I Would Have Gone On And On Hamilton Charles (Deryk) Upton, DFC in the Battle of Britain

by William G. Chrystal

The compelling story of Hamilton Charles (Deryk) Upton, DFC, 43 and 607 Squadrons, RAF. Upton shot down eleven German planes during the Battle of Britain. After the war, he served in the Royal Canadian Air Force. Suffering physical and psychological trauma, Upton had a rocky postwar career. He was eventually dismissed from the RCAF. After ten years in Truro, Nova Scotia, where he worked for radio station CKCL, Upton died in 1965 of a brain annuerism, quite likely related to wartime injuries.

119 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2012

Reviews

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This biography is about Charles Upton DFC, known as Deryk, who is a WWII Battle of Britain Ace but is also far more than that. This book is not just about a larger than life legend of the battle but is also about a very human being, "Warts and All", who comes to life through William Chrystal's narrative. Chrystal has weaved together a large number disparate sources of information (I had helped gather a tiny amount for Chrystal) and many quotes about Deryk, in a way that makes the book flow and, as a result, is a very readable biography which brings Deryk to life, as an individual. Any pilot who has lived and worked in the squadron environment, will recognise Deryk, as the type of individual who gives his all but is changed in doing so. His world is flying. The book title quotes him: "I would have gone on and on". The world has to adjust to him and his injuries after WWII, which it often fails to do, as he struggles in his travels. His life after the war has its ups and many downs as he tries to cope, on two continents, but he finds his niche and clearly made some very good friends who, surprisingly, knew very little of his past life.
We owe a huge debt of gratitude to people like Deryk and this book helped me understand what Battle of Britain pilots went through during and long after the battle, when squadrons such as his had 100% casualty rates, only kept going by the continual infusion of young and very inexperienced blood. Deryk, I salute your memory.
I am a slow reader but, at only 119 pages, I found this book easy to read but difficult to put down - just another page or two, then suddenly it was far far too late at night, and I had finished it.