Alone I Fly

"I was reporting for duty to my squadron for the first time. Maybe I would be "dicing with death" very soon, but at that moment I was worried about the niceties of knocking on the door, or walking in." After several years at sea in the Navy, Bill Bailey joined the RAF and trained as a pilot. He arrived in Cairo in 1942 and within hours was sent on his first bombing mission in a 104 Squadron Wellington. The aircraft was hit by enemy gunfire and crashed, Bill the sole survivor. Near collapse he found an abandoned German reconnaissance truck. He was eventually rescued by a Long Range Desert Patrol and after recuperation rejoined his squadron, given a new crew with whom he completed his tour.