Read from April 5th - 12th 2016.
Published 2013 by Little Knoll Press
Format Paperback - 192 pages
Review The next two paragraphs is a summary that can be found on Goodreads, that I read before starting the book.
Doug’s is a ‘lifelong love
affair with aeroplanes’ - first as a boy in Southampton, then as a WW2
night-fighter pilot, flying more than 67 missions over occupied Europe, and
post-retirement, as the pilot who built his own replica S.E.5a biplane and
entertained the public with his aerobatics in the Great War Display Team.
Doug, now aged 92, didn't hang up his flying goggles until he was into his 90s. This memoir tells how he built an aeroplane in the back garden and took to the air in it - to Doug a natural way to pass the time: ‘This is an account of me, building a fun aeroplane for my enjoyment in my dotage, and while building it, dragging up and jotting down a few reminiscences with which I have bored friends over the years. Building an aeroplane is fun in itself, but it is only a means to an end. Flying is the greatest pleasure.’
The book is a gripping read, told with wry humour, honesty and some pathos.
My thoughts - I love
planes (especially military planes) and I love history and this book had both
so I felt excited about being asked to read it.
I did hope it wasn’t all “I screwed this piece of wood to
this 6 by 4 bit of metal” type of read and no, it wasn’t.
This book captured Doug’s love and passion for planes,
flying and life in general. His writing style flowed well from 1940’s war time
to present day and continued back and forth merging his war time experiences
with plane building in his retirement.
A very easy and enjoyable read which captivated me from the
very beginning whilst being enhanced with photographs of young Doug, older Doug
and the planes he flew and his own S.E.5a that he built.
It really doesn’t matter if you don’t know plane/military ‘lingo’
so to speak, it is explained very well and you soon get to understand the
terminology used.
This book came across as Doug’s diary, a diary of his
thoughts, memories and activities so I felt I got quite close to Doug, as
though he had let me snuggly into a portion of his life. I do like it when a
book does that and can envelope and pull you into the life that is in the book.
At times, I did chuckle. This man had a great sense of humour but I think when
living through hard times, you had to have.
The humour was evident from the start and I particularly
enjoyed the chapter where he explained how he was chosen to be a pilot in the
RAF and then having to go through the, in his words ‘ceremonial puncturing of
bodies’.
Doug shares with us, his duties abroad in places such as
India and Rhodesia in Africa and of course, what this young aspiring pilot got
up to in his evenings and free time here in the UK and farther afield. Believe
me, his young life was far from dull, for the time.
We are invited in the well put together pages to share his
excitement at finally flying his first RAF aeroplane and the ups and downs
(literally) of accomplishing this task of learning and being taught at the
flying training school.
Doug introduces us to some of his friends past and present
and his wife Liz who even lends a hand with his plane building. His love of
planes and thirst for the build was probably a way for him and Liz to share
some quality time together.
The book finishes with a fabulous photograph of Liz and Doug
in 2012 which just makes you feel like you want to smile at the end.
A very talented man who even adds poetry into the read. I
also liked the way the book was presented with the easy to read type which
would be helpful to the older population, the short captivating chapters, the
way it was laid out with smatterings of poetry which broke the pages up and the
postscript at the back which just after finishing the main story, tidied it up
somewhat. The picture index right at the back, I found a great help so I could
relocate a photo again as I read further along without shuffling around the
pages.
I was surprised how much I got into this book and how I felt
I knew Doug through his work. I’d recommend to anyone who likes reading
historical memoirs and especially when it comes to aeroplanes.
Sadly, Doug passed away in August 2015 and you find at the
front of the book some words written (as described) from those whose lives he
touched which makes the content all the more poignant.
5 out of 5 stars given.
Thanks Melissa for your review. Doug's book does captivate a complicated man whose passion for flying was the over-riding reason for being, but who was also a fondly remembered art and drama teacher, the driving force behind the Great War Display Team and always stimulating company.
ReplyDeleteAEROADDICT has been an equally popular read for men and women, as well as quite a few children who really cannot believe that men will take to the skies in planes made of wood and canvas!
Doug is very missed and it is wonderful that he left this memoir - a small part of a unique life.
I feel very lucky to have known him and had a part in publishing his book.
Jenny, Little Knoll Press