GESTAPO HUNTER

GESTAPO HUNTER 
by Sean Feast.

Edward (Ted) Barnes Sismore was just eighteen when the second world war was declared. Having been attested only a few weeks before, he reported as an RAF Volunteer Reservist for the start of his training. 
The pressures of time, limited flying training. Despite much promise, Ted's landing issues would see his dream of being a pilot end, so beginning his career as a navigator.
March 1941 brings his first posting, navigating on Bristol Blenheims.
Over the coming months he flew on both night and daylight 'Circus' ops where some very close shaves were had.
I will not spoil those stories for you, dear readers.

After several difficult months of illness and a less than happy posting on Whitleys, he moved on to a Mosquito squadron.
It would be a much more successful period for Ted, leading to commendations and promotion.
Now in a role as a navigation officer, he would often be grounded to help plan the routes that the bombers would take to and from their targets. He would be involved in some now very well known raids.

'Operation Jericho' was the attack on the prison at Amiens, housing many captured French Resistance leaders, now awaiting execution. 
Another was the raid on the Gestapo HQ in Aarhus, Denmark. Again these are well documented in the book by Sean.

The end of the war, did not bring Ted's remarkable time in the air to a stop. In 1947 he joined forces with the former Dambuster pilot Mick Martin, as they they took on the challenge of beating the London to Cape Town speed record. Once again for Ted, it would see him navigating in a Mosquito.
It was an incredible trip, but did they beat the record?

Ted still had ambitions to be a pilot and successfully passed his course. Now in the world of jet engined aircraft, he first flew the Gloster Meteor before moving on to the English Electric Canberra. 
I was especially interested to learn that he flew over the East coast of Britain in 1953 surveying the horrendous damage caused by a tidal surge in the North Sea. 
*My mother's family lost everything in the floods and were just some of the 40,000 made homeless.

Ted would go on to higher office and served in several important administrative roles before retirement. 
He died in 2012, aged 90.

Sean has written both a comprehensive and fascinating account of Ted's life, his RAF career and the many operations of which he was involved in.
I have tried to provide a basic summary without wishing to reveal too much. I hope readers enjoy it as much as I have.

The hardback book is published this month in the UK and November in both the US and Canada.
I thank the publishers Grub Street, for this review copy.






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