RAF pilot John Kelly partied with Hollywood stars while learning to fly in California's Mojave Desert
Newly discovered wartime letters reveal how a British RAF pilot rubbed shoulders with Hollywood's biggest stars while posted at a flying school deep in California's Mojave Desert.
John Kelly, from Portsmouth, was sent to the US aged 22 in May 1942 to train as a pilot at War Eagle Field, which was just a four-hour drive from Death Valley – one of the hottest places on earth.
He was one of thousands of British airmen sent across the Atlantic during the Second World War as part of an agreement between the UK and the US for pilots to be trained away from the conflict in Europe.
Kelly's letters to his mother, unearthed in the RAF Museum by author Will Iredale during research for his new book The Pathfinders, reveal how he was not looking forward to seven months of 'frazzling' in the desert.
But then, on one of his first visits to Hollywood soon after arriving in the US, Kelly told how he met actress Marjorie Reynolds at the swanky Beverly Hills Hotel.
He noted how she 'appeared in a bathing costume' whilst having publicity pictures taken and 'promised to let me have a picture which I may send home'.
Kelly's extraordinary letters, which have been shared exclusively with MailOnline, also show how he met 'swell guy' Tarzan star Johnny Weissmuller, who told him his secret to finding his next leading lady: 'All I have to do is climb a few trees and holla.'
The pilot was also invited for drinks with Mrs Miniver star Greer Garson and chatted to her fellow actress Bette Davis for two hours, his letters show.
'It was wonderful to sit next to her and watch all the little mannerisms that you see on the screen,' Kelly wrote home after meeting Davis.
'She is really beautiful and after a few moments you feel you have known her for years.'
Kelly's letters to his mother, unearthed in the RAF Museum by author Will Iredale for his new book The Pathfinders, reveal how he was not looking forward to seven months of 'frazzling' in the desert. But then, on one of his first visits to Hollywood soon after arriving in the US, Kelly told how he met actress Marjorie Reynolds at the swanky Beverly Hills Hotel
Kelly's extraordinary letters also show how he met 'swell guy' Tarzan star Johnny Weissmuller, who told him his secret to finding his next leading lady: 'All I have to do is climb a few trees and holla'
The pilot was also invited for drinks with Mrs Miniver star Greer Garson (left) and chatted to her fellow actress Bette Davis (right) for two hours, his letters show
After completing his flying training, Kelly returned to England and piloted a Lancaster bomber as part of the elite Pathfinder Force, which was established in 1942 to help Bomber Command locate targets during raids over Nazi Germany and occupied France.
In August 1944, his plane was badly damaged by German machine gun fire but Kelly refused to abandon the aircraft because one of his crew was badly injured.
Incredibly, he was able to nurse the plane all the way back to England, where it crash-landed on one wheel at an airfield in Sussex.
Kelly met Reynolds in May 1942 when she was doing a swimsuit photoshoot to promote her latest film, Holiday Inn, which was made famous by her duet of White Christmas with fellow star Bing Crosby.
'Gracie Fields and Greer Garson had been out with the lads, and while I was there I met Marjorie Reynolds who is starring in Bing Crosby's next picture,' Kelly wrote.
Kelly met Reynolds in May 1942 when she was doing a swimsuit photoshoot to promote her latest film, Holiday Inn, which was made famous by her duet of White Christmas with fellow star Bing Crosby. 'Gracie Fields and Greer Garson had been out with the lads, and while I was there I met Marjorie Reynolds who is starring in Bing Crosby's next picture,' Kelly wrote to his mother
John Kelly, from Portsmouth, was sent to the US aged 22 in May 1942 to train as a pilot at War Eagle Field (above), which was just a four-hour drive from Death Valley – one of the hottest places on earth
