World War II publications

83 Squadron by Ron Low ISBN 1 900604 05 1

History of 83 Sqaudron during WW II. Reprinted from a limited edition hardback and now available as a softback high quality book at
much reduced cost.

Very detailed history of No.83 Sqaudron
RAF which had been out of print
for over 10 years.

A4 illustrated.

A chequer board of Nights by Bill McCrea ISBN 1900604 14 0

In this book, Bill McCrea tells of his voyage through an Atlantic gale on his way to train as a pilot with the U.S. Army Air Corps.
He made the most of his time in America, the highlight being the meeting with his boyhood golfing hero, Bobby Jones. He joined his
operational squadron in 1943, when the increasing severity of Bomber Command's attacks on German towns was accompanied by mounting losses among the attackers.

He and his crew were involved in repeated raids on the Ruhr, and on Berlin. They endured many more incidents than most, but came through 'due to a little skill and a
lot of luck'. The author takes us in detail through the great Hamburg raid; on one of these a mistake at briefing resulted, almost certainly, in the loss of two of
the squadron's aircraft. He describes the threat posed by the Luftwaffe's most potent weapon, 'schrage musik', how its existence remained undetected
until after the war and, as the threat increased, how he and his crew took steps to improve their chances of survival.

137 pages, 22 photos A5.

A Lancaster pilots impression on Germany by Dick Starky ISBN 1900604 09 4

Richard (Dick) Starkey who lives at Royston, Barnsley, Yorkshire volunteered for RAF Aircrew duties in 1941 when 18 years of age.
He received his Pilot’s wings in Canada in 1942 and completed his training in England before joining number 106 Squadron, 5 Group, Bomber Command in October 1943 to fly Lancasters.
He operated between October 1943 and March 1944 on deep penetration targets in atrocious weather conditions, mostly during the Battle of Berlin. He was shot down on his 22nd
operation. Dick had a miraculous escape trying to control his blazing Lancaster carrying a full bomb load, when the petrol tanks exploded and hurled him unconscious into the night sky.

Avenging In The Shadows' by Ron James ISBN: 1900604264

No. 214 Squadron, RAF Bomber Command
This book is an interesting chronicle of the Squadron, written by Ron James who did two tours of operations, one on Stirlings and one on B17’s.
The author has covered the history of the squadron in great detail and has included anecdotes from men who served in the period from WWI right up to the post WWII era, including the work the Squadron did on In-Flight Refuelling.
No.214 Squadron was formed on April 1st 1918, from No. 7 Royal Naval Air Service Squadron. Between its inception and its final disbandment at Marham in 1977, it served in several roles.
The Squadron’s bombing role extended to Jan 1944 and they took part in many notable raids including Berlin and Peenemunde, flying Short Stirlings. Towards the end of this period there were some detachments to Tempsford dropping supplies to the Resistance in Occupied Territories.
In 1944 they converted to B17’s (Flying Fortresses) and joined No. 100 Group, a newly formed Bomber Support Group, a Group so secret that the details of its work were not released until 1976. General Eisenhower commended the Group for its contribution to the D-Day effort and Adolf Galland, the Luftwaffe Fighter Commander, wrote that the No. 100 Group’s efforts helped make the defence of Germany almost impossible.

A4, 255 pages

shadows

Cone of Fire ISBN: 190060423X

The adventure is set during 1944/1945. When the fight against the Japanese Imperial Army was being brought to its own doorstep.

The crew of a Sunderland flying boat are despatched from flying convoy missions in the North Atlantic to the Far East. The ensuing adventure leads to one of its crew being marooned behind enemy lines in a remote part of the Malayan jungle. He has quickly to learn how to fend for himself in the dense, hostile jungle if he is to survive. In his attempt to return to his own lines he narrowly avoids certain death on a number of occasions whilst frustrating the Japanese war efforts.

The author, a veteran of World War II, was a flight engineer on the Sunderland flying boat. All the aircraft operational details are factual as are the jungle survival techniques, which were the result of the authors training. The author went on to serve with the R.A.F. for a total of thirty years flying all types of aircraft. Today he lives in Cornwall.

225 pages

coneoffire

Espionage in the Ether by Bill Rees ISBN 1900604 11 6

Espionage In the Ether

by W.J. & J.E. Rees

192 (Bomber Support) Squadron, part of 100 Group, was an unique unit within Bomber Command, but many specific operational tasks were undertaken
under the direct control of Air Ministry Department AI.4. Its role was shrouded in mystery and remained so for a long period of time after the cessation
of hostilities under the 30 year rule. Its aircraft roamed the skies from North Africa to the Arctic Circle and beyond, tracking and
monitoring enemy radar systems, as well as listening to and recording their R/T and W/T traffic.

