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'Skull' Skelton is the Intelligence Officer for Hornet Squadron in the Derek Robinson novels Piece of Cake and A Good Clean Fight. In between his two assignments to Hornet Squadron, he served as Intelligence Officer for 409 (Bomber) Squadron in Dammed Good Show.

Skull is a Volunteer Reserve officer. Before his call-up, he was a Cambridge Don, specialising in Modern History. [3] His initial lack of knowledge regarding terminology indicates that his call-up was carried out in a hurry.[N 3]

During the discussion about the Battle of Southend Sands, Skull points out that it is very difficult, in the confusion of aerial combat, to distinguish a German aircraft from a British one.

He is good at card tricks,[2] but dislikes flying, which he considers un-natural,[N 4] and squirrels.

Trivia[]

Skelton is the only character to appear in all four stories in the RAF Quartet.

Notes[]

  1. Nickname awarded during his first evening with the Squadron.[2]
  2. He is described as 'middleaged'.[3]
  3. The novel and mini series differ on when Skull was called to active service. The novel states he arrived after the death of Squadron leader Ramsay. In the mini series, he is already assigned to Hornet Squadron, and witnesses Ramsay's accident, prompting him to remark that he had been worried about the location of that particular slit trench.
  4. Skull's repeated admissions regarding this prompts 'Uncle' Kellaway to ask if Skull wouldn't have been happier in the Army.[5] When he eventually joins a bombing mission as an observer, he is sufficently unnerved by the experience that he spent the following week in Sick Quarters[6]

Sources[]

  1. Richard Hope's Website
  2. 2.0 2.1 Piece of Cake page 64.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Piece of Cake page 63.
  4. Piece of Cake page 97.
  5. Episode 1 of the miniseries
  6. Dammed Good Show
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