Description: About this Item The item is a book Hardback The Author Name is Peter J Usher The Title is Battle of Britain Spitfire Ace : The Life and Loss of One of The Few, Flight Lieutenant William Henry Nelson DFC Condition New Other Comments Pages Count - 256. Category - Biography & Autobiography Product Description - Battle of Britain Spitfire Ace is the story of a young Canadian who in a short time, and for a brief time, mastered Britain’s most legendary war machine, the Spitfire. It is also the story of a young English woman who was for a short time his wife, and for a long time his widow, and of their son who for much of his life knew little about his father and is still learning about him. Their stories, based on their letters, diaries, and photos, unfold in richly detailed context as the setting moves from Montreal in Nelson’s youth, England in the last years of peace, the first (and largely forgotten) months of the air war against Nazi Germany, Canada during the war, and finally to post-war England. William Henry Nelson was a first-generation Canadian Jew whose family name was originally Katznelson. Like many young Canadians in the 1930s, he wanted to fly. Nelson began work in Montreal’s aircraft industry, but in 1936, at the age of nineteen, he left a humdrum life on the ground to go to England, intent on becoming a pilot in the Royal Air Force. A year later he was posted to a bomber squadron. Willie (as his family and friends called him) was also a fine athlete. He was captain of his squadron’s team in Britain’s Modern Pentathlon competitions in 1938 and 1939. While stationed in Yorkshire, he met Marjorie McIntyre. Instantly smitten, they married days before the war began. Nelson was one of the first Canadians to fly in combat over Germany, only days after the war began. The award of a Distinguished Flying Cross a few months later made him an instant hero to the Jewish community across Canada. In Britain’s desperate situation in June 1940 Nelson volunteered to retrain as a fighter pilot. Within weeks he destroyed five enemy aircraft, so becoming the only Canadian Spitfire ace in the Battle of Britain. Few fought as both bomber and fighter pilot during the Second World War, even fewer managed to excel at both. Willie Nelson was shot down on the first day of November, 1940, near the English Channel. He never saw his adversary, who may have been one of Nazi Germany’s most decorated fighter pilots. Nelson was 23 years old, and by then the father of a two-month old boy, William Harle Nelson. Marjorie took her infant son to Canada in 1941, seeking to meet her late husband’s family and provide little Bill the opportunity for a better life. She was one of the first war brides to do so. Marjorie was unprepared for the gulf in culture and class with Willie’s mother, and she was shocked by the antisemitism she encountered in Montreal. She left the city after a few months to begin her life anew, alone in a strange country. Marjorie soon remarried a Canadian, Ted McAlister. In 1957 they moved to England where Bill, having taken his stepfather’s surname, would become a prominent figure in Britain’s cultural life. Only in his thirties, however, would Bill come to learn of the family and origins of the father he never knew. On the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, the Royal Air Force Museum in London featured Nelson in its exhibit about the ‘hidden heroes,’ the Jews who volunteered to fight in the RAF in the Second World War. Nelson had said little about his Jewish identity, though it was consequential to him and to others during his life and afterwards. Over the course of his four years in England, Willie Nelson refashioned himself. But who had he become? Who was the man behind the iconic portrayals, what had been his formative influences and his guiding lights? How did he come to do what he did and what, in those last few years in England, did he live and die for? We Use Stock Images Because we have over 2 million items for sale we have to use stock images, this listing does not include the actual image of the item for sale. The purchase of this specific item is made with the understanding that the image shown in this listing is a stock image and not the actual item for sale. For example: some of our stock images include stickers, labels, price tags, hyper stickers, obi's, promotional messages, signatures and or writing which may not be available in the actual item. When possible we will add details of the items we are selling to help buyers know what is included in the item for sale. The details are provided automatically from our central master database and can sometimes be wrong. Books are released in many editions and variations, such as standard edition, re-issue, not for sale, promotional, special edition, limited edition, and many other editions and versions. The Book you receive could be any of these editions or variations. If you are looking for a specific edition or version please contact us to verify what we are selling. Gift Ideas This is a great Christmas gift idea. Hours of Service We have many warehouses, some of the warehouses process orders seven days a week, but the Administration Support Staff are located at a head office location, outside of the warehouses, and typically work only Monday to Friday. Location ID 9000z iHaveit SKU ID 167441432
Price: 69.3 USD
Location: US
End Time: 2025-01-22T18:03:23.000Z
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Restocking Fee: No
Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 30 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Fiction/Non-Fiction: Non-Fiction
Genre/Subject: Biography & Autobiography
Narrator/Voice Actors: NA
Length: 331
Running Time: NA
Special Attributes: NA
Age Level: NA
Modified Item: NA
Modification Description: NA
Title: Battle of Britain Spitfire Ace The Life and Loss of One of The
Series: NA
Signed: NA
Inscribed: NA
Personalized: NA
California Prop 65 Warning: NA
Weight: 0.43
Book Title: Battle of Britain Spitfire Ace : The Life and Loss of One of the Few, Flight Lieutenant William Henry Nelson DFC
Number of Pages: 256 Pages
Language: English
Publisher: Pen & Sword Books The Limited
Topic: Military / World War II, World, Military
Publication Year: 2024
Illustrator: Yes
Genre: Biography & Autobiography, History
Author: Peter J. Usher
Item Length: 9.2 in
Item Width: 6.2 in
Format: Hardcover