Meet the Woman who Saved the Royal Air Force
The inspirational true story of Beatrice Shilling
The noise was overwhelming.
The alarm continued to blast as crewchiefs screeched orders to the subordinates.
Doors burst open as dozens of airmen raced out of the barracks.
Jeeps and airfield vehicles raced to clear the runway as hundreds of men ran in the opposite direction to reach their aircraft.
Directly overhead, the first of Germany’s Luftwaffe’s bombers, Junkers Ju 88s and Heinkel He 111s, dived as they released their deadly ordinances.
Meet Wing Commander Gillian
A young British pilot, Wing Commander John Woodburn Gillian, found himself strapping into the cockpit of his Rolls-Royce Griffon Mk 24.
The engine roared to life.
Without waiting for the control tower’s call, he released the hand brake.
And as the plane turned into the runway, he pushed the throttle all the way forward, and within seconds, he was airborne.