My Golden Flying Years

This lively, funny memoir by a World War I pilot is “recommended for its rare view of the RAF in its nascent years and beyond” (Over the Front).

Annotated by aviation historian Norman Franks, this is the autobiography of an early RAF pilot that conveys the sense of giddy adventure that existed among these elite flyers. The story begins in France in late 1918, when D’Arcy Greig was flying FE2b night bombers, then through the early 1920s as he served in Iraq, piloting Bristol Fighters for three years, against rebel insurgents and dissident tribesmen. Back in England, Greig became an instructor at the Central Flying School, and finally he records his experiences commanding the RAF’s High Speed Flight, and participating in the 1929 Schneider Trophy Race.

This is a highly entertaining and amusing read, with Greig being a master of practical joking, having fun with explosives and enjoying other hilarious exploits that could only be contrived in these early days of flying. He comes into contact with many airmen already famous or who gained future fame, and his tale is well illustrated with many new, often private family photographs of the time.