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A Soldier's Story: Neville ‘Timber' Wood's War, from Dunkirk to D-Day
by Mike Wood'This captivating account . . . is the story of an ordinary soldier, but an extraordinary man. I commend this book most warmly.'Richard Dannatt, General The Lord Dannatt GCB CBE MC DL, Chief of the General Staff 2006-9'The amazing account of a young man, Neville 'Timber' Wood, who, despite fighting in many of the major engagements of the Second World War, including Dunkirk, El Alamein and D-Day, survived to become a much-loved husband and father . . . brilliantly written . . . I highly recommend it'Eleanor TomlinsonThe son of a Hull butcher, Neville 'Timber' Wood volunteered in 1939, at the age of eighteen, to join the British Army's Tyne-Tees 50th Northumbrian Division. Timber was in many ways an entirely unremarkable soldier - he won no medals for gallantry, though he exhibited conspicuous bravery day after day, for years, and he rose no higher through the ranks than Lance Corporal. Nonetheless, he had an extraordinary war. As a driver for the Royal Army Service Corps, Timber's job was to get ammunition and high explosives to the front line. It was a job with a high casualty rate, sometimes higher than front-line troops. The 50th Division was the principal fighting division of the British Army in the Second World War. Four men of the 50th were awarded Victoria Crosses, more than any other division. It was last off the beach at Dunkirk and the first back on it on D-Day; the division was at the heart of El Alamein and the major actions which followed; it took part in the invasion of Sicily and fought all the way from Normandy to Germany, where Timber saw first-hand the horrors of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Timber's story is pretty much the British war experience from the point of view of an ordinary soldier. He was even captured, saw Rommel and escaped. This book, written by his son Mike, is based on Neville's extensive wartime diaries and original documents he retained from the war as well as on long conversations between the two of them when Mike transcribed the diaries as a gift for his father in 2006. Timber died in 2015.
A Soldier's Story: Neville ‘Timber' Wood's War, from Dunkirk to D-Day
by Mike Wood'This captivating account . . . is the story of an ordinary soldier, but an extraordinary man. I commend this book most warmly.'Richard Dannatt, General The Lord Dannatt GCB CBE MC DL, Chief of the General Staff 2006-9'The amazing account of a young man, Neville 'Timber' Wood, who, despite fighting in many of the major engagements of the Second World War, including Dunkirk, El Alamein and D-Day, survived to become a much-loved husband and father . . . brilliantly written . . . I highly recommend it'Eleanor TomlinsonThe son of a Hull butcher, Neville 'Timber' Wood volunteered in 1939, at the age of eighteen, to join the British Army's Tyne-Tees 50th Northumbrian Division. Timber was in many ways an entirely unremarkable soldier - he won no medals for gallantry, though he exhibited conspicuous bravery day after day, for years, and he rose no higher through the ranks than Lance Corporal. Nonetheless, he had an extraordinary war. As a driver for the Royal Army Service Corps, Timber's job was to get ammunition and high explosives to the front line. It was a job with a high casualty rate, sometimes higher than front-line troops. The 50th Division was the principal fighting division of the British Army in the Second World War. Four men of the 50th were awarded Victoria Crosses, more than any other division. It was last off the beach at Dunkirk and the first back on it on D-Day; the division was at the heart of El Alamein and the major actions which followed; it took part in the invasion of Sicily and fought all the way from Normandy to Germany, where Timber saw first-hand the horrors of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Timber's story is pretty much the British war experience from the point of view of an ordinary soldier. He was even captured, saw Rommel and escaped. This book, written by his son Mike, is based on Neville's extensive wartime diaries and original documents he retained from the war as well as on long conversations between the two of them when Mike transcribed the diaries as a gift for his father in 2006. Timber died in 2015.
