Notifications of New Books, Etc.,

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Pelican
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Re: Notifications of New Books, Etc.,

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Dear all,

We are delighted to be able to tell you that the launch of 'Fleet Air Arm Boys' volume 3 is being planned to take place on Saturday the 9th of July in the Fleet Air Arm Museum. A formal announcement from the Fleet Air Arm Museum and Navy Wings will be forthcoming soon.

The launch will run along similar lines to last year, with signing by contributors. We hope as many of you as possible will attend, regardless of which volume(s) you are in! Those who came along to the Vol.2 launch have said how much they enjoyed themselves, with many reunions with old shipmates. It is also hoped that 'The Anyface Association' will be joining us with a get-together of their former 849 NAS members.

As an added bonus, Navy Wings will have a major attendance at the Shuttleworth Collection's 'Fly Navy Air Show' the week before the launch, on Sunday 2 July. They will be selling copies of volume 3 as a pre-launch event, and although Heather and I not able to be there, they would be pleased to welcome any of you who may wish to go along and sign some copies.

As for Volume 3 itself, the manuscript is now with Grub Street and we are both hugely impressed, and frequently amazed, by so many of the terrific stories sent in by 75 of you! Thank you all! In fact with so much material, some contributions have been carried forward for the fourth and final volume next year.

Our sincere thanks also go to Jon Parkinson at Navy Wings, Marc Farrance at the Fleet Air Arm Museum, and John Davies at Grub Street - and all their teams.

More details will follow in due course, but if you are planning, or at least hoping, to attend one or both of the events, please let us know as soon as possible. We will be looking for volunteers to be book signers please - hopefully situated rather closer together than Covid allowed last year - at both events.

Best wishes to you and yours, we look forward to seeing you on the 9th of July!
Steve and Heather
Walnut Cottage
4 Pant Glas
Oswestry
Shropshire
SY10 7HS
Tel: 01691 661564
Email:by.meteor@outlook.com
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HMS Pelican 1938 - 1958 GGCV L86 U86 F86 What I Have I Hold ~ A wonderful bird is the Pelican its beak can hold more than its belly can.
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Pelican
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Re: Notifications of New Books, Etc.,

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F.A.A. BOYS VOL. 3
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Pelican
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Re: Notifications of New Books, Etc.,

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FAA BOYS VOLUME III

Dear all,
I have just received the following message from Marc Farrance at the Fleet Air Arm Museum.
"We have released the tickets for 9th July.
https://tickets.historicdockyard.co.uk/ ... M01&c=FAAM
Web Store :: Ticket Selection - Portsmouth Historic Dockyard
Fleet Air Arm Non Gift Aid Family 1+3 (1 adult and up to 3 children) (3)Remote FAAM Family CH Member 1+3
tickets.historicdockyard.co.uk
Tickets can be purchased specifically for the 9th of July using the grey calendar ‘date/time of first visit’ tab above ticketing options."
Please go ahead and get your tickets as soon as possible.
Best Steve
HMS Pelican 1938 - 1958 GGCV L86 U86 F86 What I Have I Hold ~ A wonderful bird is the Pelican its beak can hold more than its belly can.
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Pelican
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Re: Notifications of New Books, Etc.,

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FAA BOYS - VOLUMES 3 & 4

Dear all,
We are now up to 60 contributors and their accompanying "others" who have said they plan to attend on 9 July. This is great, and any more of you who are coming along, please remember to tell us, not least so that we can have a name badge ready for you to help you find old shipmates - there was a lot of that last year.
We are limited by the Museum to a maximum of eight people sitting at the signing tables. We have picked suitable "volunteers" to ensure a good spread of aircraft types and job roles, and have advised them that they are the chosen ones. If you have also offered to sign many thanks, we will keep your names in reserve in case of any no-shows, if that's OK? Apart from the organised signing, all of you are likely to find yourselves being asked to sign our own copies when you arrive please.
Timings for the day are yet to be finalised, but the Museum opens at 10 o'clock and we will be ready to hand out/sell books and get signing at that time.
Lastly, our thoughts are turning towards the fourth and final volume for next year and this is the final call for contributions please. We do have a lot already, but do not want to turn anything away. You will recall that we have said the final section of Vol.4 will be entitled 'Thoughts' and this is for you to say what you think when you look back at your FAA career, in a few words, or a few sentences. We have had quite a few already and they are very compelling.
Above is an initial draft of how we think Vol.4's cover might look - comments welcome.
Best Steve and Heather
Dr Steve Bond PhD CEng FRAeS
Walnut Cottage 4 Pant Glas Oswestry Shropshire SY10 7HS
Tel: 01691 661564 Email:by.meteor@outlook.com
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Pelican
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Re: Notifications of New Books, Etc.,

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FAA BOYS VOLUME III

Herewith the latest list I have of those of you who are planning to be with us on the 9th of July for the launch of Volume 3. If I have missed anyone, or there are some out there who have yet to declare, then do let me know. Also, please do pass on the launch information to any family, friends, colleagues who would like to join us.

