Introduction
Me as of october 2024
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 among the savage battles above the tiny Mediterranean island of Malta, by then the most heavily bombed place on Earth. I am in the process of writing another sequel, Wings Over the Desert, about the aerial battles running up to and during the Battle of Alamein.
I have also written a brief illustrated history of the Battle of Britain, The Battle of Britain, Hitler's First Bloody Nose, and three 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, and the third, Fat Albert, is about my time on the RAF C-130 Hercules fleet . All six titles are available as e-books or paperbacks from Amazon. The Wings titles also availabe worldwide as audio books from all major platforms, while the other titles are available as audio books through Amazon.com only. Cover images and links to the books on Amazon in the UK are 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 a brief illustrated history of the Battle of Britain, The Battle of Britain, Hitler's First Bloody Nose, and three 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, and the third, Fat Albert, is about my time on the RAF C-130 Hercules fleet . All six titles are available as e-books or paperbacks from Amazon. The Wings titles also availabe worldwide as audio books from all major platforms, while the other titles are available as audio books through Amazon.com only. Cover images and links to the books on Amazon in the UK are 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.
Me as a group captain in 2002
Calling an End to Public Speaking - I think the Covid-19 pandemic led many of us to reconsider our lives and lifestyles. In my case,I realised that while I invariably enjoyed public speaking once I was on my feet and presenting, other aspects, such as getting to the venue in time and setting up my equipment had become increasingly stressful. So, after completing more than 200 talks over the years, I decided to call a halt to my public speaking activities. 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 for not removing the words public speaker from my website header. The system under which I set up my website is no longer supported and I can't face the task of building a website anew.
And finally, apologies for not removing the words public speaker from my website header. The system under which I set up my website is no longer supported and I can't face the task of building a website anew.
Contact
I don't complete a regular blog, but I try to update my News Page at the beginning of every month, 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.
