Cornish boy to a Berlin Airlift veteran, Guy Eddy provides an outstanding account of his time in the Royal Air Force. Born in the Cornish countryside to a farming family and leaving school at 16 and a half , he was unsure of what his career would entail at the beginning of the Second World War. Humble beginnings as an RAF Admin Apprentice, Guy knew he wanted to join the force and be a part of the fight to freedom. After 18 months of training in London, he began travelling around the world from India, South Africa and Southern Rhodesia to develop his piloting skill in a variety of vehicles. Guy recalls 'getting his wings' in 1944 and after that, his career in the force excelled with magnificent force. He reflects on his time in the war and the countries his squadron helped. Guy provides an insight into the items traded on the Black Market with one amusing story where some South Africans wanted to trade coffee beans for something more lucrative. Guy reflects on his time as a pilot during the Berlin Airlift with the unusual packages he delivered and believes it was worthwhile job for him. His account highlights the beautiful and tragic events he witnessed as a pilot in the RAF, finishing with his time flying Britannia's. He finds himself transporting radioactive fuel rods from Singapore to Tokyo for the building of Japanese nuclear power stations. It was highly secretive work and also highly likely that Fukishima was one of the recipients. Overall, Guy Eddy had a remarkable career befitting a remarkable man.

Dick joined the RAF in 1942, aged 19, and flew allied transport aircraft in the Far East, supplying Allied troops in the jungle. After the war he was in Transport Command, operating in Germany and Poland. He was due to go on leave, but the Soviets had just blockaded Berlin, and instead he began flying Dakota transports into Berlin from western Germany. Initially only two transports were involved but this built up rapidly despite the ‘organised chaos’ of the early days. Soon the pilots were working 18-hour days, flying three to four return flights to Berlin daily. During the winter the weather was bad, although not as severe as Dick had experienced during the war. A wide variety of cargoes were carried, from coal to disassembled bulldozers and hay for the Berlin Zoo. On the return flights light export goods and unwell German children were carried. Later he flew the Avro York, a larger aircraft with greater capacity than the Dakota. On at least two occasions there was a mix-up, and a Dakota was loaded with a York’s cargo. They managed to get to Berlin but only with the engines running at maximum power. The Soviet air force harassed the Allied aircraft, sometimes firing their guns over the planes, other times buzzing them as close as twenty feet. On one occasion Dick got tired of this behaviour, turned his plane around and flew directly at the Soviet aircraft, which took evasive action. He thinks that the Airlift prevented another war.

George Duffee shares his extraordinary journey, serving as a young RAF pilot during World War II. Growing up in East London during the Blitz, he joined the RAF at the age of seventeen and a quarter. After his training, he was sent to an RAF station in Yorkshire where he was assigned to an air crew who were participating in the bombing of Germany. It was here, so early in his service, he witnessed his life flashing before his eyes when his plane was shot down by enemy forces above Holland. He describes feeling a strange sense of calm as the plane plummeted towards the ground, believing that it was already over for him. However, he managed to escape and reach the ground safely before it finally crashed. The next thing he knew, he was all alone in an unfamiliar environment, not knowing if his crew had survived. He would learn much later that he was the only survivor who did not become a POW. This marked the beginning of a long journey, crossing from border to border to escape enemy territory back into the safety of the British Military. After evading German patrols in Holland, he passed into Belgium where he met members of the Comet Line (a resistance organisation) who would be responsible for successfully helping over 700 Allied Airmen by escorting them away from Belgium and France into Spain where the British were occupied. After arriving in Paris, he exercised in preparation for his climb across the Pyrenees mountains into Spain, later taking a ship to Gibraltar where he finally felt a sense of freedom from the enemy. Along his journey, he met many interesting people of different professions or ranks who were willing to help him. This included a Dutch schoolmaster who he would later refer to as his Dutch brother, a French artist who offered him false papers to get through to Paris and a Gendarme who he initially thought was a potential foe but when George was forced to reveal his identity, he was no longer seen as a threat. However, his constant evasion from German patrols caused an inner battle with his morale as it became more compelling to surrender himself and become a POW, yet he managed to always fight back and regain control of himself. Some time later, after returning to England, he resumed his career as a pilot. He worked as a skipper, participating in 39 bombing missions, even after already being shot down and facing a near death experience so early in his military career. He also contributed to the Berlin Airlift, flying 236 flights in a Lancaster over Berlin while supplying food to the German people who were plagued by famine. George's journey is a fascinating example of the bravery, resilience and luck that is required to be an RAF pilot in WWII, especially when things don't go according to plan.