John Nichol (RAF officer)
Encyclopedia
Flight Lieutenant
Adrian John Nichol (born December 1963, North Shields
) is a retired Royal Air Force
navigator
who was shot down and captured during the first Gulf War
.
. He joined the RAF in February 1981 as an electronics technician; having signed up in 1980 and needing sufficient O level
s. 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.
in December 1986.
On his first mission during Operation Desert Storm on 17 January 1991 which started at Muharraq Airfield
, an ultra-low level daylight mission on Ar Rumaylah airfield, while acting as number two to Squadron Leader
Paul "Pablo" Mason
with RAF Laarbruch
-based XV Squadron
, his Panavia Tornado
ZD791 was fatally hit by a shoulder-launched SAM
SA-14
, and he and John Peters were captured by the military of Iraq. After capture he was shown, bruised, on Iraqi television. He was tortured in the Abu Ghraib prison
. John Nichol was released by the Iraqis at the end of the Gulf War.
He remained in the RAF until March 1996
On repatriation by the Red Cross, Nichol co-authored a book, Tornado Down, with his pilot John Peters
, about this experience.
and is available as a motivational speaker.
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 World War II
history and include 'The Last Escape' which tells the harrowing story of Allied POWs in the closing stages of the war, 'Tail-End Charlies' which gives an insight into the final battles of the Allied bomber campaign in WWII and 'Home Run' which recounts the experiences of escaped Allied POWs 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
.
. His daughter was born in 2005. His parents live in North Shields
.
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
Adrian John Nichol (born December 1963, North Shields
North Shields
North Shields is a town on the north bank of the River Tyne, in the metropolitan borough of North Tyneside, in North East England...
) is a retired Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
navigator
Flight officer
The title flight officer was a military rank used by the United States Armed Forces where it was an air force warrant officer rank. It was also an air force rank in several Commonwealth nations where it was used for female officers and was equivalent to the rank of flight lieutenant...
who was shot down and captured during the first Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
.
Early life
Adrian John Nichol attended the St Cuthbert's Grammar School on Gretna Road in Newcastle upon TyneNewcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
. He joined the RAF in February 1981 as an electronics technician; having signed up in 1980 and needing sufficient O level
Ordinary Level
The O-level is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education . It was introduced as part of British educational reform in the 1950s alongside the more in-depth and academically rigorous Advanced Level in England, Wales and Northern Ireland A-level...
s. 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
He was commissioned as a navigatorFlight officer
The title flight officer was a military rank used by the United States Armed Forces where it was an air force warrant officer rank. It was also an air force rank in several Commonwealth nations where it was used for female officers and was equivalent to the rank of flight lieutenant...
in December 1986.
On his first mission during Operation Desert Storm on 17 January 1991 which started at Muharraq Airfield
Muharraq Airfield
Muharraq airfield is a military base located adjacent to Bahrain International Airport. It is run by the United States Navy and usually ships supplies in and out of the airport with many of them from other countries as well. The U.S. Navy, the U.S. Marines, the Bahrain Police, and others run the...
, an ultra-low level daylight mission on Ar Rumaylah airfield, while acting as number two to Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
Paul "Pablo" Mason
Pablo Mason
Squadron Leader Paul "Pablo" Mason RAF is a retired Royal Air Force pilot, who was part of the XV Sqn detachment to Bahrain as part of the RAF Tornado squadron during the Gulf War, and subsequently wrote about his experiences...
with RAF Laarbruch
RAF Laarbruch
The former Royal Air Force Station Laarbruch, more commonly known as RAF Laarbruch ICAO EDUL was a Royal Air Force station, a military airbase, located in Germany on its border with the Netherlands...
-based XV Squadron
No. XV Squadron RAF
No. 15 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Panavia Tornado GR4 from RAF Lossiemouth. Currently XV Squadron is the RAF's Operational Conversion Unit for the Tornado GR4. The OCU teaches pilots how to fly the aircraft and what tactics to use to best exploit the performance of their...
, his Panavia Tornado
Panavia Tornado
The Panavia Tornado is a family of twin-engine, variable-sweep wing combat aircraft, which was jointly developed and manufactured by the United Kingdom, West Germany and Italy...
ZD791 was fatally hit by a shoulder-launched SAM
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Surface-to-air missile
A surface-to-air missile or ground-to-air missile is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles...
SA-14
9K34 Strela-3
The 9K34 Strela-3 man-portable air defence missile system was developed in the Soviet Union as a response to the poor performance of the earlier 9K32 Strela 2 system. "9K34" is its GRAU designation and its NATO reporting name is SA-14 Gremlin. The missile was largely based on the earlier Strela...
, and he and John Peters were captured by the military of Iraq. After capture he was shown, bruised, on Iraqi television. He was tortured in the Abu Ghraib prison
Abu Ghraib prison
The Baghdad Central Prison, formerly known as Abu Ghraib prison is in Abu Ghraib, an Iraqi city 32 km west of Baghdad. It was built by British contractors in the 1950s....
. John Nichol was released by the Iraqis at the end of the Gulf War.
He remained in the RAF until March 1996
On repatriation by the Red Cross, Nichol co-authored a book, Tornado Down, with his pilot John Peters
John Peters (pilot)
Squadron Leader John Peters is a former pilot of the British Royal Air Force.-Early life:He attended the independent Churcher's College in east Hampshire, leaving in 1980.By the age of 17, he had his pilot's licence...
, about this experience.
Author and broadcaster
He has gone on to write fiction. He now makes occasional appearances on British television. John also makes occasional appearances on the radio as a stand in presenter on talkSportTalkSPORT
Talksport , owned by UTV radio, is one of the United Kingdom's three terrestrial analogue Independent National Radio broadcasters, offering a sports and talk radio service broadcast from London to the United Kingdom....
and is available as a motivational speaker.
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 World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
history and include 'The Last Escape' which tells the harrowing story of Allied POWs in the closing stages of the war, 'Tail-End Charlies' which gives an insight into the final battles of the Allied bomber campaign in WWII and 'Home Run' which recounts the experiences of escaped Allied POWs 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
Wellcome Trust Book Prize
Wellcome Trust Book Prize is an annual British literary award sponsored by Wellcome Trust. In keeping with the vision and goals of Wellcome Trust, the Book Prize honors "the best of medicine in literature", including fiction and non-fiction. The winner receives £25,000.The current prize for...
.
Personal life
He lives in HertfordshireHertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
. His daughter was born in 2005. His parents live in North Shields
North Shields
North Shields is a town on the north bank of the River Tyne, in the metropolitan borough of North Tyneside, in North East England...
.