‘A military adventure, written with expertise…a tale of initiative, skill and courage, of pushing beyond the rules.’ The Spectator

April 1982. Argentina invades the Falkland Islands.

In response, Britain despatches a naval Task Force. Eight thousand miles from home, its fate hinges on just twenty Sea Harriers against the two hundred-strong might of the Argentine Air Force.

The odds against them are overwhelming.

The MoD’s own estimates suggest that half the Harriers will be lost within a week. Against this background, 809 Naval Air Squadron is reformed, trained and sent south to fight.

Not since WWII had so much been expected of such a small band of pilots.

Combining ground breaking research with the pace of a thriller, Rowland White reveals the full story of the fleet’s knife-edge fight for survival for the first time, and shows how the little jump jet went from air show novelty to sealing its reputation as an icon of British aviation, alongside the Spitfire and the Hurricane.

‘Without the Sea Harrier there could have been no Task Force’
Admiral Sir Henry Leach, First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff

A 'warts and all' perspective of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm post-WW2.

The Fleet Air Arm has always had an elite status and an image of 'derring-do' and living on the edge.

To mark the millennium, 95 members of the Fleet Air Arm Officer's Association have recalled their experiences of over 55 years of post-war naval flying.

These first-person accounts pull no punches. Some are highly amusing, others serious, even tragic. Covered within are the piston-engined planes, early jets and supersonic nuclear-capable fighter-bombers as well as the full range of helicopters so vital in many theatres.

Fly Navy is a unique and entertaining anthology of flying stories, which will delight all with even a passing interest in service life and aviation.

The subtitle says it all - this is how it was - for better or for worse.

Aviation has revolutionised warfare over the last 100 years, and this new pocket guide gives the reader the essential details of 70 iconic aircraft, including the Sopwith Camel, the Spitfire, the Messerschmitt Bf 109, the P-51 Mustang and the F-4 Phantom. Drawing on Osprey's comprehensive aviation archive, the Plane Spotter's Guide uses detailed profile artwork to illustrate and aid recognition, as well as specification boxes to provide all the technical details.

216 pages, lavishly illustrated 

What were the thoughts and feelings of my grandfather as an Artificer Engineer down in the Engine Room as on1 November 1914, in the half light of evening, HMS Glasgow raced towards the Magellan Straits escaping from the one sided Battle of Coronel. The author, despite intensive research will never know. 

This lack of knowledge of his grandfathers career led the author to writing a record of 'what grandad did in the war' for his own three grandchildren. The record morphed into a tale of events, amusing and sometimes frightening, that occurred during a 32 career between 1960 and 1992. This period saw the Fleet Air Arm helicopter fleet go from piston to jet power and from 'kick the tyres - light the fires' to the advanced electronic suites that equip todays highly professional Fleet Air Arm aviators. In 1960 helicopter aircrew were as dedicated and professional, but a lack of sophistication in the aids available sometimes meant results were dependent upon experience and gut feeling.  

There are many aviation books which cover specific topics or events, but few which span a Fleet Air Arm Observer's career. This book aims to fill that gap.

Historical context has been included in many of the events which the author took part, from Iraq first threatening Kuwait in 1960, the Borneo Confrontation, through to the Falklands campaign in 1982. Service in the Fleet Air Arm not only involved flying, but also non-flying appointments ashore and afloat. As this book demonstrates there was satisfaction and a lot of fun to be had in what may be described as more mundane jobs.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Grosvenor House Publishing Limited (18 Nov. 2021)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 234 pages
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 9781839758119
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 15.24 x 1.63 x 22.86 cm

• Publication Date: 4 Feb 2021
• ISBN: 9781472848512
• Format: Paperback
• Number of Pages: A whopping 288!

In August 1944 the British Pacific Fleet did not exist. Six months later it was strong enough to launch air attacks on Japanese territory, and by the end of the war it constituted the most powerful force in the history of the Royal Navy, fighting as professional equals alongside the U.S. Navy. How this was achieved by a nation nearing exhaustion after five years of conflict is a story of epic proportions in which ingenuity, diplomacy, and dogged persistence all played a part. This ground-breaking new work by David Hobbs describes the background, creation, and expansion of the British Pacific Fleet from its first tentative strikes, through operations off the coast of Japan, to its impact on the immediate post-war period. It includes the opinions of U.S. Navy liaison officers attached to the British flagships. A fascinating read.

