New e-book: DANNY AND THE COLD WAR
TODAY we say our last farewell to our dear friend Danny42C, who has been the life and soul of this thread for the past six years. His followers wish to thank PPrune for giving him the honour of his own obituary thread at the start of this Military Aviation section, reflecting his hundreds of posts which provide, as the Mods say, a living history of aviation.
As Danny (Dennis O’Leary) today makes his last journey to St. Mary’s Church in Middlesbrough, we are pleased to announce the second volume of his memoirs entitled Danny and the Cold War. Earlier this year his collated posts were published as an e-book, In with a Vengeance. This second volume encompasses his post-war RAF career; may it form a lasting tribute to his Service and the long and happy life of an eloquent, witty and delightful gentleman.
It tells how a young man struggled to cope with office life after going from dive-bomber to desk; it was no wonder that after three years he rejoined the RAF to fly his favourite Spitfires at last and then the RAF's first jet fighters. When his flying career was ended in 1954 by a persistent lung infection, Dennis transferred to Air Traffic Control and served in Cold War Germany as well as RAF bases around the UK until his retirement in 1972.
As long retired publishers my wife and I were very happy that Danny was able to read his second book a fortnight before he died, and to say that as with the first book, we would very much appreciate your donation of say £10 direct to his favourite charities, the RAF Benevolent Fund and Marie Curie Cancer Care, as per his last wishes. Please send me, Geriaviator, a PM with your email address -- I can’t send you the book unless I have an address to send it to!
Three post-war years in the Civil Service and the prospect of pushing paper for a further 30 years was losing its appeal, but it was the Tale of Two Rats which was the last straw. Told as only Dennis could, this is why he rejoined the RAF.