Master Airman A Biography of Air Vice-Marshal Donald Bennett CB., CBE., DSO.
Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing, 1985. Octavo, navy-blue hardback, gilt lettering on spine, [viii], 166 pp., 12 double-sided black-and-white plates included. Very light foxing on top and fore-edge of text block and endpapers, dust-jacket slightly worn at edges and spine faded, otherwise a near-fine copy. First edition. A biography of Air Vice-Marshal Donald Bennett CB., CBE., DSO., FRAeS., a man often described as "a legend in his own lifetime". Born on a cattle station in eastern Australia, Bennett joined the Royal Australian Air Force in 1930, then transferred to the Royal Air Force in 1931. He joined Imperial Airways in 1936, famously piloting Mercury, a Short Mayo seaplane in which he made record flights from Iceland to Canada and Scotland to South Africa.
He rejoined the RAF in 1941 and later, at the age of 32, he was made Vice-Marshal. He was put in charge of the Pathfinder Force, an appointment which turned the performance of Bomber Command into one of the most decisive factors in the defeat of Germany.
Written by experienced RAF pilot Alan Bramson, this biography is a compelling read about one of the outstanding aviators of our time.
Loosely inserted in this volume are two newspaper cuttings, one an obituary of Donald Bennett from The Sydney Morning Herald dated 17.9.1986, and the other titled "Vale: Air Vice Marshall D.C.T. Bennett Cb, CBE, DSO" from Reveille dated Jan/Feb 1987. Item #4604
Price (AUD): $105.00