FLYING HIGH!

Copyright Wendy Gray 2012

Last weekend, Eileen Younghusband adopted the true celebrity lifestyle, when she flew in the front seat of a private six-seater Bonanza aircraft. This US aircraft transported her to RAF Duxford to for a Top Secret meeting.

Eileen was told she would be flown by plane and that something special would happen on her return. Eileen said: “I’ve never had such an exhilarating weekend. It was originally planned that I would be transported by helicopter, but instead I sat in the co-pilot’s seat. I had to shuffle on my bottom along the wing, to reach the seat, and once settled, was told not to touch anything. In front of me were a multitude of dials and a control stick to direct the aircraft. I relaxed and enjoyed the view of the glorious countryside around me.

The fabulous weather brought out a lot of air-traffic, and the pilot had to check into Air Traffic Control in Cardiff, then Gloucester as well as several other places along our journey to report our height and position and to be of approaching aircraft.”

After the secret meeting in Duxford Eileen returned to Cardiff via the same aircraft. Just as they were preparing to leave, the pilot asked Air Traffic Control: “What is the schedule?” The reply came: “Port side three minutes.” The pilot turned to Eileen and said: “Look out of the window, we have organised a surprise for me.” To her great joy, there was a Spitfire alongside with the cockpit open! She said: “We were escorted for about twenty miles by this iconic plane. It was a wonderful sight. We were flying side by side. Just as his journey was finishing, and he was returning to base, he waved at me; through the cockpit and performed a Victory Roll. That was an incredible thing to witness. It brought me right back to the days of the Blitz. I have memories of this being performed, as a celebration displayed when a German aircraft had been shot down. The whole day was very much breathtaking, and something I really wasn’t expecting at ninety-one-years-old!”

Written by Rebecca Jenkins

FAIRWATER LIBRARY CELEBRATES WORLD BOOK NIGHT

Candy Jar has joined forces with Fairwater Library to celebrate ‘World Book Night’ on 23rd April with a special author signing at Fairwater Library. The event, which features two of Candy Jar’s top authors, Eileen Younghusband and Barbara Pontin, is expected to be popular with local residents.

First to appear will be former WAAF, Eileen Younghusband, who has written her memoirs of WW2, entitled One Woman’s War.

The book reveals the truth about the forgotten wartime women, barely out of their teens, who were employed for this critical job because they were quicker than men. It also has contributions from Dame Vera Lynn and Emma Soames. Emma Soames, who is Winston Churchill’s granddaughter and editor-at-large at Saga Magazine, believes that this story must be heard. She says: “It is excellent to be reminded what a great debt we owe to this group of brave, dedicated young women who, in a highly charged and stressful situation, where time was of the essence, did so much to save our country from destruction.

Now in her 91st year, Eileen has appeared on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Breakfast, and has contributed to a documentary series "WW2: The Last Heroes”. She has also been in talks with a production company about turning aspects of her life into a drama series.

For 83-year-old Barbara Pontin it is almost like coming home. She worked in the Fairwater Library for twenty years and is excited to be returning as a published author. Barbara began writing her book, Merlys, in her early forties. She says: “With a family to look after it became increasingly difficult to devote my time to the book, and although I did have some interest from Hollywood, I put the manuscript away and forgot about it.”

Early in 2011 Barbara came across the 40-year-old manuscript and decided to breathe new life into the 18th century story of murder, anguish and love across the Welsh valleys. She continues: “I wanted my story to reach as many people as possible, so I contacted Candy Jar Books in Cardiff. They were very supportive, but did encourage me to start the book with a shock. I don’t think they expected it to be so blood-curdling though.”

Barbara is quietly pleased by the reaction to the pre-release of Merlys. Mischievously she says: “My friends have been very shocked by this book. They didn’t know that I had it in me. Most thought butter would not melt in my mouth. It has been fun to prove them wrong!”

