| ID | Description | Categories | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1582 | HAMILTON, Duncan. Touch Wood. ix, 229p., illus. London: Barrie & Rockcliff, 1960.
He joined the FAA in 1939 and after training was sent to Norway. His ship was sunk en route but he was rescued by Curlew and promptly sunk again. On reaching Norway he was soon wounded in action and returned to the UK for five months convalescence. Once recovered he went to 771 Squadron for communications and ferrying duties, followed by a base job at Hatston as Senior Air Engineering Officer for the Home Fleet. He later went to Port Reitz near Mombasa in a similar role. He tells an engaging tale of his incident-packed war, despite the backroom role. He went on to become a racing driver. Reprinted by Duncan Hamilton in 1990, with fuller retelling of his adventures. (ISBN: 0951694502. |
view | |
| 1583 | HANSON, Norman. Carrier Pilot: An Unforgettable True Story of Wartime Flying. 255p., illus. Cambridge: PSL, 1979. ISBN: 0850593492.
Another enjoyable account of service in the Fleet Air Arm, full of anecdote and clear technical explanations. The author describes his career from volunteering in 1940, through training in the US, to service in the Middle East and finally to joining Illustrious, with which he served in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, rising to the eminence of squadron commander. |
view | |
| 1584 | HARRISON, W.A. Fairey Swordfish and Albacore. 176p., illus., index. Marlborough: Crowood, 2002. ISBN: 1861265123.
Describes the history of the Fairey company before describing the design and operation of these two aircraft. Beautifully illustrated. |
view | |
| 1585 | HARRISON, W. A. Swordfish at War. 128p., illus. London: Ian Allan, 1987. ISBN: 0711016763.
An extensive photographic review of the legendary Stringbag. |
view | |
| 1586 | HARRISON, W. A. Swordfish Special. 80p., illus. London: Ian Allan, 1977. ISBN: 071100742X.
A photographic history of the famous FAA Stringbag. |
view | |
| 1587 | HARRISON, William. Fairey Firefly: The Operational Record. vii, 188p., illus., index. Shrewsbury: Airlife, 1992. ISBN: 1853101966.
A detailed design and operational history of this successful all weather strike aircraft which saw service in both Northern waters and the Pacific, and throughout the 1950s. |
view | |
| 1588 | HARSANT, Frederick. The Sea and the Sand. xi, 259p., illus. Lewes: Book Guild, 2006. ISBN: 1846240360.
A semi-autobiographical work of fiction depicting life in a Swordfish squadron in the Mediterranean in 1940-41. A weak story but strong on detail and atmosphere. |
view | |
| 1589 | HAYWARD, Roger. The Fleet Air Arm in Camera: Archive Photographs from the Public Record Office and the Fleet Air Arm Museum, 1912–1996. xii, 180p., illus., index. Stroud: Sutton, 1996. ISBN: 0750912545.
A well captioned photographic record with much on WWII. |
view | |
| 1590 | HEFFER, Francis Bentinck. From Cow Bells to Bell Bottoms: Wartime Experiences Extracted From Memoirs of an Ordinary Bloke. 260p., illus. Tauranga: Canrig, 1998. ISBN: 0958374872.
The author grew up on a farm, served in the volunteer reserve and joined up in 1942 to fly with the FAA. After initial training in the UK he trained as a fighter pilot in the USA. In 1944 his Corsair Squadron joined Atheling for Ceylon. After four months at Minneriya he joined Victorious, still with 1838 Sqdn. But after several operations transferred to 1833 Sqdn on Illustrious in Capetown. And spent the remainder of the war with her and the BPF, although being hospitalised with tuberculosis just as the war ended. |
view | |
| 1591 | HERMITAGE, William. Through the Other End of the Telescope. vii, 135p. Edinburgh: Pentland Press, 1997. ISBN: 1858215307.
