Maritime is Number Ten A History of No. Ten Squadron The Sunderland Era 1939-1945
Netley, SA, Australia: Privately printed, 1983. Quarto, dark navy-blue hardcover, spine embossed with gilt lettering, cover embossed with a gilt illustration, xiii, 466 pp., illustrated endpapers, illustrated throughout with black-and-white photographs and maps, some documents and tables included, 15 annexes included. Annex B has a colour image of the No. 10 Squadron Standard. Spine ends and lower corners slightly bumped, foxing on endpapers, light foxing on leaves throughout, dust-jacket spine and a section of front cover is faded, inside of dust-jacket foxed; otherwise a very good copy. First edition. A detailed account of the Royal Australian Air Force's No. 10 Squadron's activities during World War Two. No. 10 Squadron, fitted out with Sunderland flying boats, became the first RAAF component and the first Dominion Squadron to embark on active service in World War II. Serving in the UK as part of the Royal Air Force's Coastal Command, it was also the only RAAF Squadron to have served in the United Kingdom in World War Two.
In Early 1940, the Squadron began operating from RAF stations in South Wales and Plymouth. The Squadron traversed areas as far apart as Oban, Scotland, Malta and the Mediterranean. From April to August 1943, No. 10 Squadron destroyed three U-boats and was presented with five awards for gallantry.
Authored by RAAF Flight Lieutenant Kevin Baff, who flew with No. 10 Squadron and was, for a period, the Squadron's historian, this story is a compelling retelling of the Squadron's wartime experiences.
Loosely inserted in this volume are the following items: a newspaper cutting from The Sydney Morning Herald with an article titled: "Short straw, long straw: a deadly decision", dated June 18, 1990, about World War Two veteran Hugh Birch, a former member of No. 10 Squadron; an obituary of John Birch from The Sydney Morning Herald dated January, 1996; and a card with a note containing: "To dear John, Wishing you all the best for 1985, Love, Floss x" Item #4640
Price (AUD): $350.00