A LIFETIME OF SERVICE 1918 - 1983

Beautifully illustrated with such an amount of paintings and photographs, this excellent book depicts the aircraft in service in the R.A.F. from its birth to the 1980's.

Aviation book
On the 1st of April 1983 the Royal Air Force will have completed its first 65 years : For some a life time of service.
The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund has thus marked the occasion with this handsome book, lavishly illustrated with over 125 colour plates : selected under the criteria of being the most interesting, nostalgic, important and dramatic of the endeavours - and achievements - of this Service ; recorded by war artist and cameraman.
There is a short resumé by Air Commodore H.A. Probert head of the Air Historical Branch ( R.A.F. ) ; which traces the development of the R.A.F. to the present day : The pictures are supported by very substantial captions by E.A. Munday ; containing often information not widely known.

Air Commodore Henry Austin Probert M.B.E., M.A. ( December 23rd, 1926 - December 25th, 2007 ) spent his childhood in Cheadle ( Cheshire, England ).
He received his formal education at Cheadle Hulme School, and read Modern History at Sidney Sussex College ( Cambridge ) where he developed a life - long passion for rowing, before joining the Royal Air Force, initially as a conscript under the terms of the United Kingdom's National Service Act 1948, being granted a temporary commission as a Pilot Officer in the Education Branch on November 4th, 1948.
During his career, Henry A. Probert served as an R.A.F. Education officer at R.A.F. Ballykelly in Ulster ( Northern Ireland ), in West Germany, at the R.A.F. Technical College ( R.A.F. Henlow, Bedfordshire, England ), at R.A.F. Changi ( Singapore ), at the Air Ministry in London, at the Headquarters of Bomber Command ( where whilst carrying out his duties he developed a scholastic interest in the controversial conduct of Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Arthur Harris's command of the Arm in the Second World War ) and at the R.A.F. Staff College ( Bracknell, Berkshire, England ).
Whilst in the R.A.F. he coached its sports rowing crews, and later became the President of the Service's Rowing Association. In 1976, Henry A. Probert was appointment to the office of the Royal Air Force's Director of Education, which he held until his retirement from the R.A.F. in 1978. On retiring from the R.A.F. he was appointed to the post of Head of the Air Historical Branch in the Air Ministry, which he held from 1978 to 1989, during which time he oversaw the writing of the official narrative of the Royal Air Force in the Falklands War ( April 2nd - June 14th, 1982 ).
In 1986, Henry A. Probert helped to found the ’ Royal Air Force Historical Society ’. In retirement he wrote several books on Royal Air Force history, most notably : Bomber Harris : His Life and Times ( 2003 ), an apologia work detailing the career of Marshal of the Royal Air Force, Sir Arthur ’ Bomber ’ Harris, which challenged the shadow that lay over his reputation for his command of the air attacks by R.A.F. Bomber Command upon German cities during the Second World War, with their consequentially high civilian casualty rates. During the research for this book, Henry A. Probert was granted access by Harris' family to Harris' private papers, and his resulting conclusions were published in 2001.
He also continued to lecture at the R.A.F. Staff as well as other military colleges. In 2002 he was awarded the Air League's Gold Medal in recognition of his work in the field of the study of the Royal Air Force's history.
Air Commodore Henry A. Probert died at the age of 81.
( source : Wikipedia )