WINGS OVER THE DESERT

WINGS OVER THE DESERT

Desmond Seward

Haynes Publishing, Sparkford, Yeovil BA22 7JJ

224pp, 170×240mm, hardback. ISBN 978-1-84425-672-3 £25.00

This is an excellent account of the War in Palestine 1916-18, based on the diaries of the author’s father, who was a pilot in the RFC there. Apart from Lawrence of Arabia, I had heard very little about this area. I very much enjoyed this informative and well illustrated account of what was, without doubt, one of the most successful campaigns ever fought. The RFC played a major part in this, and the cooperation between aircraft and sabre wielding Australian Light Horse is fascinating. The RFC also mapped the forbidding desert and used bombs and wireless communications to good effect. However, the better machines (Bristol Fighters) were allocated to the Australians, and the RFC had to operate with BE2Cs and DH2s which were already obsolete in Flanders. They performed miracles which have been largely ignored by present day historians. I really recommend this book.