 Highly recommended.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Seaforth Publishing; First Edition (16 Jun. 2011)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 9781848320482
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 15.6 x 23.4 cm
• Paperback

In May 1945, with victory in Europe established, the war was all but over. But on the other side of the world, the Allies were still engaged in a bitter struggle to control the Pacific. And it was then that the Japanese unleashed a terrible new form of warfare: the suicide pilots, or Kamikaze.

Drawing on meticulous research and unique personal access to the remaining survivors, Will Iredale follows a group of young men from the moment they joined up through their initial training to the terrifying reality of fighting against pilots who, in the cruel last summer of the war, chose death rather than risk their country's dishonourable defeat and deliberately flew their planes into Allied aircraft carriers. A story of courage, valour and dogged determination, The Kamikaze Hunters is a gripping account of how a few brave young men helped to ensure lasting peace.

So many eminent writers have written excellent books about the Swordfish and the actions for which it is most famous - Taranto, Bismarck, Channel Dash etc. 

The Swordfish is known for these actions, but they far from define its capability.

We have concentrated on the aircraft, its versatility, its ability to operate in conditions where others couldn't and, most importantly, its crews. All this with reference to its operational tasking and environment rather than specific actions.

We have drawn on a range of sources, but in particular the biographies of a number of Swordfish crew members.

It's crammed with over 40 pages of information and pictures and we hope you find it a fascinating read.

It is free (but there is an opportunity to make a small donation if you wish!)

We hope you enjoy it.

History books are all well and good, but to have a complete understanding of events you need the words of those who were there. Here we have a century of fully international eye witness counts from the First World War to the Second Gulf War including contributions from British, American, Australian, New Zealand,, Japanese, Italian and French personnel.

Hardback

Everyone knows about the Spitfire and its part in the Battle of Britain and thereafter in the battle over Europe. However, few are familiar with the part its maritime counterpart, the Seafire, played with the Fleet Air Arm. Despite teething troubles and not being ideal as a carrier based fighter, it nonetheless gave the Navy a superb interceptor at a time when the allies were beginning to go on the offensive. 

Packed with illustrations, photographs and development and operational details, this is a great book set in a period when the Fleet Air Arm was growing into a formidable force on a global scale.

Softback: A4

Volume 1: Air Defence Fighter Aircraft Since 1945...True Tales from Royal Navy Aircrew, Maintainers & Handlers.

Volume 2: Strike, Anti Submarine, Early warning and Support Aircraft since 1945...True tales from Royal Navy men and women air and ground crew.

N.B. ONLY SALES THROUGH OUR WEBSITE CONTRIBUTE TO KEEPING HERITAGE AIRCRAFT FLYING

Here is a recent review which captures the essence of the FAA Boys series:

Fleet Air Arm Boys Vol Two – Review for FAAOA                                         January 2022

Steve Bond’s latest in a line of four books about the FAA is ‘Fleet Air Arm Boys Volume Two – Strike, Anti-Submarine, Early Warning and Support Aircraft Since 1945.  True tales from Royal Navy Men and Women Air and Ground Crew’ (Grub Street Publishing, 2021). 

 Most other ‘narrative’ books about the FAA deal with either one aircraft type, or one individual’s life and experiences, which is where Steve’s books differ.  The feeling is more of being in a bar, listening to stories from a whole range of individuals (dits, or ‘lantern-swinging’), spanning the period from 1945 to the present day.  Some are short, some longer, but all give a tantalising sense of what it means and feels like to serve in the Fleet Air Arm – and what set’s it apart from other forms of aviation.

