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Diary of a Night Bomber Pilot in World War I
Diary of a Night Bomber Pilot in World War I
Diary of a Night Bomber Pilot in World War I
Ebook488 pages8 hours

Diary of a Night Bomber Pilot in World War I

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Pilot Leslie Semple's diary is captured and put into context in this unique volume. How do you fly a Handley Page across France in total darkness? The answer is the Lighthouse system, just one of the revelations in this record of ingenuity and courage. With the expert guidance of retired Wing Commander Mawby, Clive Semple has produced an overview of World War I aviation from a new and revelatory perspective. Leslie Semple was told when he volunteered for the Flying Corps that it was “about as safe as infantry.” Notwithstanding the carnage of the trenches, his instructors knew this was a lie. It includes many unpublished photographs from an unarguably unique record of the experience of World War I, and tells a story of intrepidity and sacrifice.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateMar 28, 2008
ISBN9780750967105
Diary of a Night Bomber Pilot in World War I

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The author, Clive Semple, is the son of Leslie Semple. Upon Leslie's death, Clive finds a box filled with his father's WWI diaries, photos, newspapers clippings, etc. This information forms the basis for Diary of a Night Bomber Pilot in World War I. Other information, reasearch and particularly the assistance of Retired Wing Commander Alan Mawby fill out the book.At the age of 18 Leslie joins the Royal Naval Air Service. His choice, rather than to be conscripted into the Army. He ends up in flight school as a PFO (Probationary Flight Officer), if you can imagine an 18 year old being trained as a combat pilot! When the time comes for advanced training, Leslie chooses to go the bomber training. The majority of the narative deals with his training and the general life of a PFO in the RNAS. It may sound dry, but I found it interesting. Flight school during WWI was a very dangerous occupation. Apparently it was more dangerous than flying bombing raids against Imperial Germany. Leslie does make to France toward the end of the war. He participates in several raids, experiencing aerial combat first hand; including some crashes. In additions to his training, I also found interesting his views and experience with the merger of the RNAS and the RFC to form the new RAF.A merger favored by no one within the two services. However, it was necessary for logistics, training and control. Ultimately, Leslie ends up with the Army of Occupation in German after the war. I recommend this book because it presents information not generally covered elsewhere: training, the merger of the services and the occupation of Germany after the war. A great many photos are included in the book. These are photos I have never seen before. Most of them were personally taken by Leslie.

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Diary of a Night Bomber Pilot in World War I - Clive Semple

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