WONZ 292 – Wings Over Britain: Andy Saunders

Guest: Andy Saunders Host: Dave Homewood Recorded: 12th of July 2023 Published: 10th of December 2023 Duration: 1 hour 26 minutes, 14 seconds In this episode Dave Homewood caught up with author, journalist and historian Andy Saunders in his ‘War Office’ writing room in Eton, under the flightpath to Heathrow. Andy talks about his childhood discovery of a downed B-25 bomber while on a fishing trip that really sparked his interest in wartime aviation. He talks about finding wrecks of downed aeroplanes, and how he got into the historical research. He has spent years tracking down and interviewing pilots and aircrew, initially for his own interest, but it eventually led to writing magazine articles and then books. These days he is editor of Iron Cross magazine, and regularly writes articles for various newspapers and magazines. Andy was also a co-founder of the Tangmere Aviation Museum. And Dave and Andy discuss New Zealanders in the Battle of Britain, and their visit earlier in the day to the Runnymede Memorial. Quick Links:• Andy Saunders on Grub Street Publishing• Andy Saunders on Frontline Books (Pen & Sword)• Andy Saunders’ Haynes Battle of Britain Manual•  Andy Saunders on Wikipedia•  Iron Cross Magazine Above: Andy Saunders at his desk in his writing retreat, the “War Office”. Andy outside the “War Office”. Andy’s book on the Spitfire P9374, which he talks about. It is available in New Zealand here Runnymede Memorial, the Royal Air Force’s Memorial to missing airmen with no known graves. The music in this episode is I Vow To Thee, My Country by Gustav Holst.