 Mixed-in with excellent details about maintaining, handling, operating and flying the many and various aircraft (fixed-wing again in this volume, rotary to follow in Vol 3), are stories of life onboard and ashore.  Light-hearted and mischievous tales mix with descriptions of tense action, and sometimes tragedy, but all combine to give a sense of the remarkable nature of Naval Aviation, and the people who conduct it. 

For readers who have not served in aircraft carriers, especially in the era of catapults and arrestor gear (cats and traps), several sections of the book give a true sense of the awesome – and fearsome – nature of such operations.  The stories describe what it was like to live and work in sometimes scarcely believable conditions, prior to the over-arching ‘Health and Safety’ culture of today.  Yet despite the hardships and difficulties, operations were conducted at a high-tempo and sortie-rate, with (mainly!) good humour, and great camaraderie.  The book highlights just how busy the Fleet Air Arm was in the post-war and Cold War eras, continuing on in to modern times.

Although many of the narratives, especially the shorter ones, leave one with a sense of wanting to know much more about a particular aircraft or situation, and for the narrator to continue the dit, this is part of the great appeal of this series of books.  Quite obviously the stories come from real individuals, and this draws-in the reader, giving a true taste of life in the FAA.  No doubt this will encourage many to spend time reading other material specific to an era, aircraft type, or operation that has tweaked their interest in these volumes.

 As with many books which bring the reader up to the modern day, there is only a short section on the most modern aircraft.  This is always down to the difficulty of the author obtaining sufficient material prior to the publishing date.  It is understood that Volume Four will address the shortfall, with more Harrier GR7/9 entries, as well as the F35.

Overall, Fleet Air Arm Boys Volume Two is a great canter through the previous 75 years of FAA fixed-wing strike, anti-submarine, early warning and support aircraft operations, told through the voice of those who were there, and who experienced so much of what it means to be a part of the Fleet Air Arm family.  At a time when fixed-wing Naval Aviation is coming to the forefront of the RN once again, and catching the interest of the public, Steve Bond’s books do a superb job of highlighting the true nature, and strengths, of the Fleet Air Arm.

The signatories in Volume 2 representing the Fleet Air Arm include:

Warrant Officer Keith Abnett.      Artificer. 766 NAS Sea Vixen RNAS Yeovilton, 700P Phantom Intensive Flying Trials Unit RNAS Yeovilton, 892 NAS Phantom & Sea Harrier. Served on five carriers inc. HMS Ark Royal & HMS Illustrious: HRH Prince Charles' Chief 'Tiff' - Wessex training on 'Dragon Flight'.

 Wing Commander Robert Crane   Observer. 893 NAS Sea Vixen, HMS Hermes, Phantom Navigator with the RAF, US Navy F-4J’s at Oceana, and Tornado F.3

 Commander John Ford.  Pilot. Flying training with the US Navy; 802 NAS Sea Hawk HMS Albion inc. Suez campaign; 800 NAS Scimitar HMS Ark Royal inc. aerobatic team; Aden campaign; Commander (Air) HMS Ark Royal

 Flt Lt Brian Grant.      Pilot. RAF 151 and 29 Sqns Javelin. Exchange service with the FAA, 766 and 890 NAS Sea Vixen HMS Ark Royal. Hunter, Sea Vixen, Canberra and Hawk FRADU 1970-1994, and 1995-1997.

Leading Wren Bev McDermott              Radio Operator. RNAS Yeovilton Communication Centre, also HMS Drake and HMS Daedalus.

Petty Officer Terry McDonald               Radio & Radar Technician. Lossiemouth, Hunter, Sea Vampire, Sea Venom, Sea Hawk; 899 NAS Sea Vixen HMS Eagle; 848 NAS Whirlwind HMS Bulwark

Lt Kim Sharman.      Pilot. Two tours 899 NAS Sea Vixen, made last launch and landing of the type on HMS Eagle 1972. Martel missile trials 'C' Sqn A&AEE. 750 NAS Sea Prince.

Lieutenant Commander Digby Stephenson          Observer. 824 NAS Sea King; 800 NAS HMS Eagle and 809 NAS HMS Ark Royal Buccaneer; A-6 Intruder instructor with US Navy squadron VA42

Leading Airman John Stevens          Aircraft handler. 1962-71 served on HMS Ark Royal, HMS Hermes and HMS Eagle. 