A Soldier's Valentine (Maple Springs #2)
by Jenna MindelIn this inspirational romance, a smalltown tea shop owner warms the heart of a gruff Army veteran turned artist.Retired army captain Zach Zelinsky is determined to put his harrowing past behind him and start a quiet life selling his artwork. But the storefront building he buys comes with a tenant—a too-pretty tea shop owner who doesn’t give him a moment’s rest.Ginger Carleton is rallying the merchants of Maple Springs, Michigan, for a Valentine’s Day window-decorating contest. And she’s on a mission to convince Zach to lose the gruff exterior and open up to her. As February 14 approaches, the wounded warrior may just find that Ginger is offering exactly what he’s been missing: love.
A Soldier’s Manuscript [Illustrated Edition]
by Cornelius WinantIncludes The Americans in the First World War Illustration Pack - 57 photos/illustrations and 10 maps "THE narrative of adventure, travel, combat, and escape, which composes this volume, is the straight-forward work of a straight-thinking young American. Cornelius Winant gives a clear assessment of the great movements in which he had so chivalrously borne a part. Perhaps he had no thought of the manuscript ever going beyond his family, which now, in response to the natural wishes of many friends, privately distributes the account in printed form. "Four boys with their mother and father composed the Winant family. The house on 71st Street must have re-echoed to the gay laughter and happy comradeship of these four devoted brothers."That was in 1900, when our soldier-narrator was but a little child; it was long ago, before the boy had left the endeared home for boarding school, before they had graduated from Princeton, before the catastrophe, in which each bore a distinguished part, shook the world."The reader will quickly become involved in a narrative which takes him, with Cornelius Winant, after his prompt will-to-enlist, through the early ambulance days, through a winter at Monastir, to the western front in the French Army, and twice into the harrowing experiences of German prison camps. "The quality of the account is an utter fairness, as utter an uncomplaining courage, marked throughout by a boyish, naïve, selfless delight in the game. Of his terrible journey to the Dutch frontier he writes: "I remember thinking, as I was going along this road, that in spite of the hardships it was darn good fun, and I appreciated it at the time."-Foreword
A Son at the Front
by Edith WhartonInspired by a young man Edith Wharton met during her war relief work in France, A Son at the Front(1923) opens in Paris on July 30, 1914, as Europe totters on thebrink of war. Expatriate American painter John Campton, whose only son George, having been born in Paris, must report for duty in the French army, struggles to keep his son away from the front while grappling with the moral implications of his actions. A poignant meditation on art and possession, fidelity and responsibility, A Son at the Front is Wharton's indelible take on the war novel.
A Son at the Front (Dover Thrift Editions: Classic Novels)
by Edith WhartonInspired by her volunteer work in France during World War I, Edith Wharton’s remarkable war novel, A Son at the Front, was initially met with widespread indifference from a war-weary public. The profoundly moving story follows expatriate American painter John Campton as he battles to keep his only son, George, away from the front while considering the moral ramifications of his actions. The Pulitzer Prize–winning author delivers a deeply emotional and intimate look at the shattered lives of the distraught parents left behind. Wharton constructs a stunning, poignant tale that skillfully explores the psychological and cultural influences on human behavior during the early years of World War I.
A Son at the Front (The\collected Works Of Edith Wharton)
by Edith Wharton'A Son at the Front' is Edith Wharton&’s extremely personal novel about love, loss, and the intersection of war and art. It&’s a powerful, moving portrait of empathy and loss. One of Wharton&’s very best novels.
A Song Of Stone
by Iain BanksThe war is ending, perhaps ended. For the castle and its occupants the troubles are just beginning. Armed gangs roam a lawless land where each farm and house supports a column of dark smoke. Taking to the roads with the other refugees, anonymous in their raggedness, seems safer than remaining in the ancient keep. However, the lieutenant of an outlaw band has other ideas and the castle becomes the focus for a dangerous game of desire, deceit and death. Iain Bank's masterly novel reveals his unique ability to combine gripping narrative with a relentlessly voyaging imagination. The narrative technique and sheer brio of A SONG OF STONE reveal a great novelist at the height of his powers.
