My grandfather, Reginald Levy, led, as he himself expressed, an exciting and glamorous life but also one of hardships and great stress. More than once he was confronted with difficult to imagine extreme life and death situations. His job as a pilot, especially before technology improved more dramatically in the last couple of decades was invariably dangerous at times, whether due to technical malfunctions, weather, or as he so often repeated, human error. Nevertheless, two major contexts and events stand out from his tale, notably that of his role as a Bomber Command pilot during World War Two, and the hijacking of his plane in 1972.
Although the events during the war saw him fly over enemy territory for many hours, at the mercy of fighter aircraft, flak and other perils, the hijacking proved perhaps the more distressing of experiences and with much longer lasting repercussions. Reginald was able to deal with the events in a calm manner, thanks to, and he said so himself, his training in the US in the early 1940s, as well as his experiences during the war. The hijacking however, left Reg un-perplexed as to the outcome. He was very much aware of the possibility that he and his wife would not make it out alive.
An interesting element that appears in Reg's autobiography, is the notion of tolerance and neutrality. Only a few years separate his bombing and then helping the city of Berlin survive through the Airlift, an action that exemplifies this very idea. But as readers will note, the theme of neutrality and the danger of political sympathies is central to the story of the 1972 hijacking. Reg was a highly tolerant individual, and was cordial with everyone, no matter what their colour, religion or creed. The hijacking in 1972 dragged him quite literally into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Some newspapers made allegations at the time that Reg had been chosen on purpose by the hijackers, yet as he expressed, 'I am British and despite my Jewish background, had no connections whatsoever with Israel.' Although in later years Reg was invited to Israel met, and in some cases befriended, famed individuals such as Golda Meir, Shimon Peres, Moshe Dayan and Ehud Barak amongst others, he explains and stresses the point that 'I had absolutely no political sympathies with either side and only strove to do all I could to get my passengers and crew out of the aeroplane'. His anger at the hijackers was not directed towards their demands nor their goal in achieving this, but at the fact that his command of the aircraft had been threatened and that his passengers were being put in danger. Had the scenario been different and the hijackers been from elsewhere, his reaction would have been identical. He could after all understand and 'feel sympathy for the obvious devotion and courage he [the hijacker] was showing for his cause', yet would not have hesitated shooting the terrorist in order to help rescue his passengers. What this demonstrates is that Reg prioritised above all else his duty towards his passengers, crew and employers.
With 'no wish to be embroiled in the bitter battle that was going on between the state of Israel and the Arabs', Reg stood precariously on the front line of a conflict which had started several decades beforehand and which continues today to divide opinions, states and people. Nevertheless, I believe Reg stood his ground and refused to be pulled into this rapid sinkhole of political entanglements and chaos, something from which there is perhaps a lesson to be learnt.
Captain Reginald Levy DFC passed away in 2010. Extensive obituaries were run in all the broadsheets outlining his extraordinary flying career. From Night Falk to HiJack: It's a Small World is Reginald's autobiography, it has been prepared for publication by his grandson Alex.