Alastair Goodrum Livres

The narrative focuses on the transformation of six young men from Lincolnshire schoolboys into combat airmen during WWII. Their journey from school uniforms to Air Force Blue is marked by the thrill and peril of flying missions across diverse terrains. Through original research, including log books and diaries, the book captures their training, first sorties, and harrowing encounters with enemy fire. While some return home, others face unimaginable dangers, showcasing the profound impact of war on youth and the stark realities of courage and sacrifice.

The stories of three individual careers combine seamlessly to tell the dramatic story of the RAF from the era of biplanes and into the jet age of the Cold War.

Danger and excitement, courage and selflessness, and gripping stories of life and death in the air: Lady Luck took these heady ingredients and mixed them into the lethal cocktail that is military flying in peace and war. From WWI biplanes to twenty-first-century fast jets, mid-air collisions and many other crashes, hundreds of airmen from all corners of the world left their mark--quite literally--on the landscape and collective memory of the East Midlands. This book ensures these airmen cease simply to be names carved on a cold memorial stone or entries in some dusty, long-forgotten documents. They come vividly alive again, with backgrounds and personalities and patriotic or duty reasons for being where they are when tragedy struck. Dying To Fly brings their courage and human-interest stories into the light of day, remembers them with respect and pays tribute to their passing.

New paperback edition - This is the fascinating true story of RAF Sutton Bridge. Between 1926 and 1946, the base saw the development and implementation of a training system that turned inexperienced pilots into Top Guns. 525 graduates and staff fought with The Few to win the Battle of Britain.