John Nichol Popular Books

John Nichol Biography & Facts

Adrian John Nichol (born 12 November 1963) is a retired Royal Air Force navigator who was shot down and captured during the Gulf War. Early life Adrian John Nichol was born in North Shields. He was the youngest of four children, and attended St Joseph's RC Primary School on the A193 in Chirton, north of the Tyne Tunnel. He would travel to St Cuthbert's RC Grammar School on Gretna Road in Newcastle upon Tyne on the train each day. He gained seven O-levels. His results in the test, to apply for an RAF apprenticeship, were not high enough. He joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) in February 1981 as an electronics technician; having signed up in 1980 and needing sufficient O levels. In the intervening period between school and the RAF, he worked in a large DIY store, although his employers were not aware of his military plans until they sought to promote him to management and he decided to tell them. RAF career A normal apprenticeship would be three years; he was a 'direct entry technician' and completed 18 months at the No. 1 Radio School at RAF Locking. After the apprenticeship, he was earning £15,000 in 1982. He went to RAF Brize Norton as a Junior Technician. In 1986, approaching the age of 23, he applied to become an officer (ultimately the career route of most former grammar-school entrants) and it required a demanding interview with his Station Commander. He was chosen for the four-month officer training course, which involved learning the expected social etiquette of an officer's life. From there he spent three long years learning how to fly and operate aircraft.Nichol was commissioned as a navigator in December 1986. He served with XV Squadron based at RAF Laarbruch, Germany. During Operation Granby in the Gulf War, the squadron was deployed to Muharraq Airfield in Bahrain. Nichol's first mission, on 17 January 1991, entailed flying as number two to Squadron Leader Paul "Pablo" Mason on an ultra-low-level sortie against Ar Ruma airfield. During the flight, his Panavia Tornado GR1 ZD791 was critically damaged by a shoulder-launched SA-14 surface-to-air missile, and Nichol and his pilot, John Peters, were captured by Iraqi forces. After capture Nichol was shown, bruised, on Iraqi television. He was tortured in the Abu Ghraib prison. Nichol was released by the Iraqis at the end of the Gulf War. Nichol remained in the RAF until March 1996. After repatriation by the Red Cross, Nichol co-authored a book, Tornado Down, with John Peters, about this experience. Author and broadcaster Since 'Tornado Down', Nichol has written over ten books including five novels: Point of Impact, Vanishing Point, Exclusion Zone, Stinger and Decisive Measures. His latest books provide extensive eyewitness accounts of Second World War history and include The Last Escape, which tells the harrowing story of Allied prisoners of war in the closing stages of the war; Tail-End Charlies, which gives an insight into the final battles of the Allied bomber campaign in the Second World War; and Home Run which recounts the experiences of escaped Allied prisoners of war evading capture in Europe behind enemy lines. Medic: Saving Lives – from Dunkirk to Afghanistan (2009) was short-listed for the 2010 Wellcome Trust Book Prize. Nichol now makes occasional appearances on British television as a presenter and sometimes works in radio as a stand-in presenter on talkSport. He also works as a motivational speaker. Personal life Nichol lives in Hertfordshire. His wife is Suzannah and his daughter Sophie was born in 2005. His parents (now deceased) lived in North Shields. References External links John Nichol's Web Site Penguin biography John Nichol at IMDb Tornado ejections Interview with Historvius.com. Discover the John Nichol popular books. Find the top 100 most popular John Nichol books.

Best Seller John Nichol Books of 2024

  • Typhoon synopsis, comments

    Typhoon

    Mike Sutton

    The thrilling account of the Typhoon FGR4s in the war against ISIS, from the RAF Wing Commander who led them into combat'Adrenalinefuelled. A rare insight into the highpressure, hi...

  • The Desert War synopsis, comments

    The Desert War

    James Holland

    Part of the ALLNEW LADYBIRD EXPERT SERIES.Why was North Africa such a key component in Britain's success over Mussolini and his Italian Army?How did they blunt Italy's actions?What...

  • Tales from the Special Forces Club synopsis, comments

    Tales from the Special Forces Club

    Sean Rayment

    Stories of reallife bravery and courageunderfire contribute to a unique and poignant record of a club created for heroes.There are just a handful of men and women alive today who s...

  • Down South synopsis, comments

    Down South

    Chris Parry

    Down South by Chris Parry one man's astonishing diary of war in the Falklands'A gripping account of heroism and chaos in the South Atlantic' Mail on Sunday'Compelling, gripping...

  • The Air Ministry Survival Guide synopsis, comments

    The Air Ministry Survival Guide

    Penguin Books Ltd

    THE ULTIMATE SURVIVAL GUIDE for anyone who thinks they'd survive the world's most hostile environments or at least imagine they could do.First issued to British airmen in the 1950...

