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This is the autobiography of Alan Deere, New Zealand's most famous RAF pilot who saw action from the Munich Crisis to the invasion of France in 1944. Al Deere experienced the drama of the early days of the Battle of Britain while serving with Spitfire squadrons based at Hornchurch and Manston, and his compelling story tells of the successes and frustrations of those critical weeks. Deere's nine lives are the accounts of his fantastic luck in escaping from seemingly impossible situations. During the Battle of Britain he parachuted from stricken aircraft on three occasions and once was blown up by a bomb whilst taking off from Hornchurch during an attack on the airfield. In March 1943 Deere was appointed Wing Commander of the famous Biggin Hill Wing and by the end of the war, his distinguished 'score' was destroyed 22, probables 10 and damaged 18.

This is the biography of the renowned WWII South African Spitfire pilot Adolf (Sailor) Malan. The book recounts how he rose in less than 15 months to be acknowledged as Britain's premier fighter pilot. A born leader, a superb shot and an exceptional tactician, Malan honed his skills in the air battles over Dunkirk and later in his Spitfire during the Battle of Britain. He escorted Horsa Gliders carrying some of the first British units into action during the D-Day landings and later became Station Commander at Biggin Hill. Malan was a larger than life and heroic figure in an era which had more than its fair share of such men. He finished the war with the reputation both as one of the RAF's great fighter pilots and one of the leading tactical thinkers on the use of fighter aircraft in conflict.

At nationalisation in 1948, the newly formed British Railways inherited the coaching stock of the `Big Four'' and continued to build new vehicles based on their designs until 1951. This is the second of two volumes dealing with that inheritance.

Originally open wagons, those defined as having no cover and generally used for coal, minerals or other products not unduly affected by weather conditions, were of two types: private owner or Railway Company owned.

Reprints of titles from the famous Ian Allan Publishing abc series that ran from the 1940s through to the 1960s offer wonderful nostalgic snapshots of a railway scene which has long since disappeared.

The ''Yellow Trains'' or to be more accurate, the various measurement and test trains operated by Network Rail are a regular sight to commuters and passengers alike on all parts of the railway system.

British Rail's architectural legacy is evaluated, showing the contribution of UK railway stations to the development of mainstream twentieth century architecture. From the author of "British Rail Designed 1948-1997".

As one of Sailor Malan''s Tigers, a Spitfire dominated Bob Spurdle''s WWII flying career with 74 Squadron. Impatient to fly and a rebel against blind officialdom, he wangled one operational posting after another, and was still in action in August 1945. In the meantime he had destroyed eight enemy aircraft, probably four more, and damaged at least 15 others. After leaving 74 Squadron he flew with both 91 Squadron and the Merchant Ship Fighter Unit before visiting his native New Zealand to fly against the Japanese. Returning to the UK in 1944 as a flight commander in 80 Squadron, he became their Commanding Officer in July of that year. Latterly he was attached to the 6th Airborne Division for Army Co-operation flying by glider into Germany and then reaching the Elbe by 11th Armoured Division tank. Such a diverse range of flying and combat operations by one person makes this an almost unique record of a WWII combat career. This is a reissue of Bob Spurdle''s gripping autobiography. He is a natural writer who vividly expresses the exhilarations and fears of the fighter pilot in action throughout WWII: what it feels like to be jumped by a gaggle of Me109s, coping with the continual pressures of losing friends and of constantly flying in action as part of an elite force on whom the survival of Britain and her allies depended.

For many years, the day to day working and opinions of the Vietnamese Peoples'' Air Force (VPAF) has remained relatively unknown until the author uncovered rare first-hand accounts and many new photographs of VPAF operations over North Vietnam between 1965-1975. Frank opinions are voiced on how the North Vietnamese viewed the gradual escalation of the aerial conflict over their country, including details on key operations and VPAF tactics against USAF F-4s, F-105s, F-8s and B-52s. Details of the Black Friday Massacre, America''s heaviest aerial defeat are related in the words of Nguyen Van Coc (the highest scoring pilot of the Vietnam conflict) who tells of his first kill and Dong Van De who recalls how he achieved the first ever double kill over American-flown aircraft, events which were never released into the public domain. Leading VPAF pilots including Major General Pham Ngoc Lan discuss their aerial engagements and tactics and Nguyen Tiem Sam recollects his kills of F-4 Phantoms using only ATOLL air-to -air missiles. Following exhaustive research, the author reveals much new data, which challenges previous reports. Three kills claimed by Lt. `Duke'' Cunningham, later a US Senator and the success of Operation Bolo, America''s response to the Black Friday Massacre are discussed. Also for the first time outside Vietnam, details of the Christmas bombings are released including the controversial first night fighter kill of a B-52 by Vu Xuan Thieu - a fact which the US military have never accepted even to this day.

