Flying Fury

[Tiger_ Moth]

Has anyone heard of or read "Flying Fury" by James McCudden? Is it a diary or autobiography or what? Is it good?

[plassey]

Flying Fury first published in 1918 under title of "Five years in the Royal Flying Corps" written by McCudden himslef.Excellent read my -copy publshed in 1933 by then aviation book club.Copies often seen at airshow bookstands

[CoodaShooda]

Agree with Plassey. An excellent read.
I had a copy but donated it to the local library with about 300 other aviation related books. Bu**ers put three or four on the shelves and binned the rest.
Other good WW1 books I recall were "They Fought For the Sky", "Ace of the Iron Cross"(Udet), "Winged Victory" (Fiction but written by a Camel pilot) and a good one on Mannock (Title like the previous authors temporarily forgotten).
For light relief but capturing the times, try the Bandy Papers by Donald Jack (Three Cheers for Me, Its Me Again, Thats Me in the Middle & Me Among the Ruins).

Best of all...."Saggitarius Rising" by Cecil Lewis

Heaven, I'm in Heaven dum dum dum de dum mm mm....

[ 27 December 2001: Message edited by: CoodaShooda ]

[ 27 December 2001: Message edited by: CoodaShooda ]

[ 28 December 2001: Message edited by: CoodaShooda ]</p>

[Tiger_ Moth]

Thanks for your replies, you have helped me establish that its worth the £3 or so amazon books say it costs. Is it written like an autobiography or is it a diary though?
By the way, I agree about Saggitarius Rising.

[PPRuNe Towers]

I'd like to second the nomination for the Bandy Papers - funniest books I've ever read. Almost got sectioned reading them on public transport :) :)

I'd also like to third(??) Saggitarius Rising as the greatest piece of WW1 aviation literature.

[FNG]

Flying fury is worth £3, but is nothing like as rewarding to read as Sagittarius Rising. The memoirs written by (or ghost-written for?) Mannock, McCudden and Ball tend to be of the "patrol over Bapaume, saw six huns, got one, Johnnie Smithers went west, suet duff for tea" variety. This is unsurprising given that the authors were young men (none of those three got the chance to become old men), writing close to the events which they described, and in a tradition which discouraged expressions of human emotion. I would say that Cecil Lewis, writing as a mature and well travelled man many years afterwards was better able to convey the emotional impact of his experiences.

Definitely one for the collection though.

[ 28 December 2001: Message edited by: FNG ]</p>

[sandysproule]

Just like to add a few titles as worthy reads

"An Airmans Outings" by "contact" Anonymously written in 1916 pubished 1917 (Surely a title that would not pass ridicule by Graham Norton today)

"Fighter Pilot" bu "McScotch" reminiscences by a 40Sqn colleague of Mannock published in 1936.

Sopwith Scout 7309 by Sir Gordon Taylor is the only book that comes close to Saggitarius rising for reading enjoyment. Published by Cassell in 1968 well worth hunting out.

[CoodaShooda]

Another from the era that belatedly comes to mind is Duncan Grinnell-Milne's 'Wind in the Wires'.

Covers the early years and, after his escape from POWdom, 1918 with, from memory 56 Sqdn.