Overview

The biography of Second World War Spitfire pilot John Gillespie Magee who penned the poem `High Flight', which would inspire legions of aspiring aviators who had a similar wish to fly their `eager craft through footless halls of air'.

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9781838068707

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Reviews

'An excellent biography of this extraordinary young man.' (Yorkshire Gazette and Herald, January 2014) '... the author has eloquently traced his life, achievements, human endeavour, vision, determination and self-sacrifice. Photographic plate sections add to the text, rounding the picture. This is a military history that will appeal to all those interested in understanding the military past, but it is also a very personal history and a look into the creativity of Pilot Office Magee that should appeal to a very much wider readership.' (Firetrench, January 2014) 'Excellent book ... beautifully written.' (War History Online March 2014)

Author Information

Born in Lincolnshire Roger Cole was educated at Brigg Grammar School, Kings College Cambridge, Bretton Hall in Yorkshire, Birmingham and Nottingham Universities. He is a writer and lecturer and has published other biographies entitled 'Burning to Speak', and 'Gaudier Brzeska, Artist and Myth'. His acclaimed book 'Creative Imperative' is regarded as a seminal work. The author still lives in Lincolnshire in the village of Wellingore where John Magee was billeted with the Royal Canadian Air Force for the last months of his life. Because of enquiries from all over the world about this exceptional young man he was inspired to research and publish a complete biography. Since the main features of the village, its airfield, and surrounding landscape are largely as John Magee would have known them he has been able to draw on his knowledge of its geography and historical features to inform his writing. He has recorded the recollections of people who knew Magee both locally and in other countries and brought together photographs from far afield which illustrate the text. Wellingore is the village where John Magee wrote his now famous poem 'Per Ardua'.

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