With Crossrail 1, the Elizabeth Line, nearing completion and plans for Crossrail 2, to be built on a north east/south west axis, being actively pursued, this book examines the fascinating and often troubled history of attempts to improve railway connectivity in the Metropolis. The story begins with plans dating back to the 1930s to address the issues of capacity and connections which were even then apparent. This included the New Works Programme of 1935/40 to extend the Underground and the ambitious plans of London County Council to expand the mainline railway network across the capital drawn up during the war but dropped afterwards. Whilst the need to address London''s problems were highlighted in numerous shelved reports before Crossrail, which was defeated in Parliament when first proposed in 1994, lack of political will and a shortage of money meant that only a few schemes such the restoration of the Blackfriars to Farringdon link branded as Thameslink, the new Victoria Line and the creation and extension of the Jubilee line were ever carried through to completion. The book also provides analysis of the future prospects for main line railways across London, concluding that while capacity can be enhanced in the short term, if passenger numbers and freight traffic continue to increase further railway construction will be required.

In this completely new book, the author provides an overview of what has been lost from the national railways. Included are lines abandoned by the `Big Four'' as well as those lost in the savage cuts of the Beeching era, from the largest structures to tiny relics of past glories.

At its zenith, there were 21,000 route miles of railway in Britain. Today the country''s railways deliver more passenger miles than they did at their greatest extent despite a drastic reduction in the size of the network. Those cuts were the result of a campaign by a number of individuals who believed, erroneously as the passing of time has shown, that railways were a thing of the past and an impediment to progress. Although the process of railway closures started early, it gained momentum in the 1950s and in the harrowing years following the publication of the Beeching report. However, as the original research by the authors of this book reveals, it could have been much worse and there were plans to reduce the size of the network even more drastically, to the point where only a few lines would have survived. An understanding of what happened in the past is vital to understanding how today''s railways struggle to meet the demands imposed on them. Trimming at the margins remains an attractive option for some policy makers who do not comprehend what happened in the past and the risk remains that previous errors may be revisited. Now available in paperback for the first time, this book shows how close Britain''s railways came to being eviscerated and how the dangers of closure by stealth still exist, even today

The Midland & South Western Junction Railway, better known as the MSWJ was one of three cross-country lines that ran north-south through Southern England. Starting from Cheltenham where it rubbed shoulders with the Midland it passed through the very heart of the Great Western at Swindon and on through Marlborough to reach Andover where for the final few miles there was arrangement with the London & South Western Railway to reach Southampton. Prior to 1923 it might best be described as a cash strapped route although its fortunes finally improved considerably thanks to the involvement of a new general manager (Sir) Sam Fay. Later, under the GWR that company almost seemed to eek its revenge, investing little and seemingly taking little interest in promoting what could well have been a useful through route. The MSWJ finally closed as a through line in 1961 but it lives on here with a wonderful series of images depicting both the last years and its ultimate demise the majority in colour with many published for the first time in book form.

Although the electrification of many routes and a healthy commuter traffic have seen the county of Kent lose far less lines than many others, the provision of some branch lines whose economics were highly questionable right from their construction, has led to some inevitable closures. Before the amalgamation of the London Chatham & Dover Railway and the South Eastern Railway in 1899 competition between the two companies was particularly fierce, resulting in separate lines to towns such as Sevenoaks, Maidstone, Canterbury and Dover all of which established their own local clientele. This helps to explain why these competing lines have not generally suffered from the rationalisation of duplicated routes that has occurred elsewhere on the network. There was of course some rationalisation, resulting in closures such as the lines to Gravesend West, Ramsgate Beach and Margate Sands, and some lines such as Ashford - Hastings survived the threat of closure under the Beeching proposals. There were a couple of independent lines operated by the East Kent Railway and the Kent & East Sussex Railway, remnants of which are represented in today''s preserved lines, plus a surprising number of railways serving industrial concerns. These are all covered and depicted in the book''s many photos which together, with the usual mix of ephemera, make this volume in a popular series one not to be missed.

As early as 1944 France began the task of re-building its military aircraft industry and developing high performance aircraft for its armed forces. In doing so, French aircraft manufacturers produced some of the most innovative, and indeed outlandish, bomber projects, proposals, designs and prototypes of the Cold War era. Many French bomber projects started life in response to proposals from the French armed forces. Others were originated by the industry itself, it was also not unusual for rejected fighter designs to be entered in bomber competitions, etc. Furthermore, if the State organisations were not convinced of the validity of the industry proposals, or if the military still could not find any use for the technology being proposed, or if the budget was cut, manufacturers might modify their proposals in an attempt to obtain alternative funding from America (Mutual Defense Assistance Act), Germany or NATO. The result was a huge variety of bomber aircraft designs. In some cases a machine rejected for one specific military role could be modified with new avionics, engine or armament and reappear, maybe to succeed in another role. As France became a nuclear power, so its requirement for nuclear strike aircraft (such as the Dassault Minerve V) grew, and many projects for advanced strike aircraft, including Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) designs, followed. Turbojet, ramjet and rocket propulsion and supersonic designs were all researched, sometimes taking advantage of captured German ''wartime technology or using national pre-war research. Companion volume to the acclaimed ''French Secret Projects 1''; period drawings, promotional art, photographs of prototype aircraft, mock-ups, wind tunnel and promotional models are all combined to present, in French Secret Projects 2, a comprehensive view of French military bomber and strike aircraft designs from the Liberation of France to the late twentieth-century.

