Arise to Conquer

Arise to Conquer, first published in 1942, is author Ian Gleed's account of his service in the Royal Air Force at the beginning of World War II. At the time, Gleed, only 23 years old, was one of the R.A.F.'s most experienced fliers and was immediately given the position of flight commander. Yet, the life of an R.A.F. pilot in the initial months of the war, with experience or not, was not easy: just four months after war had broken out, his Spitfire broke up while flying leaving him falling to earth from 18,000 ft without a plane; fortunately, he still had his parachute. After recovering from his injuries he was transferred to 87 Squadron, based in France, and there shot down two Me-110, one definite Bf 109, another probably Bf 109, two Do 17 bombers, and a shared He 111 bomber. This record, set in two days, made him the fastest R.A.F. pilot to become an ace. Over the course of his service, Wing Commander Ian Gleed DSO, DFC, shot down thirteen enemy planes. He served in both the Battle of France and Battle of Britain. Tragically he lost his life in combat at the age of twenty-six in Tunisia in 1943.