In the Nick of Time: Wartime Experiences of an RAF Air Sea Rescue Pilot with 276 Sqn

Neville Henry Berryman, known to most as Nick, thanks to a cheeky schoolmate who dubbed him “Neville the Devil – Old Nick!” a moniker that stuck like mud to a car tyre. And let’s be honest, “Nick” had a certain rakish charm, far more suited to his charismatic persona. Nick was the kind of chap who could charm the pants off a room full of grumpy spinsters with a cheeky grin and a well-timed quip. His memoir, which reads like a rollicking adventure, takes us from his schoolboy days, through the clouds of World War II, and back to terra firma in 1946, when he swapped his RAF wings for a life in the motor trade. In 1941, filled with a sense of youthful adventure, Nick set sail for the USA. There, he learned to fly single-engine aircraft in sun-soaked Florida and Texas, returning to Blighty as a qualified pilot. He was posted to the 276 (ASR) Squadron at Warmwell in Dorset, where he piloted a motley crew of aircraft including the Boulton & Paul Defiant, the iconic Supermarine Spitfire, and the less glamorous but endearingly quirky Walrus. His mission? Air/sea rescue across the Channel, plucking soggy airmen from the drink. This wasn’t some gentle Sunday afternoon jaunt, mind you. The work was dangerous and unpredictable, with the elements and enemy fire taking turns to play the villain. Nick and his comrades often found themselves needing a rescue of their own. But the camaraderie between them and working along-side the RAF High Speed Launches and RN Corvettes forged bonds as strong as any between comrades in wartime. The Walrus, affectionately known as the ‘Shagbat’, wasn’t exactly a beauty queen in the skies, but like a trusty old Land Rover, it got the job done and was equally adept on sea and land. Nick became an expert at flying it, finding joy in the sheer thrill of taking off from turbulent waters. Later, he would fly this ungainly beast in the balmy Mediterranean during a stint in Egypt in 1944

The original draft of the book can be downloaded below, or a paperback version with photos can be purchased from Woodfield Publishing Ltd.