Barney Barnfather: Life in a Spitfire Squadron

Barney Barnfather flew Spitfires from November 1941 until the end of the war in Europe. He was in the thick of the fighting and saw action over France, Malta, North Africa, in the invasions of Sicily and Italy, and finally over Austria in 1945. This is his story. Barney was not an ace but was an experienced "trooper" who formed the backbone of Fighter Command. He had been lucky to survive the war relatively unscathed, when many of those who had flown with him had been killed on operations or in senseless flying accidents. Whether it was just the luck of the draw, or that he was a skilled pilot, is debatable but after the war Barney was one of those elite fliers who could lay claim to having flown Spitfires with the RAF in some of the key air battles of the Second World War. Angus Mansfield, his grandson, has researched and written a compelling narrative of BarneyΣs story, from fledgling trainee to battle hardened pilot.