About this episode

John Nichol shares his experiences as a prisoner of war during the Gulf War and discusses his literary works.

Send us Fan Mail John Nichol served in the Royal Air Force for fifteen years. On active duty during the first Gulf War in 1991, his Tornado bomber was shot down during a mission over Iraq. Captured, tortured and held as a prisoner of war, John was paraded on television, provoking worldwide condemnation and leaving one of the most enduring images of the conflict. John is the bestselling co-author of Tornado Down and author of many highly acclaimed epics, including Spitfire, Lancaster and Torn...

People in this episode

Host: Geraint Jones

Guest: John Nichol

Topics covered

• military history
• World War II
• prisoner of war
• aviation
• personal stories

Keywords

• Gulf War
• John Nichol
• Royal Air Force
• Tornado Down
• aviation history
• prisoner of war
• military memoirs

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Royal Air Force

Books & works: Tornado Down, Spitfire, Lancaster, Tornado

More episodes of Veteran State Of Mind Network

• Veteran State Of Mind Episode 227: Chance Eaton · July 12, 2026 · 1h 37m
• War Story 034: Bradley Knight, Royal Engineers · June 30, 2026 · 1h 30m
• War Story 033: Lawrence Kayser MC, PWRR and Royal Anglian Regiment · June 18, 2026 · 1h 54m

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Veteran State Of Mind Network podcast page.