Help Me Find A Book

[Mark Nine]

My 8 year old lad has now got to the age were he likes me to read him aviation / military adventure books. We've done books like The Shepard and The Machine Gunners for example but need some more ideas.
One book which I loved as a boy and I can't remember the name of now, was a story of a bomber command aircrewman who baled out over Germany on a cold winters night. It was a, (true, I think) story of escape and evasion and the only other bits I can remember was how he lost his boots during the bale-out, got very cold, slept in barns and ate vegetables from fields. Anyone remember the name?

[treadigraph]

Hi Mark Nine

Can't help you with that book, but there have been several great threads about good aviation books here, and also on the military forum and I think on Jet Blast. All well worth perusing...

And thye have cost me quite a lot on Amazon! :ok:

[sycamore]

You could also try the `Historical` forum on Flypast..

[Gainesy]

Careful, he'll start a tunnel from yer shed...:)

[Mike6567]

Is it "The Pilot Walked Home" by Denis Hornsey?
You can get it via abebooks

[Double Zero]

I don't know the book you mention I'm afraid, but maybe several of Nevil Shute's books such as ' In The Wet ', Pastoral, Slide Rule(* factual )...and as youngsters of today are much more sophisticated, I cannot help mentioning Don Middleton's ' Test Pilots - The History of British Test Flying ' ( Collins Willow, ISBN 0-00-218098-7, out of print but available ) and how about as a true adventure story, ' The Lonely Sea and The Sky ' by Francis Chichester - also out of print last time I checked but should be available in the usual places, I nearly bought a 'back-up' copy last week at a market; now THAT true story is real adventure !

[barit1]

I've read a half-dozen of Neville Shute's books (The Chequer Board, Round The Bend, Trustee From The Toolroom...) - and they are MOST engrossing. It might be another year or two before your lad really gets into Shute - but start collecting them now. Once he gets rolling, you'll want a shelf of them... :ok:

[critter592]

A very similar story is the excellent "Means Of Escape" by Spencer Dunmore.
As far as I know, it is pure fiction, but still a good read.
Might have to dig it out of the bookshelf...!

Don

[4Greens]

Any Biggles books. ''No highway'' is also a good Neville Shute read.

[spook]

My son loves to hear the short stories from 'A gift of wings' by Richard Bach (he also wrote Jonathan Livingston Seagul).

[Double Zero]

Yes, ' No Highway ' was another Nevil Shute book I was thinking of & meant to mention, concerning metal fatigue when it had just been discovered ( later made into a film of course ); ' Round The Bend ' ought to be mandatory reading for all groundcrew ( at least ).

Of course it should be pointed out to your lad that N.S. didn't just ' talk the talk ', he was heavily involved in the Cardington R100 & sad observer of R101 projects ) and founded Airspeed.

' Requiem for a Wren ' is particularly fine as a book, though not so much flying in it, gives a fine perspective of WWII, and ' The Rainbow & The Rose ' gives an insight into difficult STOL...

Film versions of his books were disappointing, inc' ' On The Beach ' & ' A Town Like Alice ' but that they were made into big budget films at all shows their inspiration.

Start building that shelf !

[Capot]

One day soon he'll be ready for Earnest Gann and Antoine de St Exupery to show him the magic of flight; I second the recommendation for Richard Bach (11 books in all, I think) ...many more

I would start laying these in for the future, as others have suggested.

[Centaurus]

As a small boy during the war or perhaps it was just after but I loved the book "The Wonder Book of the RAF". Also the Wonder Book of Aircraft and the Wonder Book of Ships.

[PPRuNe Pop]

"White Rabbit" the story of the escape of Airey Neave. A remarkable story.

[bluesilk]

Agree with all who say the books by Nevil Shute are great reads. I have all of them and have read them countless times.
Couple of nit picks though, Nevil Shute was one of the senior design team members of the R100 at Howden in Yorkshire and only got involved with the R101 at Cardington to try to stop the Government going so wrong. I don't think the Howden people, including Barnes Wallis, were very popular in Bedfordshire. All explained in Slide Rule.
The White Rabbit was the code name of Wing Commander Yeo-Thomas who was dropped into France and then captured by the enemy; suffered badly. Didn't know the Airey Neave escape was also called that.

[Der absolute Hammer]

? Flak and Barbed Wire
by
Gordon Stooke. RAAF.?

World War II Story of a Lancaster Bomber, Flak and Barbed Wire by Gordon Stooke. (http://www.gordonstooke.com/460squadron/books/fbw.htm)

[treadigraph]

Wing Commander Yeo-Thomas

Was he the gentleman who survived dreadful torture and when asked later how he had managed to prevent himself from talking, replied "oh, I often very nearly did, but the blighters never said 'please'". Can't remember where I heard that, one of the Battle of Britain memoirs I think.

[bluesilk]

You are correct .That is what Wing Commander Yeo-Thomas was reported as saying and from reading the book "The White Rabbit" I can quite believe it. What he endured is beyond belief! Icidentally having just looked at my bookcases the Airey Neave escape is called "They Have Thier Exits" Also a great read.

[A A Gruntpuddock]

I remember reading that story but it was too many years ago to recall any details.

Another Neville Shute to look out for is 'An Old Captivity'.

A bit of the supernatural in it (Shute, like the scientist in 'No Highway' had a wide range of interests), but also an amazing description of a trans-Atlantic flight. My most re-read book.

[bingofuel]

What about the WW11 escape stories, the Wooden Horse, Great Escape, Colditz Story and sequel. Might be a bit young for them, but Enemy Coast Ahead and Reach for the Sky are classics and give inspiration to 'try' and you will achieve.