A Song Of Stone: A Novel
by Iain BanksThe war is ending, perhaps ended. For the castle and its occupants the troubles are just beginning. Armed gangs roam a lawless land where each farm and house supports a column of dark smoke. Taking to the roads with the other refugees, anonymous in their raggedness, seems safer than remaining in the ancient keep. However, the lieutenant of an outlaw band has other ideas and the castle becomes the focus for a dangerous game of desire, deceit and death. Iain Banks' masterly novel reveals his unique ability to combine gripping narrative with a relentlessly voyaging imagination. The narrative technique and sheer brio of A SONG OF STONE reveal a great novelist at the height of his powers.
A Song Of Stone: A Novel (Cult Listening Ser.)
by Iain BanksThe war is ending, perhaps ended. For the castle and its occupants the troubles are just beginning. Armed gangs roam a lawless land where each farm and house supports a column of dark smoke. Taking to the roads with the other refugees, anonymous in their raggedness, seems safer than remaining in the ancient keep. However, the lieutenant of an outlaw band has other ideas and the castle becomes the focus for a dangerous game of desire, deceit and death. Iain Banks' masterly novel reveals his unique ability to combine gripping narrative with a relentlessly voyaging imagination. The narrative technique and sheer brio of A SONG OF STONE reveal a great novelist at the height of his powers.
A Song for Bahau
by Richard De Souza1942 - The Japanese Imperial Army had bombed Singapore, crippling its British colonisers. The British surrender, leaving the citizens to survive under their villainous Japanese conquerors. A group of citizens are forced to a disease-plagued acreage in the jungles of Malaya. Under the watchful eye of ruthless Japanese guards, the group slave on impoverished soil to eke out a living. Malnutrition, diseases and death, ravage the detainees. The Japanese keep the life-giving medicine for themselves. Joe Monteiro soon finds himself relentlessly pursued by the Japanese in the treacherous jungle. Maria, the girl he loves, is in the throes of death. On the verge of death himself, Joe must get the quinine to her...before it's too late. The Japanese and the jungle stand in his way. "If the Japs don't finish him, the jungle will."
A Song from Faraway: A Novel
by Deni Ellis BéchardIn this, his fourth work of fiction, Béchard takes readers from nineteenth-century Prince Edward Island to modern-day Iraq, tracing the story of a North American family that is at once singular and emblematic, and exploring the cultural repercussions of war and violence.Reinventing themselves in often unexpected ways, the characters in this tapestry defy simplification. A pair of half-brothers come together and drift apart, one passive and risk-averse, the other driven by a passionate desire to understand their reclusive father. A student of Mesopotamian archaeology encounters a young Iraqi man and soon finds himself in Kurdistan, researching stolen artifacts along with mysteries in his father&’s past. An Irish-Acadian soldier carries his fiddle and folk song across the battlefields of the First World War. An orphan-turned-assassin pursues his target across the deserts of Mexico and Texas, using a novel as evidence for his location. Growing together and then apart, these and others chase their dreams and run from their nightmares, hungry for life and longing for purpose.Animated throughout by a striking beauty and ferocity, A Song from Faraway pieces together &“stories we tell about ourselves,&” illuminating the human condition and our times.
