Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #345186 in Books
• Published on: 2007-07-19
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

Synopsis
Whether you are interested in the career of an individual air-man or woman, researching medals awarded to a pilot or crew member or just want to know more about a particular squadron or operation, this book will point you in the right direction. Assuming that the reader has no prior knowledge of the air force, its history or organization, Phil Tomaselli explains which records survive, where they can be found and how they can help you in your research. He also recommends resources available online as well as books and memoirs. Each era in air force history is described, from the pioneering days of early aviation and the formation of the Royal Flying Corps in the First World War to the creation of the Royal Air Force, its operations during the Second World War and its postwar development. The author explains the evolving organization of the air force in each period. He also provides pointers and examples which should help researchers find the records of units and bases that individuals served in.

Customer Reviews

Tour de force
No question in my mind: if you have any interest in tracing men or women of the British flying services from the late Victorian period onward, this book is a must. At £9.99 it represents fantastic value.

Phil Tomaselli is a name that appears often in the genealogy press, in my experience always offering sound, practical and accurate advice on how to go about tracing ones forebears. In this specialist work he leaves no stone unturned. Phil tells us how to trace the records of an individual and how to interpret what is found. Medals, casualty records and the like are all covered in depth. He goes into squadron and other operational records and gives enough information about the development of the flying services for us to understand the context of an individual's story. The scope of the book covers the late Victorian balloon and other fledgling services, the Royal Flying Corps anbd Royal Naval Air Service of WW1, the Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm on the inter-war years, WW2 and Korea, Suez, Malaya and so on.

A superb work of reference.