They accompanied bomber streams, but, more often than not, they arrived over the target area well in advance of the Path-finders, and remained
orbiting the area well after the raid had finished and the bombers had returned home. Most of their work was performed by single aircraft, or small
groups, at great risk to their crews for they often acted as decoys against enemy night-fighters. The Squadron unraveled any of the enemy’s radar
systems, so that by the end of the war very few, if any, secrets remained concerning the German radar systems.

The authors.
William James Rees, a retired local government officer, served as a sergeant with 1473 (SD) Flight and B Flight, 192 Squadron. His son, John Edward Rees is a serving police officer with a life long passion for aviation in general, but for 192 Squadron in particular, as well as the activities of 100 Group.

This book is complemented by another one being released by the same publishers. It is “Swift and Sure-Eighty years of 51 Squadron” written by Keith Ford, 51 Squadron Assoc. Historian.

Electronic intelligence was taken over by this squadron when 192 was re-plated “51".

Fate From the Sky by Karel Adriaens ISBN 1900604205

An unexpected and sometimes unwelcome event can so often change the direction of our lives. The story told in this book turns on the part played in the life of a young Dutchman during the Second World War by the discovery of an injured aircrew from a stricken Lancaster bomber. Karel Adriaens after this event became an active member of the resistance operating aganinst German forces who had occupied his country after the blitzkrieg in 1940.
The book relates in detail the strange happenings of his life and the extraordinary assignments he undertook as a young man working with the Resistance, his escapes from death and captivity, amid the crumbling but vengeful German regime towards the end of the Second World War. It is based on the author’s diaries kept secretly but in coded form and his private papers and other records. The narrative recalls the many close bonds between Britain and Holland that were forged in 1940 in the aftermath of the German invasion of the Netherlands.
In particular, it highlights the contribution made by the many members of Royal Air Force aircrews who came from other countries and became involved with Dutch people. The text includes a previously unpublished, remarkable cameo about a New Zealand airman who fought and died in the author’s area but whose identity became clarified many years after the war had ended. An extraordinary chance discovery of a personal possession at a crash site led to a heart-warming act of friendship between Dutch and New Zealand families.
The author’s own survival of the war, the harsh conditions of the immediate post-war period, and the career path he chose are related as antecedents to his being sent on assignment to New Zealand by his company. His supposedly temporary visit, however, turned into permanent residence. He became a successful businessman and industrialist.
The book is illustrated with many historic photographs and wartime documents. It is published to mark the 60th anniversary both of the eventually dire results which befell the author and his associates, and the liberation of the Netherlands from German occupation. A5 224 pages

fatefromthesky

For Ever Valiant ISBN: 1900604248

This book is the first of two volumes presenting a diverse collection of first-hand accounts of the wartime combat experiences of veteran aircrew members who volunteered to serve in the Second World War. The risks they ran, the losses of their colleagues, the suffering they themselves endured, the comradeship they enjoyed, and the contributions they were able to make towards the day of final victory are all vividly portrayed in these texts. The accounts include epic events of the war in the air that were carried out from bases in the United Kingdom.
The veteran contributors to this book represent a wide variety of Commissioned and Non-Commissioned Officers, drawn from across the Fighter, Bomber, Coastal and Transport Commands which formed the organisational structure of the Royal Air Force as a means to wage the war in the air. The wide range of types of aircraft flown by these veterans is presented as a separate section of the book with attractive photographs, aircraft specifications and operational notes on each aircraft.
The book has the advantage of an Introduction by a Senior Air Force Commander who sets these accounts in their historical context, written with sensitivity and understanding against the background of his own long service as an aviator.
Wartime experiences of airmen have previously been published biographically as collections in fragmented form or as monographs. In contrast, this book devotes a chapter length text with personal photographs, chosen from his private records, to enable each contemporary, surviving veteran to present a considered and detailed narrative of his particular experience of the Second World War in the context of his long life.

