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Groundcrew Boys

Author : David Gledhill

Publisher : Grub Street Publishing

Page : 245 pages

File Size : 48,89 MB

Release : 2021-10-27

Category : History

ISBN : 1911667629

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Book Description

This collection of stories from Royal Air Force groundcrew reveals the critical operations and thrilling drama of Cold War hangars and airfields. Groundcrew Boys shares true stories of life on the flight line, written by those who served. Twenty engineers recall stories from combat zones around the world, working with aircraft as diverse as the Phantom, the Shackleton and the Sea Harrier. From humorous and ribald tales to thought provoking remembrances, these stories leave no doubt about the dedication and professionalism of those who served. Aviation author David Gledhill presents helpful historical context for each story, while numerous photographs, many from the groundcrew themselves, help bring their experiences to life.



Boys Bombs and Brussels Sprouts

Author : J. Douglas Harvey

Publisher : McClelland & Stewart

Page : 268 pages

File Size : 18,89 MB

Release : 2013-07-23

Category : History

ISBN : 1551994771

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Book Description

They called them the “Brylcreem boys” -- the young flyers who streamed into England from the first declaration of war, the kids with the jaunty grins and the willingness to take terrible risks. Among them were thousands of young Canadians, many barely out of high school, all delighted to leave behind humdrum lives in dusty, post-Depression Canada for the irresistible chance to learn to fly and help beat the Germans. Doug Harvey was one of them -- a nineteen-year-old from Toronto who joined the RCAF, and in 1942 found himself a pilot in the elite Canadian No. 6 Bomber Group.



Boys' Life

Author :

Publisher :

Page : 56 pages

File Size : 49,42 MB

Release : 1930-08

Category :

ISBN :

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Book Description

Boys' Life is the official youth magazine for the Boy Scouts of America. Published since 1911, it contains a proven mix of news, nature, sports, history, fiction, science, comics, and Scouting.



Last Stand In Singapore

Author : Graham Clayton

Publisher : Penguin Random House New Zealand Limited

Page : 215 pages

File Size : 44,70 MB

Release : 2015-12-01

Category : History

ISBN : 1775530779

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Book Description

The story of 488 RNZAF Squadron during the fall of Singapore early in 1942. This gripping history has been written using the diaries, letters, photographs and personal reminiscences of members of 488 Squadron, who were based just outside Singapore City and valiantly kept planes in the air against Japanese attacks until just before the city was overwhelmed. The story of their day-to-day life at a time of crisis, their hard work and their valour is eye-opening. The remaining ground crew were granted passage on one of the last ships to leave the island, when the Japanese were just 1 kilometre from the city centre. The ship had accommodation for 23 passengers, yet there were approximately 3000 people crammed on board. The overcrowding was the least of their worries...



The Boys in the B-17

Author : T/Sgt James Lee Hutchinson EdS

Publisher : AuthorHouse

Page : 260 pages

File Size : 31,13 MB

Release : 2011-11-23

Category : Reference

ISBN : 146707022X

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Book Description

The author in flight gear after photo twelfth mission second Air Medal (age nineteen) He still wears lucky Air Cadet ring! Hutch's third book contains short stories of boys on B-17 Flying Fortress crews in deadly missions with the Eighth Air Force in World War II and stories of his own teenage combat experiences as radio/gunner on twenty missions with the Mighty Eighth. Teenagers enlisted or were drafted, trained and went into combat before they could legally vote or buy a drink. They volunteered to fly in the Army's Air Cadet Program and became a part of the greatest air armada in the world. Most of the gunners on a bomber crew were teenagers and the average age of officers was twenty-four. Veterans' memoirs and diaries give amazing reports of fighter attacks, flak damage and those who survived being shot down out to become Prisoners of War. These youngsters manned the planes that bombed and destroyed Germanys military and war industry. The price of victory was high, with an extreme loss of aircrews and planes. Eighth Air Force losses were among the highest of any military unit. Like the author, teenagers who survived to tell the stories of those great air battles are now in their mid-eighties and rapidly passing into history. See previous books "Through These Eyes" and "Bombs Away!" See a free DVD at http://video.smithville.net/?p=17 for interviews of the author with actual WW II combat film footage.



The Boys from New Jersey

Author : Tom Kindre

Publisher : Trafford Publishing

Page : 355 pages

File Size : 32,30 MB

Release : 2004

Category : Biography & Autobiography

ISBN : 1412025923

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Book Description

Tales of love, fear, bravery and survival, from one of the world's most acclaimed archives of World War II.