A Song of Legends Lost (The Invoker Trilogy)
by M. H. Ayinde'A relentlessly gripping, glorious epic fantasy - the exhilarating must-read fantasy debut of 2025' Tasha Suri, author of The Jasmine ThroneA SONG OF REBELLION. A SONG OF WAR. A SONG OF LEGENDS LOST.In the Nine Lands, only those of noble blood can summon the spirits of their ancestors to fight in battle. But when Temi, a commoner from the slums, accidentally invokes a powerful spirit, she finds it could hold the key to ending a centuries-long war.But not everything that can be invoked is an ancestor. And some of the spirits that can be drawn from the ancestral realm are more dangerous than anyone can imagine.A relentlessly gripping tale of revenge and rebellion, A Song of Legends Lost is an unmissable debut from a major new voice in epic fantasy, perfect for fans of John Gwynne, Anthony Ryan and Evan Winter'A truly excellent debut, with a genuinely fascinating magic system, engaging characters and deep worldbuilding. A fantastic read'James Islington, author of The Will of the Many'An epic tale of conflict, betrayal, and intrigue . . . M. H. Ayinde weaves a rich and engrossing story through a unique and fascinating world'Anthony Ryan, author of Blood Song'Stunning and vividly told . . . Ayinde is a master storyteller'Andrea Stewart, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Bone Shard DaughterReader reviews:'To me, it was perfect. It is what I have been searching for and it felt like home. One of the easiest 5* I have ever given'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'This book was INCREDIBLE. It was an amazing start to a trilogy, a blazing debut, and overall, just so, so good'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'A breathtaking debut that delivers a compelling mix of action, intrigue and emotional depth . . . an absolute must-read'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Oh my GOD. Temi, my GIRL! Jinao, badass. Runt, JEEEEESUS . . . thank you M. H. Ayinde for a fantastic book'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'A breath of fresh air . . . I cannot recommend this enough and am waiting so impatiently for book 2'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'This book has filled the gaping holes that the Throne of Glass and Game of Thrones series have left in my heart . . .Watch out Sanderson and Martin, Ayinde is incoming!'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'So impeccably done. In awe of the skill on display here, from the prose to the worldbuilding to the character work to the sheer breadth of it all'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'I absolutely loved this book! . . . till thinking about it days after I finished'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Exhilarating . . . delivers an unrelenting ride of action, intrigue and emotional depth . . . a must-read for fans of high-stakes fantasy, featuring a truly unique and thrilling world that promises much more to come'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
A Song of Legends Lost: The Sunday Times bestselling epic fantasy (The Invoker Trilogy)
by M. H. Ayinde'A relentlessly gripping, glorious epic fantasy - the exhilarating must-read fantasy debut of 2025' Tasha Suri, author of The Jasmine ThroneA SONG OF REBELLION. A SONG OF WAR. A SONG OF LEGENDS LOST.In the Nine Lands, only those of noble blood can summon the spirits of their ancestors to fight in battle. But when Temi, a commoner from the slums, accidentally invokes a powerful spirit, she finds it could hold the key to ending a centuries-long war.But not everything that can be invoked is an ancestor. And some of the spirits that can be drawn from the ancestral realm are more dangerous than anyone can imagine.A relentlessly gripping tale of revenge and rebellion, A Song of Legends Lost is an unmissable debut from a major new voice in epic fantasy, perfect for fans of John Gwynne, Anthony Ryan and Evan Winter'A truly excellent debut, with a genuinely fascinating magic system, engaging characters and deep worldbuilding. A fantastic read'James Islington, author of The Will of the Many'An epic tale of conflict, betrayal, and intrigue . . . M. H. Ayinde weaves a rich and engrossing story through a unique and fascinating world'Anthony Ryan, author of Blood Song'Stunning and vividly told . . . Ayinde is a master storyteller'Andrea Stewart, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Bone Shard DaughterReader reviews:'To me, it was perfect. It is what I have been searching for and it felt like home. One of the easiest 5* I have ever given'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'This book was INCREDIBLE. It was an amazing start to a trilogy, a blazing debut, and overall, just so, so good'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'A breathtaking debut that delivers a compelling mix of action, intrigue and emotional depth . . . an absolute must-read'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Oh my GOD. Temi, my GIRL! Jinao, badass. Runt, JEEEEESUS . . . thank you M. H. Ayinde for a fantastic book'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'A breath of fresh air . . . I cannot recommend this enough and am waiting so impatiently for book 2'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'This book has filled the gaping holes that the Throne of Glass and Game of Thrones series have left in my heart . . .Watch out Sanderson and Martin, Ayinde is incoming!'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'So impeccably done. In awe of the skill on display here, from the prose to the worldbuilding to the character work to the sheer breadth of it all'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'I absolutely loved this book! . . . till thinking about it days after I finished'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Exhilarating . . . delivers an unrelenting ride of action, intrigue and emotional depth . . . a must-read for fans of high-stakes fantasy, featuring a truly unique and thrilling world that promises much more to come'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
