leitrim, just south of Ulster, Kilbracken was deeply disturbed by the troubles further north. He resigned his British citizenship following Bloody Sunday in 1972, and offered the peace and quiet of his country acres to children needing refreshment after the harrowing experiences of Belfast.

-- Anthony Smith (The Guardian)

Reviews

[Spad53 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm surprised nobody's reviewed this book, it's one of the best WW2 Aviation books I've read. It describes what the war in the air was like for an ordinary human being, scary. Much better than most of the books about or by fighter aces, it feels so much more real, and truthful. John Godley flew the Swordfish operationally for most of the war, what a hero.