John Nichol

John Nichol is a retired Royal Air Force officer, author, journalist and broadcaster.

Read on

Biography

Nichol joined the Royal Air Force at the age of 18 as an electronics technician, becoming a navigator five years later. On his first mission in the Gulf War in 1991, Nichol’s plane was shot down; he and his pilot John Peters were captured by Iraqi forces, imprisoned and tortured. After his release, Nichol continued to serve in the RAF until 1997. Nichol and Peters co-authored a book about their experience; Tornado Down.

Nichol has written extensively on war history, especially on the role of the RAF in the Second World War. His bestselling titles include After the Flood: What the Dambusters Did Next and Spitfire: A Very British Love Story. He has also written five novels. Nichol’s journalistic work has appeared in the Times, the Observer, Mail on Sunday and the Sun, and he has worked as a presenter for the BBC, Sky News and ITV News.