Shaun Russell, director at Candy Jar Books, is very proud of Eileen and Barbara. He says: “At Candy Jar we like to support new talent. Barbara Pontin’s Merlys is quite a brave book. It takes romantic fiction into a slightly gruesome world of wreckers and highwaymen. On the other hand, Eileen Younghusband’s One Woman’s War describes WW2 in considerable detail. It is an important account of women’s contribution to the Allied victory in 1945. Eileen's story is an inspiration to us all.”

Eileen Younghusband will be at Fairwater Library between 11am-1pm, with Barbara Pontin there between 2pm- 4pm.

One Woman's War is out now. Merlys will be released in August.

V2 ROCKET FOUND IN HARWICH

Recently a V2 rocket used during the Second World War was discovered in Harwich Harbour, Essex. A local sailing club spotted what looked like the tail of a rocket breaking the service of the water. Once the police had been informed a team of Royal Navy divers were called to the scene to investigate, as well as the Bomb Disposal Squad. WW2 veteran, EileenYounghusband, knows all too well about the dangers of the V2 rockets. She served in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) and was tasked with detecting and tracking enemy planes and the V2 rockets in the wartime Filter Rooms.

 

90-year-old Eileen, who was the first person to track a V2 rocket, feels the location of the discovered V2 is quite interesting. She said: “It’s all very strange. It’s not where I would have expected it to be. The V2s were designed to travel great distances. If they were launched from Pas-de-Calais they were aimed at London, from Rotterdam they were aimed at Antwerp. This one must have been faulty.”

 

She continues: “These weapons were so different from the bombing of the Blitz when people could see and hear the aircraft and recognise that our fighters were up there retaliating. The V2s were something else. If you heard one, the chances are you were going to die."

 

Eileen’s book, ‘One Woman’s War’, which details her time in the Filter Room, is available now from www.onewomanswar.co.uk.

AUTHOR, EILEEN YOUNGHUSBAND APPEARS ON BBC BREAKFAST

Yesterday, Eileen Younghusband appeared on BBC Breakfast to talk about her time serving in the WAAF during World War Two. You can watch the clip here:

ONE WOMAN'S WAR NOW AVAILABLE TO BUY!

One Woman's War, the latest publication from Candy Jar Books, was officially launched today at RAF St Athan on the same day as the author's 90th birthday.

Eileen Younghusband, a former member of the WAAF, celebrated in style by sharing a glass of Champagne with Wing Commander Lyndon Jones, who just happens to share the very same birthday (and is exactly half her age). Eileen was treated to a tour of the base in the 'Queenie' Land Rover - a vehicle normally reserved for royal vistors - before meeting young RAF recruits and other VIPs over coffee and cake.

In 1940, Winston Churchill made one of his most stirring speeches. In his address, given in Parliament, he praised the Battle of Britain aircrews and immortalised them as “The Few”. Alongside them was another group – even fewer and mostly women – whose work was too secret to acknowledge. These were the young women in the Filter Room, calculating the targets of the Luftwaffe’s bombing fleets from information supplied by Britain’s pioneering Radar network.

One Woman's War reveals the truth about the forgotten wartime women, barely out of their teens, who were employed for this critical job because they were quicker than men. They were given an awesome responsibility, working against the clock, knowing that their cool head and proficiency at maths could make the difference between a bomber being shot down in flames or getting through to drop its deadly cargo on a British city.

The book also has contributions from Dame Vera Lynn and Emma Soames. Emma Soames, who is Winston Churchill’s granddaughter and editor-at-large at Saga Magazine, believes that this story must be heard. She says: “It is excellent to be reminded what a great debt we owe to this group of brave, dedicated young women who, in a highly charged and stressful situation, where time was of the essence, did so much to save our country from destruction. One Woman’s War adds to the war archive that becomes increasingly important as the participants in the 1939-45 war gradually age and pass away, many of them taking their memories with them. As well as producing this readable account of her years in uniform, Eileen Younghusband has brought an extraordinary period and a previously unrecorded part of our air defences to life.”

One Woman's War is now available from the Candy Jar Bookstore and is priced £15.99 (plus p&p).

www.onewomanswar.co.uk

www.candy-jar.co.uk