Valiant Boys by Tony Blackman

Valiant Boys by Tony Blackman

Following on from the success of Victor Boys and Vulcan Boys, Tony Blackman, in collaboration with Anthony Wright, brings you Valiant Boys to complete the V Force set. This is a fascinating collection of personal accounts of operating Britains first V bomber by aircrew and ground crew. The book tells the story from the aircrafts birth taking off from Vickers tiny airfield at Brooklands to its premature death from fatigue. There are tales of testing atom bombs in the Australian desert, dropping hydrogen bombs in the middle of the Pacific and, as a complete contrast, attacking airfields with conventional bombs in Egypt during the very brief and abortive Suez campaign. We are reminded of how the Valiant provided the UKs first nuclear deterrent by always having some armed aircraft on stand-by twenty-four hours a day, supported by their air and ground crews, ready to be flown at a moments notice on a one-way trip to launch an atomic war. Some Valiants were given a photographic role providing accurate images from high altitude and were used not only to gather military intelligence but also to survey the UK and countries overseas. Others were developed into flight refuelling tankers breaking point to point records before enabling Britains fighter aircraft to be refuelled and fly anywhere in the world. This book completes Tony Blackmans trilogy of the three V bombers. As Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Michael Beetham makes it clear in his foreword: It is good to have a book written by aircrew and ground crew telling their stories and how they operated the aircraft so that all these things are recorded and not forgotten. Not as well known as the Vulcan and Victor, the Valiant is often overlooked; this book will go a long way to redress the balance.

A good book that fills a previously lamentable gap

* Britain at War *

This is an excellent book, into which one can dip at random and always find something interesting.

* Aeroplane *

This is a splendid book, which supports the Valiant's groundbreaking place in aviation history.

* Airfix Model World *

Wright, Anthony: - Squadron Leader Anthony Wright BA joined the RAF in 1960. After navigator training he entered the V Force as a navigator radar flying Valiants and then Vulcans. After a tour in Singapore and completion of the Staff Navigation Course he was posted to Cranwell as station navigation officer and instructor. He returned to the Vulcan force as an instructor, followed by wing weapons and then radar leader on 50 Squadron. After an appointment at the MoD he became OC of a nuclear training squadron at RAF Armament Support Unit. On retirement he served at HQ Air Cadets until 2003. He now lives with his wife Rosemary in Rutland.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781911621249
ISBN 10	1911621246
Title	Valiant Boys
Author	Tony Blackman
Series	The Jet Age Series
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Grub Street Publishing
Year published	2019-04-04
Number of pages	198
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.