DYING TO FLY : The Human Cost of Military Flying, East
Midlands
Alistair Goodrum
The History Press Ltd, The Mill, Brimscombe Port,
Stroud, GL5 2QG http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0752453025?ie=UTF8&tag=crosscocka&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=0752453025">
224pp, 170 x 247mm, softback, illustrated
ISBN 978-0-7524-5302-6, £17.99 Click on the cover to buy from Amazon!
The author covers the period from the years immediately
prior to the Great War up to the present day and examines a large number of
aircraft accidents that took place in the region.
The chapters cover the period in a chronological order for
crashes and then the same for collisions.
Our period of interest receives a fair amount of coverage,
although there seems to be an emphasis on events relating to Cranwell and its
sub-station at Freiston. It should be noted that not every fatal accident is
covered, but those that are usually give an indication of the cause and some
are backed up with contemporary first-hand and newspaper accounts. There are a
couple of ‘new’ photographs from our period but captioning is brief.
I found the remainder of the book equally interesting and
was reminded of the vast number of different types flown by the RAF and USAF
from bases in and around the East Midlands. The stories in the latter parts of
the book can be fascinating, such as that of an American aircraftsman who stole
a RB45 from Alconbury.
All in all, this is a worthwhile book and should appeal
particularly to those who live in the area covered. MD Volume 42 Number 1
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