75 years ago canadian Spitfire pilot, John Gillespie Magee wrote 'High Flight' - now the sonnet is recognised all over the world as the aviators' poem | BBC Breakfast

75 years ago, John Gillespie Magee Jr penned the poem "High Flight" a few months before he died in a mid-air collision whilst out flying his Spitfire. Nowadays his poem has become a favourite of airmen around the world and has been recited by actors, presidents, astronauts and many more. It has become the official poem for a number of air forces around the world. The famous first line "Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth." are inscribed on Magee's grave in Scopwick cemetery where he is b

Before I ever climbed into a fighter jet, I memorized High Flight by John Gillespie McGee. Even years later, flying at 30,000 feet, the words still echoed in my mind. This poem captures the soul of flight in a way few things ever have. #Military | Shawn Walsh

80 years ago last week, Pilot Officer John Gillespie Magee Jnr, the author of the Royal Air Force’s unofficial poem “High Flight,” died in a mid-air collision over England. The Royal Canadian Air Force Pilot who flew Spitfires out of RAF Digby in World War 2 now rests in Scopwick Cemetery, but will forever be known for the inspirational words that have been repeated by film stars and presidents since his death, and inspired many pilots that have taken to the skies for the RAF and other air force