Arise to Conquer

Arise to Conquer The ‘Real’ Hurricane Pilot written by I. R. Gleed and published by

Air World Books - £25.00 - Hardback - Pages 272

Born in 1916, after learning to fly as a civilian, Ian Richard Gleed was granted a RAF

commission in 1936. He completed training on Christmas Day that year, being posted to

46 Squadron which was equipped with the Gloster Gauntlet.

Through much of his RAF service, the diminutive Gleed was known as ‘Widge’, short for ‘Wizard Midget’ on account of his excessive use of the word ‘wizard’ to describe something ‘topper’, and his short stature. Rising from Flight to Squadron Commander in short order, and later taking over the Ibsley Spitfire Wing in 1941, Gleed was enormously popular with his peers. Indeed, Wing Commander ‘Bunny’ Currant once described Gleed as a ‘pocket-sized man with care for others and courage beyond compare’.

Having been decorated with the coveted ‘double’ of both DSO and DFC, Wing Commander Gleed went out to lead a wing in Tunisia. It was there that he was shot down and killed on 16 April 1943. By this time, he had achieved the status of being a fighter Ace, having been credited with the destruction of thirteen enemy aircraft.

The previous year, Gleed’s wartime memoir, Arise to Conquer, was published by Victor Gollancz. Eloquently written and detailed, this book is a superb first-hand account of one man’s life and times as a fighter pilot – mainly flying the Hawker Hurricane – during the Fall of France, the Battle of Britain and beyond into the night Blitz.

Reprinted here in its entirety, and extensively introduced by the renowned aviation historian Dilip Sarkar MBE, FRHistS, this edition of Arise to Conquer is supported by a remarkable set of wartime images. Among Gleed’s Hurricane pilots on 87 Squadron during the Battle of Britain and beyond was Sergeant Laurence ‘Rubber’ Thorogood, a keen photographer who is often mentioned in this book. Along with his Commanding Officer’s words, Rubber’s unique personal photograph album, containing as it does a number of images of Gleed, provides a rare glimpse of a fighter squadron at war during our Darkest – yet Finest – Hour.

This was a really good book to read, a book about a group of Hurricane pilots during WW2, their lives, training, flying and everyday life from a first-hand account, by Wing Commander I. R. Gleed DSO, DFC. In a way this a great history book because it tells the stories and daily experiences of the ‘man’ on the ground doing the job. It hasn’t been glossed over or fabricated to look good, it’s just a ‘warts and all’ type story of young pilots qualifying and fighting with Hurricanes. The person who the stories revolve around Wing Commander Gleed, who actually does seem down to earth and a nice man to get on with through work and play. A man everyone wants on their side during those harsh times of fighting. It was good to have the personal photos grouped together at the back as they really did add life to the story, and in fact, the photos told the story of this fine man almost from beginning to end. A book I would happily recommend to others.