412 pages

Valiant

For Ever Valiant Volume 2: ISBN 1900460424

Pages 381 Back cover text: This book is the second of three volumes presenting a diverse collection of first-hand accounts of the wartime combat experiences of veteran aircrew members who volunteered to serve in the Second World War. The risks they ran, the losses of their colleagues, the suffering they themselves endured, the comradeship they enjoyed, and the contributions they were able to make towards the day of final victory are all vividly portrayed in these texts. The accounts in this volume relate to epic events of the war in the Mediterranean, Africa, and India. The veteran contributors to this book represent a wide variety of Commissioned and Non-Commissioned Officers, drawn from across the Fighter, Bomber, Coastal and Transport Commands which formed the organisational structure of the Royal Air Force as a means to wage the war in the air. The wide range of types of aircraft flown by these veterans is presented as a separate section of the book with attractive photographs, aircraft specifications and operational notes on each aircraft. The book has the advantage of an Introduction by a Senior Air Force Commander who sets these accounts in their historical context, written with sensitivity and understanding against the background of his own long service as an aviator. Wartime experiences of airmen have previously been published biographically as collections in fragmented form or as monographs. In contrast, this book devotes a chapter length text with personal photographs, chosen from his private records, to enable each contemporary, surviving veteran to present a considered and detailed narrative of his particular experience of the Second World War in the context of his long life.

Gordons Tour with Shiny 10 ISBN 09517965 3 4

These recollections by Gordon give us an impression of what life was like over a target in Germany.

Gordon's narrative will, in his own words, lead the reader through the trials and tribulations of training followed
by participation in an operational tour with a bomber crew in 1944.

Many of his photographs are from his own stock and other colleagues never published before.

A4 Thermally bound clear fronted
binding.128 pages.

Halifax for Liberty by Louis Bourgain ISBN 1900604 07 8

Originally published in French as Sarabande Nocturne.

The French people who, under the occupation, heard the uninterupted nightly throbbing of aircraft above their heads on the long journey
to and from Germany, could not help being aware that a formidable battle was being faought in the skies above Western Europe. But what they
did not know, though they might have suspected, was that among those aircraft were probably some with Tricolour roundals that carried
the Cross of Lorraine, those of the Guyenne and Tunisie Squadrons.

Based at Elvington near York the French fought back to regain their homeland.

A superb publication. 291 pages A5
richly illustrated, soft card cover.

History of Full Sutton Airfield (1944-2004) ISBN 1900604175

A4 format. 96 pages

History of Full Sutton
“Full Sutton was one of the last Second World War airfields to be opened in Yorkshire and became operational in May 1944, as a bomber station in No. 4 Group, Bomber Command.

The history of the airfield goes back over nearly sixty years and encompasses the grim days of the last world war, the uncertainty of the cold war and now the present time when aircraft are used for business, pleasure and recreation.

Simon Pocklington
Full Sutton Flying Club

fullsuttondiary

In These We Served ISBN 1900604213

In These We Served is an anthology of poetry compiled to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of World War Two hostilities. Written during the war by individuals from all branches of the armed forces and their relatives. It gives a unique insight into the feelings and emotions of the individuals that were experiencing, and living through, these uncertain times. Added insight is given to many of the poems by narrative that tells the story behind the poem.
Some of the reviews and comments:
“From this the younger readers will learn that their elders died in a noble and immortal enterprise.”
“Muscular and unabashedly patriotic verse”
“I Laughed and cried as I read this marvellous book
“ ‘In These We Served’, should be required reading in every school and university, it tells the story so well”
“I defy anyone who lived through these times to read and remain dry eyed.”
“ ‘In These We Served’ is a rollicking armchair tour of the premier events of the war.”

A5 , 148 pages

INTHESEWESERVED

Lancaster Valour by Clayton Moore ISBN 09517965 6 9

Lancaster Valour tells the story of one man and his crew - a crew that was but a small part of most of the massive air campaign ever
waged. Although one of only thousands of such crews, this one relates a most important account of the critical element of the campaign. It
is the human story of the people who fought and died so valiantly over the battle fields of Europe.

Clayton Moore came from Canada to fight in the war in Europe. His love of flying drove him from the safety in Canada to join the
crews already fighting the war.

Although a very personal story it must have been very typical of the attitudes and fears shared by the air-crews.