A semi-autobiographical novel. He joined as an engine fitter in the FAA in early 1939 and saw active service from the Arctic to the Mediterranean. |
view | |
| 1592 | HILL, Michael. Duty Free: Fleet Air Arm Days. 214p. Deal: Hovellers, 2003. ISBN: 0954610113.
He joined up in 1942 and after initial training at Gosport was sent to Canada for further training. Training continued throughout 1943 until he qualified as a fighter pilot. After a few weeks of target towing he joined 808 Sqdn at Lee-on-Solent flying Spitfires then Seafires. His first combat role was gunnery spotting over Normandy, then he moved to be a batsman on the training carrier Argus. He then joined Tracker on Arctic convoy duty followed by Nairana as assistant batsman. Just as the war ended he was posted to the Pacific Fleet in a flying role. |
view | |
| 1593 | HOARE, John. Tumult in the Clouds: A Story of the Fleet Air Arm. 208p., index. London: Joseph, 1976. ISBN: 0718114108.
The author joined the FAA in 1939 and after training was posted to Victorious, from which he flew to hunt the Bismarck. He then joined Rodney's Walrus crew and served there for some time, notably in the Pedestal convoy. In September 1942 he transferred to night fighters. In July 1944 he moved on as Air Staff Officer to the escort carrier Thane and finally in January 1945 went to naval headquarters in Ottawa. An enjoyable account. |
view | |
| 1594 | HOBBS, D. A. The Fleet Air Arm in Focus (Part One). 96p., illus. Liskeard: Maritime Books, 1990.
An excellent piece of nostalgia with beautifully clear reproductions of both ships and planes. |
view | |
| 1595 | HOBBS, D. A. The Fleet Air Arm in Focus (Part Two). 96p., illus. Liskeard: Maritime Books, 1992. ISBN: 0907771513.
Yet more nostalgia, again with beautifully clear reproductions of both ships and planes. |
view | |
| 1596 | HOBBS, David. Moving Bases: Royal Navy maintenance Carriers and MONABs. 176p., bibliog.., illus., index. Liskeard: Maritime Books, 2008. ISBN: 1904459307.
A well illustrated account of the growth of the "air train" which supported FAA operations in the Pacific. Opens up a neglected area. |
view | |
| 1597 | HODGKINSON, Colin. Best Foot Forward. 255p., illus. London: Odhams, 1957.
An autobiography. He lost both legs in a flying accident early in 1939, but like Bader struggled back to operations. He transferred to the RAF and was briefly a POW after crash-landing in France. |
view | |
| 1598 | HOOKE, L. G. OOOPS. 2 vols., illus., index. Hailsham: J&KH, 1997. ISBN: 1900511908 (V.1) and 1900511916 (V.2).
A long and rambling, but lighthearted and amusing, account of war service as a pilot in the FAA, who was almost always on the fringes of the action. He saw service in East Africa, Ceylon, and Burma, ferrying replacements in the Fleet Replacement Pool, and was regularly in and out of scrapes. |
view | |
| 1599 | HORSLEY, Terence. Find, Fix and Strike: The Work of the Fleet Air Arm. 143p., illus. London: Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1945.
An attempt to improve the public image of the FAA. The book explains how it operates and recounts some of its successes. |
view | |
| 1600 | HOUSTOUN, Lindsay. The Men's End. 118p., illus. Lewes: Book Guild, 1986. ISBN: 0863321461.
He volunteered for the FAA in September 1939 and after training and a spell in a second-line squadron soon joined Esmonde's squadron and was almost at once hunting the Bismarck from Victorious. He spent much time on her and Ark Royal with Force H at the "Men's End" of the Mediterranean. A series of tragedies left him in and out of hospital in 1942–43 and he spent the rest of the war as a DLCO training officer. A patchy and spasmodic account. |
view | |
| 1601 | HURREN, B. J. Perchance: A Short History of British Naval Aviation. 197p., illus., index. London: Nicholson & Watson, 1949.
An early but useful history, one-third of which covers WWII. |
view |