A Songbird in Wartime
by Karen DicksonA wartime family saga, perfect for fans of Rosie Goodwin and Val Wood Shaftesbury, 1936. Mansfield House Hotel has been a refuge for Emily ever since she was orphaned at the age of 16. Not only did they give her employment as a chambermaid, but it&’s also where she met her fiancé Tom. When theatre agent Roland stays at the hotel and hears Emily singing, he is determined to take her away to Bristol and make her a star. But knowing she'd never leave her fiancé, he hatches a plan to get Emily away from Tom. Six years later, Emily has made a name for herself as 'The Bristol Songbird'. Her love for Tom is still as strong as ever, but she's not heard from him since that fateful night so long ago. And with the world enveloped in a war, it seems unlikely the two will ever meet again. Will Emily and Tom ever find their way back to one another? Or will the war – and Roland – succeed in keeping them apart? Praise for Karen Dickson: &‘A compelling saga that will hold you fast from the first page to the last. Loved it&’ VAL WOOD, author of The Lonely Wife 'This rollercoaster of a novel draws you in from the first page… I devoured this in one sitting and look forward to more from this author. In short a gem of a read' FIONA FORD, author of Wartime at Liberty's 'A delight to read... Lily Hayter is a wonderful heroine whose resilience and integrity shine through as she struggles to claim a life of her choosing and find a family. At the heart of the story is a warmth and humanity that makes it a truly uplifting read. I thoroughly enjoyed it and was sorry when I reached the end because I wanted to linger in Dickson&’s world. I eagerly await more from Karen Dickson' VICKI BEEBY, author of The Ops Room Girls &‘An exciting, fresh and talented new voice – a five-star read!&’ CAROL RIVERS, author of Molly&’s Christmas Orphans'The characters in this novel are so believable that I cared deeply about them from the first chapter. A heartfelt, hopeful account of one young woman&’s fight to keep her child safe when all the odds are against her. Atmospheric and beautifully written' JAN CASEY, author of The Women of Waterloo Bridge
A Sparrow Falls: The Courtney Series 3 (The Courtney Series: The When The Lion Feeds Trilogy #3)
by Wilbur SmithA Courtney series adventure - Book 3 in the When the Lion Feeds trilogy"Mark picked the weapon off the rack and the shape and feel of it brought memories crowding back. He thrust them aside. He would need a rifle where he was going." A father builds. A son destroys. General Sean Courtney returns from the horrors of the Great War in France, his mind on his heirs and his legacy. He is watching three potential successors: his beautiful but spoiled daughter, Storm: his corrupt, disgraced son Dirk; and his new young assistant, Mark Anders, a fellow survivor of the trenches. Mark finds himself trapped between Sean's two children, shaped by an impossible love for Storm, and a victim of Dirk's ongoing hatred, greed and jealousy. With all Sean's experience of war and family, can he protect Mark -- and everything Sean has ever stood for?
A Special Force: Origin And Development Of The Jedburgh Project In Support Of Operation Overlord
by Major Wyman W. IrwinThis study examines the history of the Jedburgh project from the origin of the concept, through development of the Jedburgh plan, to final preparations for deployment. It includes a study of the recruitment process used to man the force and the training program undertaken to prepare the Jedburghs for their unconventional warfare (UW) mission.The Jedburgh plan provided for 100 three-man teams composed of American, British, French, Belgian, and Dutch special forces personnel. These teams operated well behind German lines, with the primary mission of coordinating the activities of the various resistance elements to ensure that their operations supported the overall Allied campaign effort.These operations, indeed the very concept of a force designed to work directly with partisans in an occupied country in support of conventional forces, remain significant because they are the doctrinal basis for our current special forces. Today's UW doctrine centers increasingly around the support of revolutionary insurgents in a low intensity conflict environment. U.S. Army Special Forces leaders must understand the different and complex nature of conducting UW with partisans in a mid to high intensity conflict, though, if they are to remain prepared to conduct these operations. The amount of lead time required to develop such a capability will probably not be available in future conflicts.