WO Keith Abnett, artificer Sea Vixen, Phantom, Sea Harrier, Wessex
Cdre Jock Alexander, and Jayne, pilot Sea King, Commander Yeovilton
Steve and Heather Bond
Cdr Serena Brotherton and family, observer Sea King.
Lt Cdr Paul Callaghan, pilot Sea King, Merlin
PO Peter Carlisle and son, engines Whirlwind, Wessex
Lt Gene Carolan, pilot Sea Vixen, Phantom
Lt Cdr Paul Chaplin, pilot Sea Vixen, Phantom, Sea Fury, Firefly
RAdm Tom Cunningham, observer Wessex, Sea King, Lynx, Assistant Chief of Naval Staff Air and Carriers
Lt Keith Copus, pilot Wessex, hovercraft, Wasp
Wg Cdr Bob Crane, observer Sea Vixen
John Davies, Grub Street
Leading Airman Richard Dickinson and Jackie, aircraft handler Buccaneer, Gannet, Phantom, Sea King
Cdr Ed Featherstone, and son Tim, observer Sea King, Wessex, Lynx
Cdr John Ford, pilot Sea Hawk, Scimitar, Cdr (Air) Ark Royal.
Cdr Larry Jeram-Croft, pilot Sea King, Wasp, Lynx
CPO John Keenan, artificer Buccaneer, Phantom, Sea Harrier, Canberra
Capt Iain Mackenzie, pilot Whirlwind, Wessex, Wasp, Captain Yeovilton
Cdre John Madgwick (probable), pilot Sea King
Lt Cdr Brian Marsh, observer Lynx
Lt Cdr Nick Mayhew, pilot Sea King
PO Terry McDonald and Margaret, radio/radar tech Hunter, Sea Hawk, Sea Vixen, Whirlwind
Lt Cdr Roger Mortimer and Bridget, pilot Wessex
Lt Cdr William Nicol-Gent, observer, Gannet and most helicopter types up to Sea King
Cdr Mike Norman, artificer Sea Venom, observer Wasp, Wessex, Sea King
Cdr Jason Phillips, observer Sea King, Merlin
Capt Michael Rawlinson, observer Whirlwind
Lt Cdr Robert Scott, pilot Gannet, Canberra, Hunter, Buccaneer
Lt Kim Sharman, pilot Sea Vixen, Sea Prince
Lt Richard Sheridan, pilot Sea Hawk, Meteor, Devon, Sea Vixen
Lt Tony Smith, pilot Sea Vixen, RAF Hunter
Vanessa Smith, MT driver Culdrose.
El.Mech(2)A Tony Stephens and family, air electrics Sea Vampire, Hunter, Seamew, Sea Prince, Sea Venom
Leading Airman John Stevens, aircraft handler on several carriers
RAdm Ian Tibbitt and Marion, 845 Sqn Wessex 5, ‘Clockwork’ Wessex 5 and Sea King 4, Merlin Acquisition and Support. Fleet and DE&S staff.
VAdm Sir Jonathan Tod, pilot Sea Hawk, Sea Venom, Scimitar, Hunter, Buccaneer, Deputy C-in-C Fleet
Capt Bob Turner, pilot Wasp, Sea King, Captain HMS Ocean
CPO Mike Turner and Jill, armourer Hunter, Scimitar, Buccaneer, Sea Venom, Sea King, Sea Harrier
Lt Cdr Scott Wilson, pilot Gazelle, Wessex, Sea King
Lt Tony Wilson and family, pilot Gannet, Hiller HT.1, Dragonfly, Whirlwind, Wessex

Best Steve
HMS Pelican 1938 - 1958 GGCV L86 U86 F86 What I Have I Hold ~ A wonderful bird is the Pelican its beak can hold more than its belly can.
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Pelican
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Re: Notifications of New Books, Etc.,

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DERSERTED ISLANDS

Take a tour of the eeriest abandoned islands: Fascinating new coffee-table book explores lost worlds from the coast of Scotland to Florida
Abandoned Islands by Claudia Martin is 'a brilliant pictorial exploration of lost worlds'
Readers will behold a medieval Scottish castle that appeared in Monty Python and the Holy Grail
The tome also details an island in Florida that's home to 'the largest brick structure in the Americas'

See - https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/trav ... lands.html

Link from Tim.
HMS Pelican 1938 - 1958 GGCV L86 U86 F86 What I Have I Hold ~ A wonderful bird is the Pelican its beak can hold more than its belly can.
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Pelican
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Re: Notifications of New Books, Etc.,

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HMS Pelican 1938 - 1958 GGCV L86 U86 F86 What I Have I Hold ~ A wonderful bird is the Pelican its beak can hold more than its belly can.
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Pelican
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Re: Notifications of New Books, Etc.,

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FLEET AIR ARM BOYS VOLUME 4

Dear all,

As I write this, we have just passed 60 who have told us they plan to come to the launch. This is really good, and we look forward to seeing you all - and many more - on the 10th of June.
Tickets can now be booked on the FAA Museum website.

