Military career gave Day of the Jackal author Frederick Forsyth a unique perspective
People have taken to social media to pay their respects to RAF veteran, investigative journalist and Day of the Jackal author Frederick Forsyth, who has died at the age of 86 after a short illness.
Authors, historians and avid readers are among those who have expressed their sadness over the death of a man described by many as the master of the modern thriller.
Known perhaps more for the success of his novels, the author, who sold 75 million books around the world, wanted to become a "fighter jock" as child.
A brief military history
Lying about his age, a young Forsyth enlisted in the Royal Air Force at 17.
He was commissioned as an acting pilot officer on 28 August 1956, just three days after his 18th birthday, making him the youngest pilot to qualify in the RAF.
He honed his skills as a pilot while flying the de Havilland Vampire, thrilled to finally be flying a single-seat jet.
However, on 8 August 1957, his fellow pilot, Fg Off Derek Brett and his instructor, Fg Off Philip Jones, died when their Vampire XE866 crashed during a training flight from RAF Worksop.
Of this devastating time, Mr Forsyth later wrote: "We realised this thing, this Vampire, was not just a sports car loaned by a generous queen… it was 10 tonnes of aluminium and steel, that if you did not treat with respect, would kill you."
After a year of service, Mr Forsyth was regraded to pilot officer in August 1957.
After completing two years of national service, he transitioned to the Royal Auxiliary Air Force on 30 October 1958, where he ascended to the rank of flying officer.
Of his service, he later wrote: "The thing about wings is that they are yours and yours alone.
"You fight and you struggle, you study and you learn, you practice and you persevere, and finally you do it alone, high above the clouds, in a single-seater."
His time in the military gave Forsyth a unique perspective that would later inform his journalism and help him write gripping novels.
In 1961, Forsyth joined Reuters, marking the beginning of his career as a journalist.
He revealed in 2015 that he spent 20 years working for MI6 after being approached in 1970 about sending back information as a volunteer from the Biafran War in Nigeria.
Mr Forsyth's military career had a profound impact on his writing.
His success is, in part, due to his understanding of military operations and espionage.
His experience as a pilot in the RAF and his time working as a journalist in conflict zones provided him with unique insights into the complexities of warfare and geopolitics.
This background enabled him to write authentic plots with realistic details, as seen in novels such as The Day of the Jackal and The Odessa File.
Mr Forsyth's firsthand knowledge of the Armed Forces adds a layer of credibility and tension to his thrillers.
On why he started writing novels, Mr Forsyth said: "[I was] skint, in debt, no flat, no car, no nothing and I just thought, 'How do I get myself out of this hole?'
"And I came up with probably the zaniest solution – write a novel."
The Day of the Jackal was turned into a film in 1973 starring Edward Fox, and then turned into a TV drama starring Eddie Redmayne last year.
Later in life, he turned his attention to writing a song to help raise money for forces charities.
Fallen Soldier was released in February 2016 and was a lament to service personnel who have lost their lives throughout history, and was sung by Royal Opera House soprano Melissa Alder.
Of the song, Frederick Forsyth said: "I wanted to write a poem to all the fallen soldiers, from every war, from every country.
"The people who, no matter what, fought for their own country.
"For the next few years so many moments in battle will be commemorated, World War One, World War Two, Korea, the Falklands, Iraq, Afghanistan.
"There is an endless torrent of sacrifices made by armed forces worldwide and it felt right to write a lament now.
"It ended up a four-verse poem, but I felt it should be sung, not read.
"It's the fitting tribute I imagined."
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