This is the latest volume in Antony Ford''s acclaimed ''Pullman Profile'' series. Recognised as the standard work on the Pullman cars operated on Britain''s railway in the 20th century, this latest volume considers the cars that made up the formations of two of the Southern Railway/Region''s prestige services. Individual vehicle histories, interior and exterior views, plans and train make-up details all feature, as do photographs of the complete trains and the clientele of the period.

Supplementing the quarterly ''Southern Way'' series, the ''Southern Way Special'' books are published regularity to supplement the series and expand on the most popular themes.This is the first in depth study of the Class 71 electric and Class 74 electro-diesel locomotives and detailed research of original archive sources has enabled the authors to shed new light on and re-appraise the story of both types.This volume is lavishly illustrated with both colour and black and white photographs, most previously unpublished.Supplementing the quarterly ''Southern Way'' series, the ''Southern Way Special'' books are published regularity to supplement the series and expand on the most popular themes.This is the first in depth study of the Class 71 electric and Class 74 electro-diesel locomotives and detailed research of original archive sources has enabled the authors to shed new light on and re-appraise the story of both types.This volume is lavishly illustrated with both colour and black and white photographs, most previously unpublished.Supplementing the quarterly ''Southern Way'' series, the ''Southern Way Special'' books are published regularity to supplement the series and expand on the most popular themes.This is the first in depth study of the Class 71 electric and Class 74 electro-diesel locomotives and detailed research of original archive sources has enabled the authors to shed new light on and re-appraise the story of both types.This volume is lavishly illustrated with both colour and black and white photographs, most previously unpublished.

This, the first volume of a new survey of the architecture of the Great Western Railway, presents a wonderful variety of structures encompassing both classic standard GWR designs and the very non-standard contributions of many of the engineers and architects who worked for companies which were subsequently absorbed by the GWR. From the towering Brunelian majesty of Paddington and Bristol Temple Meads to the almost anonymous wayside halt, the story of the development and evolution of GWR architecture is told here with the aid of copious colour illustrations. The book explores a representative selection of stations, goods sheds, signal boxes and other fixed structures showing how designs changed over the decades. From the sublime architectural gems of the nineteenth century to the mundane but yet attractive Pagoda style shelters and corrugated iron buildings used across the vast GWR estate in the last century, a wonderful tapestry of styles and structures fills the pages of the book. This is a must have for all those interested in the GWR, its history and legacy and for the many who are active in recreating in model form aspects of this fine railway

Britain has a wealth of museums of all sizes, all with incredible exhibits, yet the ''big'' collections tend to get the limelight. All over the UK are amazing aircraft collections, containing aircraft of world, national or regional importance, many of which the curators of the national institutions would love to have. With region-by-region coverage, the backgrounds of the formative museums of Great Britain are highlighted along with the pedigrees of their most significant exhibits. Included are such icons as the de Havilland Aircraft Museum - home of the Mosquito; the Brooklands, Museum - headquarters of Sopwith, Hawker and Vickers; the Helicopter Museum - the world''s largest rotorcraft collection and Solent Sky - shrine to flying-boats and the Spitfire. Across Britain are many local collections that helped to pioneer this country''s incredible aviation heritage and the role of enthusiasts is highlighted with a profile of the first of them all - the Northern Aircraft Preservation Society and its lineage. Among the ''regionals'' are the Dumfries and Galloway, Solway, North East, Newark, Norfolk and Suffolk, Yorkshire and Berkshire museums. Smaller collections have incredible stories to tell, for example the Martlesham Heath Control Tower Museum - the home of British flight test; the RAF Air Defence Radar Museum - devoted to the vital ''magic eye'' of the Battle of Britain, the Glenn Miller Museum - at the airfield from which the band leader departed to his doom and Fort Paul Armouries - dominated by the enormous Beverley airlifter. Over 150 museums and their most important exhibits are profiled with over 250 photographs, both archive and in full colour. Like the other titles in the series, Britain''s Local Aviation Treasures is a unique reference for anyone interested in Britain''s aviation heritage and it provides inspiration for a tour of discovery of the ''unknown'' gems of the UK.

October 2015 sees the centenary of the start of third-rail electric services from Waterloo, an electric system that would develop over the years so much so that with the obvious exception of the 1940''s there would continue to be expansion of the third-rail in every decade through to the 1960''s - and even afterwards there would continue to be some additions later. Electrification was a new venture for the London & South Western Railway, a necessary change in order to combat the growing competition from some of the already established London lines and its neighbour the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway. What is so remarkable is that notwithstanding the difficulties of war, the new electrified lines were ready to start operation in the midst of conflict and would prove to be an immediate success. Here is the story of those early days, the stock of the time and even contemporary recollections of the reliability (or otherwise) of some of the first trains

A celebration of the locomotives and rolling stock designed by brilliant engineer Sir Nigel Gresley which can still be admired for their grace and efficiency over 70 years after his death