Cheshire V.C. ~ Russell Braddon. Immortal 617 Squadro 1st HbDj 1954 HERE in MELB

Description: Topics - World War 2. Air operations by Great Britain. Royal Air Force. Bomber Command Leonard Cheshire. By the author of 'The Naked Island'.Among the names of those R.A.F. men whose gallantry and skill earned the public's deep gratitude and captured its imagination one, that of Group-Captain Leonard Cheshire, V.C. D.S.O. D.F.C., stands alone. Cheshire led the immortal 617 Squadron. His ice-cold brain and nerve enabled him to perfect the most hair-raising bombing technique ever conceived. Cheshire's courage was recognised and summed up in the V.C. Citation which said of him: He has the reputation second to none in Bomber Command. What sort of man is this brilliant air-ace? What filled the years before the war and after? The author has pieced together an intimate and fascinating story. He has used material hitherto unavailable and enjoyed the full co-operation and collaboration of Cheshire himself and many people who knew him personally. Cheshire was a shocked witness of the bombing of Nagasaki. Among the names of those RAF men whose gallantry and skill earned the public's deep gratitude and captured its imagination one, that of Group-Captain Leonard Cheshire, V.C. D.S.O. D.F.C. stands alone - a fascinating man. From the Dustjacket"Among the names of those R.A.F. men whose gallantry and skill earned the public's deep gratitude and captured its imagination one, that of Group-Captain Leonard Cheshire, V.C. D.S.O. D.F.C., stands alone. Cheshire led the immortal 617 Squadron. His ice-cold brain and nerve enabled him to perfect the most hair-raising bombing technique ever conceived. Cheshire's courage was recognised and summed up in the V.C. Citation which said of him: He has the reputation second to none in Bomber Command. What sort of man is this brilliant air-ace? What filled the years before the war and after? The author has pieced together an intimate and fascinating story. He has used material hitherto unavailable and enjoyed the full co-operation and collaboration of Cheshire himself and many people who knew him personally. Cheshire was a shocked witness of the bombing of Nagasaki. Russell Braddon takes the Cheshire story from its earliest days up to the present time, with a wealth of detail, giving his readers a true and balanced picture of one of the most colourful and vivid personalities of today." . Among the names of those RAF men whose gallantry and skill earned the public's deep gratitude and captured its imagination one , that of Group-Captain Leonard Cheshire, V.C. D.S.O. D.F.C. stands alone. Although not in the best of condition it is stiil a readable copy of this fascinating man. About the AuthorRussell Reading Braddon was an Australian writer of novels, biographies and TV scripts. His chronicle of his four years as a prisoner of war, "The Naked Island", sold more than a million copies. Braddon was born in Sydney, Australia, the son of a barrister. He served in the Malayan campaign during World War II. He was held as a prisoner of war by the Japanese in Pudu and Changi prisons and on the Thailand-Burma Railway between 1942 and 1945. In 1949, Braddon moved to England. He described his writing career as "beginning by chance". "The Naked Island", published in 1952, was one of the first accounts of a Japanese prisoner of war's experience. Braddon went on to produce a wide range of works, including novels, biographies, histories, TV scripts and newspaper articles. He was also a broadcaster on radio and television. "Proud Australian Boy: A Biography of Russell Braddon" by Nigel Starck was published in Australia in 2011Very Interesting read!Reviewsvery interesting man ... Postwar biography of one of the Royal Air Force's most extraordinary bomber pilots: the second commanding officer of the elite 617 "Dambuster" squadron. The fact that Cheshire was an extraordinary person as well as an extraordinary pilot just makes the story that much more interesting.FIVE STARS!!! ... There are three ways of reading this book:- As a biography that teeters on the brink of being a hagiography- As a "Boys' own" story of a (the?) bomber pilot's valour - As a modern business book on risk appetite and people managementIf one has never read books written in this period nor seen BBC interviews of politicians that conclude with the politician being asked if there's anything else they'd like to tell us, then it's a book that more Hagiography than biography, but understanding that period a little does just tip in over the other way. However the strength of the book there is much more the brilliance of the subject than the writing.The Boys' Own angle is classic. The Bomber Command VC winner awarded for sustained courage over years of flying rather than a single (or near single) act of valour is all but unique. The bombers and missions he flew, the techniques he developed and pioneered all weave together to be a classic of that genre.Modern risk appetite? Reading this book with a different eye you perceive a man who faced incredible danger, but assessed the risks and benefits of his actions and despite what he was doing - 100 missions against the Axis and witness to the Nagasaki atomic bombing - almost never admitted to feeling fear. He then took that attitude of having already risked all into his post-war work of setting up and running the Cheshire Homes and other charitable initiatives accepting risks in how he ran things that many would balk at, but to him must have seemed rather minor. That attitude to risk enabled him to achieve what many said was and still seems impossible.Cheshire's risk management strategy seems to have been to be doing the right thing and persuading others to help. He led by example, as he had during the war, and used his personal charm (helped no doubt by his fame and his VC) to secure support. It is obvious that he was a natural leader and those of us now studying such topics could do worse than read this book through that lens.Marvellous Reading! WHY do ebayers buy from US?Because you KNOW what you're getting. My close up photos are of the actual item & form part of my description!! POSTAGE IS $9.90 WITHIN AUSTRALIAWe pack your books with care - using secure, lightweight, waterproof packaging to ensure that they are well protected in transit.*All items will be shipped within 3 business days of receipt of payment. Payment can be made by Direct Deposit Bank Transfer or Paypal. Check out my other items- *Buyer to make contact within 3 days of auction end and payment within 5 days. *Cash on pick up is fine. *Bank deposit & PAYPAL available. *Any questions? Just ask! 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