Originally published under the title An Airman's Outing, this
magnificent title chronicles the daily life of the Flying Officer during
the Great War. Touchingly dedicated to 'The Fallen of Umpty Squadron
R.F.C.', Bott chronicles the lives and losses of his squadron as they
carried out their duties over France in 1916. A modest and unflinching
account of Great War aviation, Bott neither aggrandizes nor dismisses
any achievement of his crack squadron. A squadron that suffered so
heavily, holding the record for casualties sustained by any flying
squadron during three months, from the beginning of the war to the end
of 1916 - a testament to the bravery and determination of the men who
continued to serve within it.
Tinged by this sadness, My War in the Air 1916 still conveys the
aspirations of the British Royal Flying Corps in their early days, and
the hope its many flying aces placed in the establishment, as a powerful
tool to defend and protect. As W. S. Brancker states inside, 'War has
been the making of aviation; let us hope that aviation will be the
destruction of war.'