Introduction
In my RAF days
After 32 years in the Royal Air Force - more of which on my Biography page - I retired to South Wales, partly to pursue a long held ambition of becoming a writer. Since then, I have written two novels, Wings Over Summer, about two young men struggling to survive in the skies over southern England at the height of the Battle of Britain, and Wings Over Malta, set in the spring and early summer of 1942 among the savage battles above the tiny Mediterranean island, by then the most heavily bombed place on Earth.
I have also written an illustrated history, The Battle of Britain, Hitler's First Bloody Nose, and two volumes of memoir. Shropshire Blue: A Shropshire Lad in the RAF. The first volume, Preparation For Flight, is about growing up in Shropshire and my early days in the RAF; while the second, On The Buffet, follows my difficult journey through RAF pilot training. All five titles are available as e-books or paperbacks from Amazon, and samples are available on my Writing Page.
On my Short Story Page are numerous short stories and articles, many published and broadcast and several prize-winning. Two draw on my experiences as a C-130 pilot, while the others have themes as varied as flying with the Red Arrows, an expedition to Everest, a raid on the V2 site at Peenemunde and a profile of my childhood hero, a Battle of Britain pilot from Ludlow named Laurie Whitbread.
You can find out more about me and the progress of my books on my News page, for which I aim to write updates at least once a month.
I have also written an illustrated history, The Battle of Britain, Hitler's First Bloody Nose, and two volumes of memoir. Shropshire Blue: A Shropshire Lad in the RAF. The first volume, Preparation For Flight, is about growing up in Shropshire and my early days in the RAF; while the second, On The Buffet, follows my difficult journey through RAF pilot training. All five titles are available as e-books or paperbacks from Amazon, and samples are available on my Writing Page.
On my Short Story Page are numerous short stories and articles, many published and broadcast and several prize-winning. Two draw on my experiences as a C-130 pilot, while the others have themes as varied as flying with the Red Arrows, an expedition to Everest, a raid on the V2 site at Peenemunde and a profile of my childhood hero, a Battle of Britain pilot from Ludlow named Laurie Whitbread.
You can find out more about me and the progress of my books on my News page, for which I aim to write updates at least once a month.
Calling an End to Public Speaking - I think the lifestyle changes made necessary by the Covid-19 pandemic have led many of us to consider our lives and lifestyles. In my case, the need to isolate during lockdowns made me realise that the activity I enjoy most is writing, and while I invariably enjoy public speaking once I'm on my feet and presenting my talks, getting to the venue in time - given the weight of traffic on the roads and seemingly incessant delays for roadworks and accidents - had become increasingly stressful. Setting up my equipment was similarly fraught given my own technological ineptitude and the unsuitability of many venues.
In the end, after completing more than 200 talks over the years, as of April 2021, I've decided to call a halt to my public speaking activities. I may relent for the odd talk linked to a specific event, but I will no longer go out routinely to complete talks.
I'd like to pass on my sincere thanks to all those individuals and organisations who booked and often re-booked me over the years.
And finally, apologies that so far I have been unable to remove the words public speaker from my website header. It seems the system under which I set up my website is no longer supported and I may have to build a new site just to remove three words. Before I do that - not even sure I could do it again - I'll keep exploring an easier option.
In the end, after completing more than 200 talks over the years, as of April 2021, I've decided to call a halt to my public speaking activities. I may relent for the odd talk linked to a specific event, but I will no longer go out routinely to complete talks.
I'd like to pass on my sincere thanks to all those individuals and organisations who booked and often re-booked me over the years.
And finally, apologies that so far I have been unable to remove the words public speaker from my website header. It seems the system under which I set up my website is no longer supported and I may have to build a new site just to remove three words. Before I do that - not even sure I could do it again - I'll keep exploring an easier option.
Contact
For the moment, I've decided not to complete a regular blog, but I will update the website and add bits of news, so please drop by occasionally. If you wish to comment on my site or my writing, or contact me about my public speaking, please use the form on my Contact page.