  • Works of John Nichol synopsis, comments

    Works of John Nichol

    John Nichol

    2 works of John Nichol Scottish literary academic (18331894) This ebook presents a collection of 2 works of John Nichol. A dynamic table of contents allows you to jump directly to ...

  • Nuclear Deterrence synopsis, comments

    Nuclear Deterrence

    Sir Lawrence Freedman

    Part of the new Ladybird Expert series, Nuclear Deterrence is an accessible and authoritative introduction to the deterrent tactics employed to prevent war, drawing on the unpreced...

  • Thomas Carlyle, a biography synopsis, comments

    Thomas Carlyle, a biography

    John Nichol

    Literary biography. According to the Preface: "The following record of the leading events of Carlyle's life and attempt to estimate his genius rely on frequently renewed study of h...

  • Hms Crusader synopsis, comments

    Hms Crusader

    A E Langsford

    Death by fire Death by ice. These were the twin threats confronting the seamen on the North Atlantic convoys: fire from the Luftwaffe's bombs, and from the torpedoes of the lurkin...

  • Sabre Squadron synopsis, comments

    Sabre Squadron

    Cameron Spence

    With the outbreak of Gulf War hostilities a unit from 22 SAS slipped quietly over the border and into the enemy's backyard. It would be six weeks before any of the patrol again rea...

  • How to Build an Aircraft Carrier synopsis, comments

    How to Build an Aircraft Carrier

    Chris Terrill

    Discover the enthralling story of the HMS Queen Elizabeth, the Royal Navy's largest ever aircraft carrier and SUBJECT OF THE MAJOR NEW BBC DOCUMENTARY SERIES THE WARSHIP'Fascinatin...

  • The Pacific War 1941-1943 synopsis, comments

    The Pacific War 1941-1943

    James Holland

    Part of the ALLNEW LADYBIRD EXPERT SERIES Why did Japan attack Pearl Harbour? How did the Americans underestimate the Japanese? What were 'banzai charges,' and how did the discipli...

  • The Spitfire Kids synopsis, comments

    The Spitfire Kids

    Alasdair Cross & BBC Worldwide

    THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER'An inspirational read celebrating the incredible young people who gave so much for this iconic British aircraft'. John Nichol, bestselling author of Spi...

  • The Hurricane Girls synopsis, comments

    The Hurricane Girls

    Jo Wheeler

    Celebrating the lives of the magnificent women, the ATA girls, who courageously flew Spitfires, Tiger Moths, Lancaster Bombers and many other aircraft during World War Two.These ex...

  • Winkle synopsis, comments

    Winkle

    Paul Beaver

    Discover the daring life story and astonishing adventures of Captain Eric 'Winkle' Brown Britain's greatestever pilotSmall in stature but immense in reputation and talent, there w...

  • The Red Arrows synopsis, comments

    The Red Arrows

    David Montenegro

    SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLERDAILY MAIL BOOK OF THE WEEKTHE FIRST OFFICIAL HISTORY OF THE RED ARROWS'Heartpounding, exhilarating . . . A fascinating testimony of jeopardy, cool h...

  • Byron synopsis, comments

    Byron

    John Nichol

    This is a pre1923 historical reproduction. First published in 1880, this biography explores the life of Lord Byron (17881824), one of Britain's greatest poets. Setting Byron's work...

  • The Next Hundred Lears synopsis, comments

    The Next Hundred Lears

    John Arthur Nichol

    Edward Lear is remembered, and rightly so, as the Father of the Limerick. Were it not for him, this little five line verse form may never have become such a beloved, ubiquitous par...

  • Empire synopsis, comments

    Empire

    Jeremy Paxman

    From the bestselling author of The English comes Empire, Jeremy Paxman's history of the British Empire accompanied by a flagship 5part BBC TV series, for readers of Simon Schama a...

  • The Fifth Line synopsis, comments

    The Fifth Line

    John Arthur Nichol

    Edward Lear is known for the limericks in his groundbreaking work, A Book of Nonsense. They gave the limerick a popularity that endures to this day.But his own verses threw away th...

  • Concorde synopsis, comments

    Concorde

    Mike Bannister

    The definitive account of the rise and fall of the iconic Concorde plane from British Airways' former Chief Concorde Pilot'A remarkable story' DAILY EXPRESS'A stonking good read' F...

  • The Last Enemy synopsis, comments

    The Last Enemy

    Richard Hillary

    In 1918, the RAF was established as the world's first independent air force. To mark the 100th anniversary of its creation, Penguin are publishing the Centenary Collection, a seri...

  • The Fifth Line synopsis, comments

    The Fifth Line

    John Arthur Nichol

    If you've ever longed for the Old Man of Cape Horn to cheer up, or to rescue the Person of Cromer from his sudden and unexplained conclusion, or to silence that annoying Old Man wi...