The Road to Biggin Hill: A Gripping Story of Courage in the Air and Evasion on the Ground

Johnny Checketts, widely recognized as one of the great fighter pilots of World War II, was born and raised in Invercargill, South Island, New Zealand.

Considered by the locals to be a daredevil motorcycle rider in his youth, it was natural that in 1939 he should join the RNZAF, then undergoing rapid expansion to its wartime strength of 33,000 men. In spite of being well over the average age for a fighter pilot, Johnny worked hard and turned out to be a great airman, tactician and leader in b…