Lancaster: The Second World War's Greatest Bomber

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There are not many of us left, most of us who survive are over 95 and this is a story of young men. We were the cutting edge of the ‘ Shining Sword ’ that Bomber Harris dubbed the Lancaster. We survived the Bomber Offensive in which 55,573 — almost half — of our friends and colleagues gave their lives to stop Hitler ruling the world. We are now a whole generation older than the young men and women who serve today and in a few years we will all be gone. Historians will then be able to throw around their insouciant opinions about what we did with no contradiction by those who were there. When we are gone our stories of flying and fighting the Lancaster should not die with us. We are the last witnesses to the legend of the Lancaster and those who fought and died within its metal body.’ - Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Beetham

Nichol, as an ex-RAF man perhaps, is staunch in defence of his bombers, giving voice to their certainty that they had done a good and necessary thing, that they had fought the war the best way they could, any many of their fellow aircrew perished in the attempt.A dark and twisted bully romance full of secrets and lies… Whit Lancaster burst into my life like a storm. Dark and thunderous, furious and fierce. Cold, heartless and devastatingly beautiful, like the statues in our prep school gardens. The school with his family name on the sign. He can do no wrong here. This is his domain.

Spending time with Crew, Wren finds that he pushes her boundaries, questioning her life and finding that they have their differences but also their similarities too. Crew finds himself feeling protective and possessive of Wren especially when a teacher with a certain reputation starts to show an interest. They start to spend time working on other subjects and Crew encourages her to explore the feelings between them without pushing her to do more than she is ready for. But as others begin to learn of their ‘friendship’ they are pulled apart but Crew is not giving up without a fight and proves just how much she means to him.A rich and heartfelt tribute to this most iconic British machine. Focusing on the men (and women) who flew the Spitfire, John Nichol has brought a fresh and powerful perspective to the story. By recording their bravery, humility, camaraderie, tragedy and sheer joy in flying their beloved Spits he has done them, and us, a valuable service.’ Rowland White, author of Vulcan 607

In case you read this review and have not got the book I should read the flyleaf because this is about the crews and much less about the Avro design and its utilisation let alone detail of its "forging" as a weapon of war warts and all because it was a machine with its faults as much as its successes. But that aside, it was flown by the gutsiest men the commonwealth and others could provide and I have always had great respect for them not to mention gratitude. Jill McArdle helped to run Atticus after it moved to Hardman Street and organise all the major events. West doesn’t make my time here easy. He’s arrogant. Crude. Insufferable. He torments me in the worst way, to the point that I can’t stand him. Yet he’s the only boy I’ve ever let touch me… Wren Beaumont is quite possibly the last virgin in her senior class at Lancaster Prep. Making the promised to her father in a ceremony a few years ago and she has kept it ever since. Working hard to keep her grades she is not happy when she is forced to work with Crew. Even though he is gorgeous he is grumpy and crude towards her, he manages to open her eyes to the life she leads, the friends she thought she had (but were simply one-sided) and the opinions that others have of her.Jill McArdleWhen Probe moved into the city centre Atticus moved to a larger shop on Hardman Street where it hosted signing sessions and readings from William Burroughs, John Cage, Brian Patten, Michael Horowitz, Ramsey Campbell,Gilbert Shelton and others. Running into financial difficulties in the 1980s Atticus moved into secondhand books and relocated to smaller premises on the same street. One of the distinctive features of the shop was the cut out figure of James Joyce made by Geoff Johnson. Geoff also designed our distinctive advertising. A festive/birthday return to see what Crew and Wren’s life looks like in the few years since they finished school and travelling. Married with a baby, willow, we join them in the days leading up to Christmas and of course Wren’s birthday which falls on Christmas Day. They are navigating life as new parents and Crew working for his older brother’s real estate company.

This is not a Haynes manual for the Lancaster, thankfully. That would be dreadfully dull to me. This is about the human stories around that particular beast of an aircraft. The people that made the bombers in the factory, the crew, the actual bombing raids (the first one to bomb a factory in Augsburg is horrendous), the senior management in Bomber Command and more. You see, West and I? We share a secret. On a hot summer night in Paris, we hooked up. And I never do that. Ever. I revealed parts of myself to him I’ve never shown anyone else. He’s seen me at my most vulnerable. I told him my secrets. And he told me his. In Paris, he was sexy. Protective. Even dare I say…sweet. Now he’s the villain in my story, yet I can’t help but chase after that feeling only West can give me. Despite our hatred for each other, we somehow burn brighter when we’re together. So what happens when you helplessly fall for the one person you know is bad for you? A superb journey through the remarkable tale of that British icon, the Spitfire. Brilliantly and engagingly written . . . Truly stunning.’ Andy Saunders, aviation historian

What to expect from an open day

Realising that Wren is not getting much sleep due to the baby and breastfeeding Crew wants to do something special for her. His older brother Grant makes a suggestion to allow them some child-free time which enables them to reconnect before Christmas.