Vice Admiral Sir Jonathan Tod KCB CBE.      Pilot. Two tours 800 NAS Scimitar HMS Ark Royal; Sea Venom 750 NAS Hal Far; 738 NAS & 800 NAS HMS Eagle, 801 NAS HMS Hermes, 803 NAS Buccaneer; Officer in Command HMS Illustrious; Deputy C-in-C Fleet

Steve Bond - Author

Please note that not all of the listed signatories were able to be present throughout the signing sessions We have endeavoured to capture as many as possible for each book.

Steve Bond has spent nearly 50 years in aviation. He served in the Royal Air Force as an aircraft propulsion technician and was part of the Eurofighter Typhoon project team. He later joined City University London where he developed and ran the world’s first MSc Air Safety Management (ASM) programme, lecturing on the subject all over the world. He has a PhD in ASM, is a chartered engineer, and a fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society. Now a full-time author he was recently elected Freeman of the Honourable Company of Air Pilots in recognition of his contribution to aviation.

Dits

The Royal Navy has always been a good source of stories (or dits as they are known in RN/FAA parlance). The maritime environment, worldwide locations, complicated equipment operated in a small space or in harsh weather, great characters within a strongly bonded team and centuries old naval tradition all add up to a recipe for some cracking tales. Author Steve Bond has gathered dits from across the generations of veterans and current serving Royal Navy and Fleet Air Arm. These books are terrific reads for anyone interested in British sea based aviation.

We also have a number of copies of Volume 1 signed by FAA Aircrew and Engineers.

Lt Cdr Paul Chaplin - Pilot - Sea Vixen and Phantom

Lt Adrian Tuite - Observer - Gannet, Sea Vixen and Phantom

Lt Kim Sharman - Pilot - Sea Vixen

Cdr Tim Gedge AFC- Pilot - Sea Vixen, Phantom, Sea Harrier

Cdre Duncan Reid MBE FRaeS BA RN - Air Engineering Officer, Task Force Chief Aircraft Engineer

Hardback
256 Pages

15.2 x 22.9 cm

Comics normally feature the unbelievable or the fantasy superhero. 'The Stringbags' features both of those - the unbelievable achievements of the World War Two Swordfish and the heroism of their crews.

Produced in graphic form, this excellent book is superbly illustrated. Both writer and artist have paid a great deal of attention to detail as they portray events in which the Fairey Swordfish played a pivotal role - The Battle of Taranto, the sinking of the Bismarck and the Channel Dash etc. 

Written and illustrated by a multi award winning team who have worked with DC and Marvel!

Young or old, the graphic presentation enhances the pithy narrative rather than detracting from it.

Comic in format, but not in content. Very much like the FAA itself, this book has real heart and deals well with being simultaneously academic, informative, entertaining, respectful, reverential and emotive.

A4 Hardback

Images are from The Stringbags by Garth Ennis and PJ Holden (Dead Reckoning, 2020) and are used with publisher permission.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we’d like to introduce you to ex-matelot, now author, Paul White.

Paul White walked through the gates of HMS Raleigh in 1973 and never looked back.

During a long career, including time on HMS Tiger where he came to know the Sea King and Lynx pilots and crews of 826 NAS (and their passion for eggy bacon butty's when night flying), Paul became imbued with the traditions Royal Navy. Who better to write books about the food, tales and vernacular of the Senior Service?

He now lives on the outskirts of a quiet Yorkshire market town but is often away traveling - the wanderlust he acquired in the Royal Navy never left him.

Apart from his fictional books, Paul's focus is on recording Royal Naval social history, capturing the true and honest essence of naval life told by those who lived it.

The result is a collection of books Paul refers to as his 'Blue Books', including 'The Pussers Cook Book', 'Jack's Dits' and 'The Andrew, Jack & Jenny.'

 Now let Paul introduce you to his books

THE PUSSERS COOKBOOK (revised and updated)

The Pussers Cook Book contains many of the most popular and loved traditional dishes served in the Royal Navy’s Galleys from the mid-1960s to the early 1980s.

