Life and Death in the Battle of Britain

by Carl Warner (Editor)

This book offers an intimate account of the Battle of Britain, related by young pilots in their most unguarded moments, talking with their chaplain. Guy Mayfield was the Station Chaplain at the Royal Air Force’s Duxford base in the summer of 1940, and his diary is full of stories told by the pilots in his charge during that period of heroism and danger. Mayfield’s notes on his conversations deliver unique insights into the mindset of these young men as they took to the skies night after night, risking death to defend their homes and countrymen. Rounded out with photographs of the men and a context-setting narrative by historian Carl Warner, the book gives us moving insights into the men who, through their commitment and sacrifice, ensured that Britain would survive its finest hour.

176 pages, Paperback

Published July 15, 2018

Reviews

[Kit Nicholson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Guy Mayfield's Battle of Britain diary (actually spans Dec 1939 - Dec 1941) provides a unique insight into the minds of the young pilots in his charge, and of the young chaplain himself who saw friends - painfully literally - come and go. I'm not in the least bit religious so was unsure how much I'd get out of it, but while there are references, musings and accounts of discussing such and such a religious topic with a pilot or fellow chaplain, the vast majority deals more in the psychology of all involved. I'm sure it helped that I'm well acquainted with Duxford and am intimately familiar with the surrounding area, including some of the (very many) pubs visited/frequented by Mayfield and co.

There are several accounts of passenger flights with pals in various aircraft, usually a Blenheim, complete with discomfort, adventure and brushes with death. Procedure is kept to a minimum, while most time and space is given to the young pilots who appear in his quarters, usually bearing a few bottles of beer or occasionally something stronger, for philosophical conversation or just a friendly ear.

As the war progresses through Dunkirk to the beginning of the blitz and the thick of the Battle of Britain, Mayfield's entries gradually take on a necessarily darker tone. But by about the book's halfway point, Autumn 1940, the increasingly devastating carousel of names is offset by the arrival of Mayfield's newborn son (born late summer). At first, he stands by his own determination to keep it strictly a "war diary" and reduces all mentions of baby Robert to the bare minimum, but as time and terror wear on, Mayfield's visits to "the cottage" take up more space, bit by bit breaking open the author's character. All the while, descriptions of his "enchanting" son are offset by an ever-growing sense of despair and depression. Instead of brushing it off or forcing it deep down inside, Mayfield seems, on paper at least, to acknowledge, even study, and accept his own internal struggles in the context of the war. Both sides of the man - the family man and the RAF padre - add layers to the whole picture.

Perhaps the diary's greatest strength, for me, is the incredible warmth with which Mayfield writes about the value of friendship, and balancing it with the dread of inevitable loss; instead of foregoing the chance of deep connection, these men lived absolutely and completely in the moments they shared with one another.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thought the book was a good reflection of the everyday thoughts and feelings of one man very close to the battle of Britain.

[Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun yet touching account of life on Duxford airbase as an RAF chaplain at the start of The Battle Of Britain.

[Ben Poch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compelling and moving