168 A4 pages illustrated,thermally bound soft card cover.

Let Nought Deter by Gil Laurenson ISBN: 1900604221

Let Nought Deter by Gil Laurenson

ISBN: 1900604221
UK Retail: £10.50
274 pages

The author of this book returned from the Second World War after four years with the first general hospital created for the support of New Zealand military forces. It was successively established in Britain, Egypt, Greece, Egypt again, and finally in Italy.
His experiences - involving three extensive voyages by sea across the world in wartime conditions, working in Britain for casualties from German bombing, travelling around Britain at war, the Herculean management efforts repeatedly needed, being overrun by the enemy in Greece, and travelling around the war-torn Mediterranean - are set in their respective general and local, prevailing military contexts. The account provides an insight into the internal structure of a large military hospital, its flow of patients, notably from the Battle of Alamein, and war zone epidemics such as jaundice and venereal disease, punctuated by many surprising and sometimes dramatic events.
The book covers the author’s subsequent career as Chief Executive Officer to the North Canterbury Hospital Board for twenty-two years, during which he undertook a world study of hospital services under World Health Authority auspices on behalf of the New Zealand government. During this time the Board was responsible for nearly thirty institutions delivering hospital services to New Zealand’s second city and its large hinterland, and facilitated fundamental and far-reaching developments of medical institutions and facilities which have achieved international standing and importance for medical research and the delivery of hospital services.
The text is based on meticulous official records salvaged by the author, his personal diaries, and a range of other documentary sources, supplemented by his own vivid recollections, and is enriched by over 100 photographs and documents, many of unique status, drawn from his extensive collection.

Let Nought Deter by Gil Laurenson

Mother worked at AVRO ISBN 09517965 7 7

This book tells the storyof the huge wartime aircraft factory known as AVRO Yeadon.
Although it ceased production in 1946 and its records destroyed in a fire the author has pieced
together the inside story of the factory.

With over 100 illustrations this
book will appeal to those with
personal memories and historians.

142 page. A4 illustrated, soft
card cover.

No Verse can say by Anne Doward ISBN 1 900604 03 5

A compelling and interesting story by Anne Doward of her search to discover how her father met his untimely death during WW II as a
bomber pilot.

The story is told by his daughter who at 3 lost her father who she never knew. Piecing together fragments of information the story
takes the reader to Germany to gather facts and make discoveries.

The reader is compelled to finish the book as the facts unfold into a pictorial story of her father.

This book will be useful for others who like the author have little or no memory of families killed during the war years.

A5 soft card cover. 144 pages
illustrated.

Snaith days ISBN 09517965 1 8

Snaith Day's has been compiled on off No. 51 Squadron Association.To commemorate the 50th anniversary of commencement of operations with the Halifax Bomber.

Reviewers agree that this is one of the most comprehensive accounts of life with a World War II Bomber Sqaudron yet published. In addition to being very detailed it is very readable, with a total of 158 photos and illustrations, many of which have never been published before.A4 sized laminated soft cover 215 pages. See also Swift & Sure which details the equipment used.

Some of our victories by Lionel Sheppard ISBN 09517965 5 0

No 260 Squadron was originally formed in 1918 at westwood Ho in Devon as a coastal reconnaissance unit flying anti submarine patrols
in DH6's and was disbanded in 1919.

It was reformed 22 November 1940 as a fighter squadron equipted with Hurricanes. In 1941 it prepared for overseas duty. From Malta
the squadron moved onto the war being faought in the Middle east.

100 pages A4 illustrated.

Swift and Sure by K Ford ISBN 09517965 8 5

This is a very readable and comprehensive history produced by someone who had the experiance of serving with the Squadron in World War II. Being the
Squadron Association Historian his personal contact with numerous ex Squadron members has enabled him to include accounts of their
experiences and light hearted anecdotes.

The narrative is well researched thanks to the assistance from an experienced Aviation Research Assistant and illustrated with over 100 photos, some
in colour. Full appendicies covering losses, operations, POW's and route flying.

Printed as laminated soft card A4 book.
417 pages

The Final Fling by Bill Rees ISBN 1900604 13 2

Little has been written about Bomber Command's last punitive expedition against Germany during the second world war.
With Hitler dead and the German war machine in disarray, there was a euphoria throughout the command with everyone well aware that the end was near. Then why, out of the blue,
on the morning of the 2nd May 1945 were orders sent out that aircraft would be required for 'maximum effort' operations that night?
In his book Bill has used his personal knowledge and contacts, accompanied by extensive research, to recount what happened on that fateful night in May 1945.

