Lucky to be Here: Jack Bewes 463 Lancaster Squadron

Compiled by Lyn McGettigan

Jack Bewes wrote a memoir “Lucky to Be Here” about his experiences as a bomb aimer on Lancaster planes in World War 2. His daughter Lyn has taken Jack’s memoir, logbooks, diaries, newspaper clippings and correspondence to tell a story of war as seen through the eyes of young men who flew together and saw their mates killed. These carefree, fun-loving boys of about 22 used black humour and understatement to see them through this job. They had to regard it as a job, one that involved the death of so many – enemies and friends alike. They came home as men – often misunderstood and labelled “war neurotics”.

Lyn shows war from a personal perspective, the black humour, the mateship, the acceptance of a life that you were only sure you had today.