Rollie: A fictionalised biography

by Michael Wombat

“Hi!” the trucker grinned as they clambered up into the sweltering cab. “Where you headed?”“Canada?” said Jensen.“Well now, I can’t take you that far.” The driver rejoined the highway. “I’m heading for Devil’s Lake, but I can drop you in Petersburg?”“Thanks,” Rollie said. “That’s great, truly. My name’s Rollie, and this is Johnny.”“What takes you boys all the way to Canadee?”“The war,” said Jensen.“We ain’t got no war, have we?”“And planes,” Rollie said. “We’re going to fly in the war in Europe.”“Does Europe matter?”“Nothing matters more than to fight evil.”---In 1940, on the day that Winston Churchill gave his ‘We shall fight on the beaches’ speech in the House of Commons, Rollie Ernest Buckolz and his friend John Jensen stuck up their thumbs by the side of a dusty South Dakota road, and got the first of a series of lifts that would take them five hundred and sixty miles north into Canada. Their intention was to join the Royal Canadian Air Force and fight for the Allies in Europe. Thrilled by the thought of air service, and enthused by the idea of fighting against Nazi Germany, they were prepared to risk losing their US citizenship to fight in a war that America had not yet joined. This is the story of one man, and of a hundred and thirty thousand men who followed the same path to war – the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan in Canada.

171 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 30, 2021

About the author

A Yorkshireman living in the rural green hills of Lancashire, Michael Wombat is a man of huge beard. He has a penchant for good single-malts, inept football teams, big daft dogs and the diary of Mr. Samuel Pepys. Abducted by pirates at the age of twelve he quickly rose to captain the feared privateer ‘The Mrs. Nesbitt’ and terrorised the Skull Coast throughout his early twenties. Narrowly escaping the Revenue men by dressing as a burlesque dancer, he went on to work successively and successfully as a burlesque dancer, a forester, a busker, and a magic carpet salesman. The fact that he was once one of that forgotten company, the bus conductors, will immediately tell you that he is as old as the hills in which he lives. Nowadays he spends his time writing and pretending to take good photographs. You can have a good laugh at his pathetic blog or his photographs, but most of all please go and mock him mercilessly on Twitter or Facebook. Michael Wombat has published over one book. Other authors are available.

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Reviews

[Miranda Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an incredible read. I was quietly weeping and sniffling towards the end.

Michael Wombat has taken the remnants of someone's short time on this earth, a box full of letters, a diary and some photos and certificates, and brought it to life. Filling in some blanks with a few fictional pieces of dialogue and events. It brought alive the world of what young airforce pilots in the second world world experienced while training.

Michael Wombat spent years reading and researching other accounts from people who went through the same training during that time and knew all about the organisations, and the terminology and used it to fill in the pencil drawing of Rollie's life. I was gained a sense of who this young man was, and how he interacted with friends and family. And it was extremely touching, and I'm really glad I read it.

Even if, like me, you aren't particularly into war stories or accounts, this book gives you a glimpse into someone's life and explains all the nuances and terminology from that time. I definitely recommend it. Well done Michael Wombat for enabling us to remember Rollie and all those like him.

[Stephen Leatherdale · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really incredible read. From some photos and written sources, the author has weaved an astounding and vivid character. This would be a great accomplishment in itself, but the whole book is warm,engaging and absorbing.

It's hard to express the amount of love I felt for the adventurous and heroic young American, who joined the Royal Canadian Air Force and ventured into the European theatre of war as much for the adventure as for his sense of justice. The expert blend of factual passages mixed with delightful fictional sections brought the whole tale to life.

I can honestly say that I have never been so touched by a war story in my life.

[Neil · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bittersweet tale of bravery, honour and how cruel life can be. What a life Rollie lead in the brief time he was given...