The Life and Times of Roy Hastie ISBN:1900604329

Roy Hastie was just an ordinary man, who felt it his duty to volunteer for flying duties in 1940, in spite of being near the upper age limit. He qualified as a Sergeant pilot in 1941, starting his first operations in January 1942 with 53 Squadron equipped with Lockheed Hudsons. The unit then became engaged in attempting to stop axis costal traffic moving supplies by sea along the coastline of occupied Europe. The Germans, however, defended their shipping so ferociously that the losses of aircraft became prohibitive and attacks with Hudsons had to be abandoned. The unit was then asked to fly to the USA to help the authorities with their U-boat war. After nine months, Roy returned home only to be selected as a flying instructor in the Bahamas. Successfully surviving ditching his Mitchell he returned to the UK, where he was asked to help form a new squadron in Bomber Command, connected with Radio Countermeasures. Upon completing his bomber tour of operations he was awarded a D.F.C.

198 Pages A5

Life & Times

The RAF Elvington War Diary ISBN 1900604167

By Mike Usherwood.

A4 format. 123 pages.

RAF Elvington Diary
“During the war I was a flight test engineer working at Clifton airfield and was able to observe at first hand the sacrifice made by the crews of Bomber Command and this book which has been researched by a member of the Museum, Mike Usherwood gives some idea of the part Elvington played in the final victory”

Ian Robinson MBE
Chairman of Trustees
Yorkshire Air Museum

RAFElvington

The RAF Pocklington War Diary ISBN 0951796526

By Mike Usherwood

A4format. 216 pages

RAF Pocklington Diary

“This book is a remarkable book, meticulously researched and compiled, which tells the story of operations from Pocklington over four years of the Second World War (1941 - 1945)
From its pages one can sense the high achievement and the unspeakable gallantry of those brilliant young men who repeatedly, and without question, and mostly against the odds, risked their lives in the cause of freedom”

Air Vice Marshal S.O. Bufton

Pock diary

Thge East Moor Experiance by Brian Shields ISBN 1900604 01 9

It is still possible to stand around the airfield boundary and, with a little imagination,see and hear the bombers as they thundered along the runway at
half minute intervals before lifting over the hedgerows in full throttle, their bomb bays pregnant with high explosives as they carried the war to Zazi
Germany and its occupied areas.

313 A4 pages illustrated. Soft
card cover.

Time of my life by Jack Dickinson ISBN 1900604 10 8

This book is a record of the authors Wartime service in the R.A.F., from his original application to join as an aircrew member, through to his
eventual return home from a German prison camp.
It covers both the comedy and tragedy implicit in training and in battle, particularly during the Battle of the Ruhr, where the writer completed twenty two o
perations before being shot down in flames over Germany.

The smile on his face was because although the final curtain had not yet fallen on the war against Japan, he had been told he would not be needed.
At the time of this photograph he was awaiting his fiancees arrival at the church, delayed for two years, but beginning 54 years of a happy and successful marriage.

To see the dawn Breaking by Bill Chorley ISBN 1900604 02 7

Between 1914 and November 1918, the English and German Empires engaged in a war of quite titanic proportions. It was said to have been a war to end
all wars, but a politically impotent Europe in the middle 30's helped to produce a climate ripe for resumption of hostilities, which eventually broke out in
September 1939.

This book is chiefly concerned with the second conflict and in particular the bombing campaign as remembered by the men and women of one unit,
namely 76 Squadron RAF.

It also includes many contributions of events recorded as the war progressed towards the end of 1945 with Bomber Command at its zenith.

Bill Chorley is a well known author of several books such as 'History of 158 Squadron, In Brave Comapny' and more noteably for the compilation
of the RAF losses books. This books is a re-print & update of the original book. 272 pages A5, 32 pages of photos.

With Luck To Spare by Douglas hawker DFC ISBN 190060415 9

A5 279 pages

This book tells the story of the voluntary military service of one of New Zealand’s longest-living Lancaster pilots. He survived a full tour of operational flying from Britain with Bomber Command, achieving the position of Flight Commander of B Flight with 630 Squadron based at East Kirkby, Lincolnshire.
His story is based upon his meticulous personal diary records, as well as his official professional flying records. The text, both in respect of his early life and Air Force experience throughout, is full of uniquely observed incidents and written with a sense of humour, substantiated by logical analysis.
Distinctively for a text of war time bombing combat missions, the narrative is enriched with technical and operational data, in which the author took an interest beyond the necessities of his pilot duties, together with reserch data on contingent losses and events from national archives that have only become accessible in recent years. It includes the record of a negative mission involving a celebrated Wing Commander which other accounts have concealed.
Included is a previously unpublished personal account of the experiences of Allied bombing from aircrew members who were delivering them and Germans and Japanese who were suffering them.
It is published to mark the 60th anniversary of the period of greatest effort by Bomber Command during the Second World War.

with Luck