Richard Hillary was born in Australia in 1919 and brought up in England. Oxford educated, he was a writer foremost who was also a fighter pilot. When World War II came he joined 603 Squadron and became an ace in the Battle of Britain. His life changed when he was shot down in September 1940, suffering severe burns to his face and hands. During a long and painful recovery he wrote the wartime classic The Last Enemy. Anxious to return to flying, he pushed himself to the limit and was killed when his Blenheim crashed in mysterious circumstances on 8 January 1943, aged only 23. He had by then become a legend, although not without his faults. David Ross has patiently researched all relevant papers and documents, including from the Richard Hillary Trust Archive in Oxford, and talked to Hillary's contemporaries to produce this complete biography, which includes previously unseen photographic material.