Shackleton Boys Volume 2

Author : Steve Bond

Publisher : Casemate Publishers

Page : 463 pages

File Size : 18,91 MB

Release : 2019-10-25

Category : History

ISBN : 1911621998

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Book Description

“Full of interesting and entertaining accounts . . . presents an authentic picture of overseas life in the Kipper Fleet during that period.” —RAF Historical Society Journal After World War II, the Royal Air Force went through a considerable downsizing but retained an essential maritime reconnaissance role for the protection of British interests overseas. These areas were primarily the Mediterranean, Middle East, Far East to Hong Kong and all associated trade routes linking them to Britain and each other. With the arrival in service of the Shackleton from 1951, re-equipment with the new type initially concentrated on the home fleet of Coastal Command. The first overseas station to get them was Gibraltar in 1952, followed by Malta, Singapore, Aden and finally Sharjah. In addition to their daily routine of maritime patrols, the overseas squadrons took part in a number of significant operations. From dealing with rebellion in Aden, Rhodesia’s Unilateral Declaration of Independence to the Indonesian Confrontation, the Shackleton played a vital peacekeeping role. There was even a permanent detachment on the island of Gan for search-and-rescue cover for aircraft transiting to and from the Far East. The last overseas RAF Shackletons were based at Sharjah until late 1971, with a detachment from the UK remaining in Singapore until 1972. The survivors were finally withdrawn from use in November 1984. Thus, after almost thirty-three years the Shackleton’s overseas story was essentially over. Following the outstanding success of Volume One, published in 2018 and still available, Steve Bond has garnered another exceptional group of Shack operators who delight in giving the reader their tales of derring-do. Another one for the Boys’ kitbag!



Halton Boys

Author : Sean Feast

Publisher : Casemate Publishers

Page : 264 pages

File Size : 34,52 MB

Release : 2020-11-19

Category : Biography & Autobiography

ISBN : 1911667548

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Book Description

A history of the twentieth-century Royal Air Force training programme as told by the men who lived it. The RAF Halton Apprenticeship Scheme has a deserved reputation for excellence. The brainchild of MRAF Hugh Trenchard, the founder of the Royal Air Force, it took the “traditional” idea of an apprenticeship and interpreted it in a novel way. It allowed teenage boys from any social background or geography to learn a technical trade that would equip them for their future lives, within and beyond the RAF. It also gave the best an opportunity to become pilots and break into the once public-school-dominated officer class. Of the 50,000 boys trained as apprentices, seventeen won the Sword of Honour at Cranwell, and more than 1,200 were commissioned with 110 achieving Air Rank. Eighteen have been knighted, with well over 1,000 others being honoured at various levels of state. More than a hundred Halton Boys served as pilots in the Battle of Britain (and many more as airframe/engine fitters and armourers), including former Olympic hurdler Don Finlay. Others like Gerry Blacklock and Pat Connolly flew bombers on perilous missions over Western Europe or took part in the famous “Dams” Raid. Then there were the three men murdered for their part in the Great Escape, and those who battled and survived years as prisoners of the Japanese in the Far East. In the jet era, ex-apprentice Graham Hulse became an “ace” in Korea, serving with an American fighter squadron, and Mike Hines went on to become OC 617 Squadron after having first flown operations during the Suez crisis. Others like Charles Owen became a pioneer commercial jet pilot, and Peter Goodwin had the misfortune of being captured in the first Gulf War and used as a human shield. Some forged successful careers beyond the RAF, like Lawrie Haynes, who was on the main board at Rolls-Royce and is now chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund, and Eugene Borysuik—one of the many Polish apprentices trained at Halton, who enjoyed a successful career at GEC. And there were many others beyond air and ground crew including policemen, government officials and even bishops whose careers started with the Halton family. This is the story of Halton told through and by the boys who were there and who are still proud to be called “Trenchard Brats.”