Some of these dishes are still being served on the ships and shore bases of today's modern navy, although some have been slightly altered and others given, let's say, more politically correct names.

Woven between the recipes in this book are true facts and tidbits about the food, the cooks and general life aboard ship.

Along with the recipes, this book aims to preserve a segment of British history, Royal Navy social history, which is fading all too quickly and would otherwise be lost in the grey sea-mists of oblivion.

 THE ANDREW, JACK & JENNY

Unlike the civilian nicknames we get labelled with, those our classmates called us at school, the names various work colleagues may apply to us from time to time or the ones our siblings find amusing, a military nickname has greater significance, it holds a value only fully comprehended by our contemporaries.

Arguably, the Royal Navy has the most entrenched tradition among the services for bestowing nicknames, names not only for each sailor but for places, equipment and actions.

This book, The Andrew, Jack & Jenny, focuses primarily on the names given to each skin and essence the moment they became a matelot.

Royal Naval nicknames are not chosen by the recipient, they are bestowed, irrevocably, by custom and tradition. Yet, each sailor soon becomes attached to their 'new' name, which grows into a large part of their identity, even influencing their character. It soon becomes the name which is spoken with pride in answer to the question "Who are you?"

JACKS DITS

With hundreds of men, tons of military paraphernalia, complicated machinery, technological equipment, weaponry, stores and various other forms of kit, you can be assured not every day in the Royal Navy was straightforward and undemanding.

Equipment failed. People made mistakes. Accidents and mishaps occurred. Personalities and characters clashed.

Add to this mix the activities of matelots on a 'run ashore' in far-flung, unsavoury and questionable seaports. Include beer, spirits, wine, women and song into the equation and the resulting concoction is a wonderful hothouse for the creation of imaginative narrative.

The goings-on of Sailors, both aboard and ashore, created astonishing accounts of events to be told at stand easy or after a watch; when the exaggerated telling's of the day's happenings or those of last night's run ashore, would be shared in the mess squares of Royal Navy ships and shore bases throughout the world.

This book is not one which simply and only harks back in nostalgic fashion to the past, Jack's Dit's is an authentic validation, a historical record of Royal Naval Social History; one told by the voices of those who served, those who were there. It is a true and genuine recording of life during the Royal Navy's heydays, the late 1950s through to the earlier part of the 1980s.

One I was proud to be part of.

Jack's Dits 2 – More Tales from the Mess, continues spinning humorous yarns, fables, anecdotes and jokes which originate in the mess squares and on the decks of Royal Navy ships.
Continuing from the original 'Jacks Dit's – Tall tales from the Mess Deck', Jacks Dit's 2 mixes more dit's and more hilarious jokes, interspersed with a further flurry of ditty's, quotes and oddities which will entertain and amuse, along with evoking fond memories.
It is, in a large part, the sharing of such humour between the men who served which made the Royal Navy the best navy in the world. 

The war in the Mediterranean was always about so much more than the Mediterranean itself. O'Hara illuminates the complexity and far reaching ramifications of this critical conflict and avoids the trap of rehashing the myths by introducing research from British, Italian, German, French and US sources - all sides of a gritty and hard fought story.

Hardback

One tends to think of promotional brochures as being associated with a new car or double glazing rather than (what was) a state of the art warplane.

However, we have obtained a rare original Hawker Aircraft Ltd brochure extolling the capabilities of the Sea Fury from which we have made faithful reproductions. It gives details of the specifications, variants, usage and performance of this great aircraft as it was promoted to the public and military customers across the globe in the 1950's. 

If you're a fan of this superb aircraft, this will tell you all you need to know and is an essential addition to any collection.

20 are available that have been signed by Sea Fury Pilot Brian Ellis who, while flying a Sea Fury, shot down a MiG15 jet during the Korean War..

Size A4

Soft cover

Silver foiling on cover.

Paperback.

