Verdict on a Lost Flyer
The Story of Bill Lancaster
Barker, Ralph
Captain 'Bill' Lancaster, pioneer flyer of the twenties and thirties, disappeared on a flight over the Sahara in 1933. It was twenty-nine years before his body was ound beside his wrecked plane; a log-book, tied to the wing, contained the calm yet moving record of his wait for death.
Bill Lancaster's dramatic end was in keeping with his adventurous and colourful life. His service career established his reputation as a man without fear, and when he left the R.A.F. in 1926 he turned to trail blazing. An attempt to be the first man to fly a light plane to Australia involved him with a top woman flyer, 'Chubbie' Miller and, neglecting their families, the pair lived and flew together for four years until the depression forced Lancaster to leave in search of work.
How Bill Lancaster made a desperate effort to retrieve his fortunes, how Chubbie fell in love with an American writer, Haden Clarke, while he was away, and how Clarke was shot dead on Lancaster's return, leads up to the first full account of one of the most sensational murder trials of the Century. A story as exciting as the age it is set in, its unique denouement leaves the reader free to pronounce his own verdict on Bill Lancaster, pioneer flyer and adventurer.
The Author:
A wartime wireless operator/air gunner, Ralph Barker retired from the R.A.F. in 1961 to become a full time writer. His books include Down in the Drink and The Thousand Plan, the story of the first 1,000-bomber raid. In addition to his many wartime and air force stories he is the author of two books on cricket, his main recreation.
Hardcover with dust jacket
238 Seiten / pages
photos and maps
good condition
London - Toronto - Wellington - Sydney - 1969 - George G. Harrap & Co
Art.Nr. 12711