Fleet Air Arm Boys

Author : Steve Bond

Publisher : Grub Street Publishing

Page : 305 pages

File Size : 29,34 MB

Release : 2022-09-08

Category : Biography & Autobiography

ISBN : 1911667807

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Book Description

Helicopters have been going to sea with the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm for over 70 years. Initially used for search and rescue (SAR) duties from aircraft carriers, the rapid development of both the helicopters and service experience resulted in them taking on the vital anti-submarine (and later anti-ship) attack roles. The 1956 Suez campaign saw the first operational use of Whirlwind helicopters for the insertion of troops by air into a battle zone, a capability which was expanded with more helicopters such as the Wessex, Sea King and today’s Merlin. Through their vital role in the 1960s Indonesian Confrontation, the Commando helicopter force became universally referred to as the ‘Junglies’. It is often said that if either of the 1982 Task Force aircraft carriers had been lost the Falklands War could not have been won. The same would surely have been true without helicopters. Their vital tasks, including inserting Special Forces behind enemy lines, protecting the Task Force from Exocet missile attack and recovering wounded troops whilst under enemy fire, are rightly hailed as being instrumental. At home, the essential SAR effort by both the Royal Navy and their RAF counterparts has resulted in incredible stories of saving lives against the odds. Royal Navy destroyers and frigates have also long since benefitted from having their own helicopter Flight aboard. Frequently operating in extremes of weather, flying a Wasp, Lynx or today’s Wildcat from and back to a heaving deck is every bit as risky as flying fixed-wing aircraft off the carriers of old. Once dismissed as a novelty, the helicopter has more than proved itself. Indeed, for ten years until the arrival of the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers, the Fleet Air Arm’s operational force was entirely rotary-wing. Today’s Merlins and Wildcats, with their dedicated aircrew, maintenance and support staff continue to demonstrate just how vital an asset the helicopter has become. Here are the words of the men and women themselves, skillfully brought to life by Steve Bond and profusely illustrated in color and b/w.



The Goodwill House Series 4-6

Author : Fenella J Miller

Publisher : Boldwood Books Ltd

Page : 935 pages

File Size : 35,79 MB

Release : 2024-01-15

Category : Fiction

ISBN : 1835619908

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Book Description

Discover the emotional Goodwill House series from bestselling saga author Fenella J Miller 'Engaging characters and setting which whisks you back to the home front of wartime Britain. A fabulous series.' Jean Fullerton This boxset contains books 4-6 in the Goodwill House saga series The Land Girls of Goodwill House A Wartime Reunion at Goodwill House Wedding Bells at Goodwill House The Land Girls of Goodwill House August 1940 As Autumn approaches, Lady Joanna Harcourt is preparing for new guests at Goodwill House - land girls, Sally, Daphne and Charlie. Sally, a feisty blonde from the East End, has never seen a cow before, but she’s desperate to escape London and her horrible ex, Dennis. And although the hours are long and the work hard, Sal quickly becomes good friends with the other girls Daphne and Charlie and enjoys life at Goodwill House. Until Dennis reappears threatening to drag her back to London. Sal fears her life as a land girl is over, just as she finally felt worthy. But Lady Joanna has other ideas and a plan to keep Sal safe and doing the job she loves. A Wartime Reunion at Goodwill House September, 1940 With harvest approaching, land girl Daphne is busier than ever as she ploughs the fields and tends to the animals with her friends Sal and Charlie. All three girls enjoy the relative peace of Goodwill House...but war is never far away. When a German plane crash lands in the grounds of Goodwill House, everyone is shocked, especially when the two German pilots are declared missing. Where could they be hiding? Tensions are high, and Daphne is dealt yet another shock, when she meets Corporal Robert Andrews – the man she was once engaged to marry! Goodwill House is the last place she expected to be reunited with Bob and although he looks dashing in his uniform, Daphne doesn’t think she can ever forgive him for breaking her heart. With the war getting closer every day, can these two finally be reunited for good or will their love be forever lost...? Wedding Bells at Goodwill House January 1941 As the residents of Goodwill House feel the hard bite of winter, land girl Charlie Somiton is still glad of the warm friendships she has made there. Not just her fellow land girls, Daphne and Sal, but also dashing local G.P. Dr James Willoughby who looked after Charlie when she was injured at work. Charlie likes Dr Willoughby, but she fears that there can never be more between them than just friendship. Because despite her upper-class background, Charlie carries with her a terrible secret that she can never share with James. Dr Willoughby knows Charlie is dealing with something painful and he wishes she’d confide in him more. The war is getting ever closer and James knows all too well that life is short and happiness should be grabbed with both hands. But is Charlie brave enough to risk her secret and her heart or will her past ruin her chances for a happy future.