Cecil Lewis and Gwilym Lewis – twenty years on

It is now twenty years since we lost Cecil Lewis (28 March 1898 – 27 January 1997).

He had been the last surviving British ace of the Great War, outliving fellow RFC ace, Gwilym Lewis (5 August 1897 – 18 December 1996), by a few weeks.

Fortunately, both left behind books and interviews which describe their WWI experiences.

In the case of Cecil Lewis, his Desert Island Discs interview with Sue Lawley, recorded in 1991, can be found on BBC iPlayer and is as entertaining as it is informative. His interviews for The Great War are also now available on line.

Just as entertaining is an interview with Gwilym Lewis featured in Cavalry of the Clouds (1987), a documentary featuring a number of the last surviving British WWI pilots which can be found on YouTube.

Echo India