A Special Valor
by Richard WheelerIf the U.S. Marines gave birth to a legend in the halls of Montezuma in the nineteenth century, they added glorious luster to it with their heroism and victories against the Japanese in World War II. For this vivid, foxhole view of the Marines' war, Richard Wheeler draws extensively on frontline eyewitness accounts of Marines and combat journalists and backs up their stories with official U.S. action reports and captured Japanese materials. First published in 1983, the book has earned praise as a popular, one-volume history of all the battles fought by the Marine Corps in the Pacific campaign. The book describes in fascinating and exciting detail the heroic defense of Wake Island against an overwhelming enemy assault force. It traces the long bloody battle for Guadalcanal that brought the Marines their first victory and gave America and its allies control of the strategically important Soloman Islands. It follows the painful, island-by-island counterattack toward the Japanese homeland when the Marines created new legends at such places as Bougainville, Saipan, Tarawa, Guam, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. Here are the remarkable exploits of the Marines holding off Japanese assault waves at Heartbreak Ridge, storming across coral reefs, and struggling up the slopes of Mount Suribachi to raise the Stars and Stripes. Some sixty-five photographs enhance the book, which is now available in paperback for the first time.
A Spell of Empire
by Allan J. Scott Michael Scott RohanIn the north, the Nibelung Empire covering Scandinavia and Northern Europe. In the south, the Tyrrhennian Empire, decadent child of once mighty Rome. In between, Volker Seefried, musician and sorceror's apprentice, finds himself in danger of being crushed to dust.Having left the city of Worms hurriedly when his master's final conjuration resulted in a congealed magician, Volker finds himself in Nurnberg. He is offered work by a rich merchant who asks him to recruit three bravos to accompany them on a perilous journey. And thus - not without some minor disasters - is formed a group of modern musketeers whose motto might be "All For One and Each For Himself!"
A Spirit of Sacrifice: New York State in the First World War (Excelsior Editions)
by Vicki Weiss Aaron Noble Keith Swaney"New York's pride is the pride of things done. Her leadership is no more due to her great wealth or her large population than to the patriotism of her citizens and the uses to which her wealth is put. In every war in which this country has engaged, she has shown a spirit of sacrifice that has made her preeminent among the States."It was with these words that New York State Governor Charles S. Whitman urged his fellow New Yorkers to purchase Liberty Bonds in support of the war effort on April 6, 1918. He reminded New Yorkers and the nation that the Empire State once again led all others in the numbers of men, the amount of money, and the tonnage of material supplied to American forces during World War I.A companion catalog to the New York State Museum exhibition of the same name, A Spirit of Sacrifice documents the statewide story of New York in World War I through the collections of the State's Office of Cultural Education comprised of the New York State Museum, Library, and Archives. Within these world-class collections are the nearly 3,600 posters of the Benjamin W. Arnold World War I Poster Collection at the New York State Library. By interweaving the story of New York in the Great War and utilizing the tremendous artifacts within the pictorial history revealed by the posters of the era and primary source documentation, this exhibition catalog serves as both a display of poster art and a more comprehensive examination of the primacy of the state's contributions to America's foray into World War I. Posters and objects from museums, libraries, and historical societies from across New York State as well as iconic artifacts and images are all included here. Brought together they tell the story of New York State's essential role in the First World War.
