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Richard Hillary

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Richard Hillary was born in Sydney, Australia, in 1919. He was sent to boarding school in England and went to Trinity College, Oxford in 1937. He was still at Oxford when the Second World War broke out and, with other members of the R.A.F Volunteer Reserve, was immediately called to duty. He blew Spitfires in the Battle of Britain before being shot down and horribly burned. He underwent several operations by the great plastic surgeon, Archibald McIndoe. After a slow and very painful recovery, Hilary begged to be allowed to return to flying. He was killed, at the age of 23, when his plane crashed in a night training operation. The Last Enemy is his account of his exeperiences in the Second World War and has become a classic text.

Books by Richard Hillary

The Last Enemy

Spitfire pilot Richard Hillary's extraordinary account of the Battle of Britain, part of the Centenary Collection (100 Years of the RAF)

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