Marvellously colourful first hand stories about the 'Jungly' Squadrons and their missions. Often out of the limelight, the rotary wing of the FAA plays a vital role, both aggressive and supportive, ship to ship, ship to sea and ship to land. So much of what the Navy and Fleet Air Arm have achieved, and continue to achieve, is the result of the rotary wing units.

As HRH Prince Charles puts in in his introduction -

'Over the years, both in peace time and in war, the Junglies have earned an enviable reputation for 'getting the job done'; a reputation as justified in the current theatres of conflict as it was in those early days in the jungles of Borneo. This has called for qualities which we readily associate with the Junglie: determination, resourcefulness, quick thinking and courage, all of which I witnessed in abundance during my time in 845 (SQN). The other ubiquitous quality I greatly enjoyed was the Junglies' irrepressible sense of humour, examples of which are much in evidence in this book.

The book, I feel sure, only scratches the surface of the veritable mine of Jungly tales, some no doubt apocryphal, some very slightly embellished, but all definitely worthy of re-telling. I warmly commend it to you.'

Collated by (the legendary) veteran pilot John Beattie, edited by Rick Jolly and with illustrations courtesy of Lee Howard.

Forgotten Few is a homage to the 57 naval pilots who flew in the Battle of Britain. For 20 years, the Admiralty and the Air Ministry did not recognise the valiant efforts of these young men – now historian Paul Beaver has compiled their biographies and explains the award of the coveted Battle of Britain clasp.

Nine of the Forgotten Few died in combat but five became aces. There is no doubt that they contributed to the ultimate victory, even though they were mostly flying their obsolete Sea Gladiator biplanes and obsolescent Fairey Fulmar. Twenty-three more pilots joined famous RAF Fighter Command squadrons and one achieved local notoriety as Douglas Bader’s wingman in fights over London.

In his endeavour, Paul has been supported by the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust, the London Memorial team, the Fly Navy Heritage Trust (Navy Wings), Matthew Willis and Geoff Simpson.

• Publisher : ‎ Paul Beaver (1 Jan. 2019)
• ISBN: ‎9780993554537

Originally a pictorial history of the race to get the world's last flying Sea Vixen, XP924, ready for the 2015 flying season, the current editions cover the period up to her 'wheel's up' landing. A comprehensively and lavishly illustrated record of a very special aircraft. 

The moving story of youths turning to young men as they fight a well equipped and determined enemy with outmoded equipment and often in appalling conditions. Perhaps lacking the glamour of flying from the great carriers, those who flew from MAC ships (merchant ships converted to carry aircraft) nonetheless made a huge contribution to winning the Battle of the Atlantic.

Sub Lt Stanley Brand pranged W5856, the world's oldest flying Fairey Swordfish, in 1944 due to an engine failure on take off. We're happy to report that W5856 currently resides in our hangar and is a very popular addition at air displays around the UK.

Paperback.

This is THE definitive work on the histories of every Naval Air Squadron (including Australian, Dutch and Canadian units using the 700/800 series) starting from the introduction of the 800 series squadron numbering series in 1933 when it was the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Air Force

A huge amount of work has gone into revising and updating the 1994 edition using a miscellany of sources: Museum and National Archives; Squadron and Flight diaries; Navy Lists; Flying Log Books; aircraft records; reference works; photographic records, contemporary newspaper reports and the magazines, websites and reports of aviation historical societies. Much of the information has never been previously published.

This is a remarkable labour of love with something for anyone with an interest in the Fleet Air Arm.

Almost 500 lavishly illustrated pages.

Hardback. A4

Written by veteran Fleet Air Arm helicopter pilot Larry Jeram-Croft, these 364 pages tell the story of a very capable, highly respected and much loved naval aircraft. Based primarily on the words of those who flew and maintained it. Essential reading for anyone interested in an aircraft that contributed so much in a wide variety of roles. 

 Hardback.

The story of the FAA in Northern Ireland in war and peace. An interesting social and military history.

Paperback.

Doing justice to the part played by the Royal Navy in WWII was always going to be a tricky task. Drawing on modern scholarship and original sources it retells some familiar sources, but also corrects some myths and fills in some less well-known episodes.

Hardback