A Spitfire Girl: One of the World's Greatest Female ATA Ferry Pilots Tells Her Story
by Mary Ellis Melody ForemanWe visualize dashing and daring young men as the epitome of the pilots of the Second World War, yet amongst that elite corps was one person who flew no less than 400 Spitfires and seventy-six different types of aircraft and that person was Mary Wilkins. Her story is one of the most remarkable and endearing of the war, as this young woman, serving as a ferry pilot with the Air Transport Auxiliary, transported aircraft for the RAF, including fast fighter planes and huge four-engine bombers. On one occasion Mary delivered a Wellington bomber to an airfield, and as she climbed out of the aircraft the RAF ground crew ran over to her and demanded to know where the pilot was! Mary said simply: "I am the pilot!" Unconvinced the men searched the aircraft before they realized a young woman had indeed flown the bomber all by herself. After the war she accepted a secondment to the RAF, being chosen as one of the first pilots, and one of only three women, to take the controls of the new Meteor fast jet. By 1950 the farmer's daughter from Oxfordshire with a natural instinct to fly became Europe's first female air commandant. In this authorized biography the woman who says she kept in the background during her ATA years and left all the glamour of publicity to her colleagues, finally reveals all about her action-packed career which spans almost a century of aviation, and her love for the skies which, even in her nineties, never falters.
A Spitfire Girl: One of the World's Greatest Female ATA Ferry Pilots Tells Her Story
by Mary Ellis Melody ForemanThis WWII biography recounts the heroic contributions of a female pilot who flew Spitfires, Hurricanes and Wellington Bombers for the RAF. A farmer&’s daughter from Oxfordshire, Mary Ellis fell in love with flying at the age of eleven, when she rode in a biplane at a flying circus. Already a licensed pilot by the time the Second World War broke out, Mary joined the Air Transit Auxiliary in 1941. As a ferry pilot, she transported aircraft for the Royal Air Force, including more than four hundred Spitfires and seventy-six different kinds of aircraft. After the war, Mary accepted a secondment to the RAF as one of the first pilots to fly the new Gloster Meteor, Britain&’s first fighter jet. By 1950, she became Europe's first female air commandant. In this authorized biography, Mary and biographer Melody Foreman vividly recount her action-packed career spanning almost a century of aviation. Mary says: I am passionate for anything fast and furious. I always have been since the age of three and I always knew I would fly. The day I stepped into a Spitfire was a complete joy and it was the most natural thing in the world for me.
A Splendid Little War
by Derek RobinsonThe war to end all wars, people said in 1918. Not for long. By 1919, White Russians were fighting Bolshevik Reds for control of their country, and Winston Churchill (then Secretary of State for War) wanted to see Communism "strangled in its cradle". So a volunteer R.A.F. squadron, flying Sopwith Camels, went there to duff up the Reds. "There's a splendid little war going on," a British staff officer told them. "You'll like it." Looked like fun. But the war was neither splendid nor little. It was big and it was brutal, a grim conflict of attrition, marked by incompetence and corruption. Before it ended, the squadron wished that both sides would lose. If that was a joke, nobody was laughing.
A Splendid Little War
by Derek RobinsonThe war to end all wars, people said in 1918. Not for long. By 1919, White Russians were fighting Bolshevik Reds for control of their country, and Winston Churchill (then Secretary of State for War) wanted to see Communism 'strangled in its cradle'. So a volunteer R.A.F. squadron, flying Sopwith Camels, went there to duff up the Reds. 'There's a splendid little war going on,' a British staff officer told them. 'You'll like it.' Looked like fun. But the war was neither splendid nor little. It was big and it was brutal, a grim conflict of attrition, marked by incompetence and corruption. Before it ended, the squadron wished that both sides would lose. If that was a joke, nobody was laughing.
A Splendid Little War
by Derek RobinsonThe war to end all wars, people said in 1918. Not for long. By 1919, White Russians were fighting Bolshevik Reds for control of their country, and Winston Churchill (then Secretary of State for War) wanted to see Communism 'strangled in its cradle'. So a volunteer R.A.F. squadron, flying Sopwith Camels, went there to duff up the Reds. 'There's a splendid little war going on,' a British staff officer told them. 'You'll like it.' Looked like fun. But the war was neither splendid nor little. It was big and it was brutal, a grim conflict of attrition, marked by incompetence and corruption. Before it ended, the squadron wished that both sides would lose. If that was a joke, nobody was laughing.