"The Nostalgic Memoir of a Royal Air Force Pilot"
There is no doubt that war, despite its terrible consequences, is a source of great pride and nostalgia for those who survived it, but particularly those who served within it with such heroism. Ken Aedy was only 20 when the war ended but by then he had already flown Lancasters with Bomber Command and also assisted with humanitarian airlifts as action was winding up. He was a hero, although his son Mark who wrote the introduction to this book instead describes his father as an ordinary man who lived through an extraordinary time. But 57,000 of the 125,000 aircrew who served alongside Ken lost their lives, and if that isn't heroism I don't know what is.
Ken knew that his experience was both ordinary and extraordinary which is why he wrote this memoir. His target audience were his own grandchildren to whom he wanted to leave his story so that they could personally connect with the most world-changing events of the 20th century, and understand that their lives and their futures were what drove this generation to such levels of courage.
The text is what you might expect from an RAF Pilot - to the point, modest, charming and amusing. It is a very personal book, but the details of Ken's family life and the specific activities he undertook are only more interesting for this reason. Although an 'ordinary' pilot, these details are what makes the story real. Particular detail, as the title of the book suggests, is given to the machines that Ken took to the skies. There can't be many pilots who slotted into that 'Biplanes to Fast Jets' period and were talented enough to keep pace with the technology, and Ken is at his happiest describing the mystifying contents of a cockpit.
This book was a gift when it was written and it is a gift now. It's beautifully laid out and full of iconography and imagery from another time, and will suit the coffee table of any military aircraft enthusiast. The Aedys have done their family hero proud.
| Primary Genre | Biographies & Autobiographies |
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