Aircraft of the Royal Air Force since 1918 (Seventh edition 1979)

Owen G. Thetford ( 1923 - ? ) was born in Cheshire ( England ). As a schoolboy he was an omniverous reader of such magazines as Flying Aces, Popular Flying and collected Jane's All the World's Aircraft for which publication he later came to work when Leonard Bridgman was Editor.

He published his first book when still matriculating and thereafter followed a career as an aviation author and editor. As an editor, he was associated with the old Air Review magazine where he did feature articles on such subjects as flying with the Eighth Air Force in Flying Fortresses, the U.S. Navy in Devonshire, the re - opening of Railway Air Services from Croydon to Glasgow with Dakotas, when civil airlines started up again after the Second World War, as well as book reviews, aviation film reviews, and for the Aero - modeller, the famous series Aircraft Described and Monthly Memoranda which pioneered writing ( now commonplace ) about such subjects as aircraft serial numbers squadron code letters and camouflage finishes.

Apart from writing the complete text and doing all the picture research for the currently re - published Aircraft of the Fighting Powers, Owen G. Thetford is also the author of the currently standard works Aircraft of the Royal Air Force Since 1918, British Naval Aircraft Since 1912, and German Aircraft of the First World War ( with the late Peter Gray ). He also wrote Camouflage 1914 - 18 Aircraft, Camouflage 1939 - 42 Aircraft - both very rare and sought after titles nowadays - and collaborated with the late E.J. Riding on Aircraft of the 1914 - 18 War, published in 1946 and reprinted in 1954.

Apart from his work as an aviation author, Owen G. Thetford works professionally as an Advertising Director. His other interests include collecting modern novels, modern jazz, cinema, theatre and ballet.

( source : Aircraft of the Fighting Powers, VOLUME 7 - 1946 )