We have a number coming from overseas and I am delighted to announce that we will be joined by retired Indian Navy Admiral Arun Prakash and his wife Kumkum. Arun flew Sea Hawks and Sea Harriers off their carriers (including INS Viraat alias the late lamented Hermes) and was CO of 300 NAS. Latterly he was Chief of the Naval Staff and retired as Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee and we are most grateful to him for making the long journey to join us.

In case you are wondering just what is in Vol.4, as well as so many great personal stories and 'dits' about FAA life in general, they are spread across many aircraft types. These include: A-6 Intruder, Avenger, Buccaneer, Canberra, Dragonfly, Firefly, Gannet, Harrier, Hawk, Hunter, Lynx, Merlin, Phantom, Scimitar, Sea Devon, Sea Harrier, Sea Hawk, Sea King, Sea Prince, Sea Vampire, Sea Venom, Sea Vixen, Shackleton (yes, really), Swordfish, Wasp, Wessex and Whirlwind. But whatever your job, and whichever volumes your contribution(s) are in, this is a launch for you all.

We will be having ten signers for this final event, already chosen from volunteers to ensure a balance between air and ground crew. Several others have said they would like to do some signing and, as those of you who have been to previous launches will know, Heather and I will be pouncing on you to sign a few copies for us at least!


It has been suggested that we could have a Q&A session during the day, with perhaps 4/6 contributors (and a master of ceremonies to keep control!) answering questions from the audience. This will obviously depend on getting enough of you to volunteer so, if you fancy giving it a go, please let us know. There is also some discussion going on about a possible drinks reception, perhaps on the evening before the launch? Nothing concrete yet.

I know many of you have seen the podcast I did for Vol.3 (thanks for the kind feedback), and I have been advised that AviationXtended will be doing the same for Vol.4.

One thing that does surprise us is that we have struggled to get today's Fleet Air Arm interested in the launches. Both Culdrose and Yeovilton are targeted about them by Navy Wings, but no one comes - apart from the serving contributors of course. This time Navy Wings will be approaching all the current squadrons directly to let them know that their veterans will be present, so why not come and meet them and thank them for their service? Maybe those of you who are still "in" could help spread the word please?

If you are still undecided about coming to the launch, please do join us. This is the last one - a celebration of the Fleet Air Arm - we hope it is going to be quite a party!

Best regards

Steve and Heather

Dr Steve Bond PhD CEng FRAeS
Walnut Cottage
4 Pant Glas
Oswestry
Shropshire
SY10 7HS


Tel: 01691 661564

Email:by.meteor@outlook.com
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Pelican
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Re: Notifications of New Books, Etc.,

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Navy Lookout

I Ballantyn has just published a revised paperback edition of his 2003 book "HMS London". Featuring a new chapter covering the next HMS London.

Recommended for those interested in naval history and fighting actions from the 1600s to the present day.

See - https://www.amazon.co.uk/HMS-London-Fig ... s_li_ss_tl
HMS Pelican 1938 - 1958 GGCV L86 U86 F86 What I Have I Hold ~ A wonderful bird is the Pelican its beak can hold more than its belly can.
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Pelican
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Re: Notifications of New Books, Etc.,

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Pelican wrote: Thu Dec 08, 2022 1:08 pm Navy Lookout

I Ballantyn has just published a revised paperback edition of his 2003 book "HMS London". Featuring a new chapter covering the next HMS London.

Recommended for those interested in naval history and fighting actions from the 1600s to the present day.

See - https://www.amazon.co.uk/HMS-London-Fig ... s_li_ss_tl
Well-known naval author Iain Ballantyne has recently published a revised paperback edition of his 2003 book "HMS London". The book has been updated with minor amends and additions but also features a new chapter covering the next HMS London, the last of the eight Type 26 frigates due to enter service in 2035. To date there have been 12 ships named HMS London and many of these vessels have had extraordinary careers that run like a thread through the broad history of the RN.

Continues at - https://www.facebook.com/NavyLookout/po ... z7uxe2CGVl
HMS Pelican 1938 - 1958 GGCV L86 U86 F86 What I Have I Hold ~ A wonderful bird is the Pelican its beak can hold more than its belly can.
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