Aircrew Book Review on The Damcasters podcast!

A couple of months ago, having lamented at my inability to get anything done book-review wise so made it known I was open to other avenues to get the word out, I sat down with Matt Bone and recorded an episode of his popular The Damcasters podcast.

While it was originally supposed to be 'just' a vehicle for me to talk about some books I'd not had the chance to write about at length yet, Matt was also curious about the editing work I do. What I do is quite straightforward in the great scheme of things; it all makes sense in my head but trying to explain the process somewhat lucidly, to the extent it could be used as podcast content, was quite the challenge. I found it refreshing, however, as, beyond prospective clients, I don't usually explain what I do or how I go about doing it. Every project is different, so the approach varies, but there are some general rules and procedures I apply and Matt was able to tease these out. 

Being interviewed is not something I've done much of and it's been several years since I last 'broadcast' something about books. While that comes across more in the Youtube video of the interview, Matt's judicious editing makes the sound file almost seamless and me almost well spoken!

We had talked about doing another episode on books, perhaps even making it a regular thing, but I am conscious of listeners of The Damcasters having a much-wider interest base than RAF and Commonwealth aircrew of the Second World War. I don't want to spread my wings too far away from spreading the word on these stories far and wide, but it's only fair that I somehow cover books beyond the usual 'sphere'. Editing books that aren't Second World War-centric helps; believe it or not, the majority of my editing work isn't actually set in the 1940s! Perhaps there's hope for me yet.

The Aviation Book Review! with Andy Wright

Changing Altitudes – Stories of Australian Air Force Women

This is the latest addition to the RAAF's excellent Air Campaign Series and, at 360 pages, easily the longest to date. Of course, we're talking Air Force history that spans from the 1940s to today so there's a lot of ground to cover, not to mention three iterations of service arms female aviators have served their country in (WAAAF, WRAAF and RAAF). 

Collated and written by a team of five (at least two of who have forthcoming books – Karyn Markwell, Australian air power use in humanitarian aid and disaster relief, and Rosalind Turner, Australian air lift history), it looks at all aspects of Australian women in Air Force service – impressive, inclusive and uplifting, but also frustrating and sobering in part. Much is made, particularly in the more modern stories, of the work/life balance in today's Air Force. Challenges remain, of course, but today's equal opportunities are highlighted – from raw recruit and fast-jet pilot to the upper echelons of command – while also acknowledging the system isn't perfect, something the RAAF, with this book series and other publications, has been relatively open to discussing.

The standard of production is top notch, as expected from this series, with colour throughout on glossy paper stock, and good, thick card covers. Like the preceding books in the series (and there's more to come), the whole package provides exceptional value for money.

Note: I did the main edit for this (to date, I've worked on all but one of the series) so feel free to take any potential bias with a grain of salt. Stuff that, just buy it, you won't be disappointed!

Casemate Publishers – 15% off until the end of December!

I've been a bit slow with getting this one on the website, but it has been 'live' on the Facebook group for some time now.

Visit Casemate before the end of December 2024, select any Casemate-branded books that take your fancy and apply the code CASE15 at the checkout to get 15% off.

It's that easy, but I do expect a message to let me know what you splashed out on!

Grub Street – 25% off until 18 December 2024!

Grub Street discount time!

From now until 18 December, use the code aircrewbooks to get 25% off the list price at Grub Street.

Grub Street has sorted the shipping issues and can now ship worldwide. However, please note these purchase cut-off dates if you want to ensure delivery before Christmas (UK customers have until the 18th of course):

3 December Australia and New Zealand

4 December Cyprus, Malta, Portugal and Spain

5 December Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Eastern Europe (except Czech Republic and Poland), France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Switzerland and Turkey

6 December Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, Poland, Sweden and USA

Have at it and let me know what you get!

Admiral VAT Smith – Graeme Lunn

 

It's been a while. Sorry.

Regular readers will know of my penchant for the wartime Fleet Air Arm, and my motivation to spread the word about what is always quite a suprisingly extensive bibliography of memoirs and biographies. I am also particularly keen to see more stories of the very few Australian wartime 'flying sailors' in print. The most recent one was the Fred Sherborne 'limited' bio, An Accidental Hero, which focussed on his evasion in the south of France and had very little to say about his adventurous naval career up until then (or after).

Now, however, leading Australian aviation history publisher, Avonmore Books (distributed by Casemate/Pen & Sword in the Northern Hemisphere), has released Admiral VAT Smith, the biography of the father of Australia's Fleet Air Arm and a book a long time coming in part due to the subject's reluctance to talk about himself in interviews.

If the dustcover artwork of this hardback doesn't sell you (Avonmore also offers a voucher to buy a discounted print of the cover image), perhaps this will. Avonmore's two recent Australian Fleet Air Arm titles, Flying Stations II (currently on sale!) and The Skyhawk Years are books of astounding quality. VAT surpasses them; it is glorious. The typical Avonmore use of colour within (and world-class Juanita Franzi-Aero profiles!) makes it stand head and shoulders above any other FAA bio. Fair enough, it’s the latest effort, but it will be hard to come close (even for Seaforth or the Naval Institute Press!).

Unsuprisingly, the author follows VAT's life through his early years and into the Royal Australian Navy, his eventual pre-war qualification as an observer, serving on HMS Ark Royal until the carrier was lost, attacking Scharnhorst (per the cover), catapulting in Fulmars, catapulting from HMAS Canberra in the Pacific (VAT was on board during the Battle of Savo Island), terms as Air Staff Officer Afloat (back with the Royal Navy) and Ashore (back in Australia tending to the British Pacific Fleet), carrier life in Korea, command at sea and ashore, and the highest of upper echelons. It's a story that encounters some of the greats of the Fleet Air Arm – 'they have their exits and their entrances'; VAT 'in his time plays many parts'.

Photo reproduction is superb with some lovely half-page plates dedicated to images whose quality deserves such treatment. Several maps are also presented; they, and the layout, are very clearly the expert work of Di Bricknell. A Tasmanian graphic designer, Di's work needs to be seen by a much wider audience. Her signature is evident throughout Avonmore's titles and her map work has graced the pages of aircrew authors such as Kristen Alexander, Graeme Gibson and Ian Campbell, to name a few.

Avonmore has the book listed at a price cheaper than hardbacks imported into Australia; produced at a far higher level of quality, everything about this book makes it the aircrew biography of the year. I'm calling it already.

Available in the Southern Hemisphere.

And, in the Northern Hemisphere.

ISBN 978-0-64570-0-480.