Tomorrow May Never Come is the story of a Lancaster skipper told by his son with the help of a historian but based heavily on his father’s diaries and other documentation.
Although I read many memoirs and biographies of WWII airmen while researching for Moral Fibre, “Stevie’s” warmth, love-of-life, sense of humour, and humanity stood out. Ultimately, he moved me to tears when he described “sharing a pint” on Memorial Day with the crewmates he’d lost years earlier. He makes you genuinely feel that he never forgot them, and they never left him entirely.
I was also impressed by his post-war work as a teacher and his dedication to making his survival important. The book continues to inspire me, and I sense a future novel germinating in my heart.
Although published in 2000, I only discovered Cheshire this past year when I wanted to find out more about Leonard Cheshire VC.
As the author of a biography myself, I was struck by how well-constructed and sensitively—but not uncritically—Morris handled his subject. Cheshire was a towering figure in his lifetime, the most highly decorated pilot in the RAF, who went on to work with Mother Theresa, to inspire a complete change of culture and legislation with respect to the disabled in the UK, and the founder of a charity that is still highly respected today.
Yet what makes this book stand out is that Morris captures Cheshire’s agony and confusion as he made that transition from successful and venerated war hero to humble humanitarian. An inspiring read.
Group Captain Leonard Cheshire flew 101 operations in World War II. The first, in 1940, took place six days after Dunkirk. After the 100th he was awarded the Victoria Cross. His 101st - and last - mission was to Nagasaki, where he witnesssed the dropping of the atomic bomb. In this biography Richard Morris examines the profound character of a man whose war career brought him the highest military distinction, and whose peacetime work of compassion earned him the Order of Merit. Broad in scope, and drawing on a vast array of previously unpublished letters and documents, this biography examines…
Sailor’s Heart is a courageous book about a topic close to my own heart: the impact of trauma on fighting men in WWII. After researching and writing about the RAF’s treatment of men deemed “lacking in moral fibre,” I was fascinated by this book, which looks at the Admiralty’s handling of the same phenomenon.
Based on admiralty records, Sailor’s Heart provides three vivid examples of wartime stress causing otherwise healthy individuals to suffer a breakdown in morale. I loved the fact that Campbell avoids formula writing and does not attempt to “fulfill market expectations." (e.g. no dramatic rescue, no love interest.) Equally impressive, Campbell avoids heroes—let alone superheroes—in favour of vulnerable, believable, and ultimately very ordinary protagonists.
1942. The war at sea is being lost. One per cent of all naval personnel are being referred as psychiatric casualties. The British Admiralty introduces the Stone Frigate approach. Three men fight for their country in the Arctic convoys of World War II, then for their sanity and dignity, labelled as cowards and subjected to experimental psychiatry at an isolated facility set up to recycle men back into battle. To the Navy they are faulty parts, not constitutionally suited to operate at sea. To the public they are poltroons, malingerers and psychiatric cases. The places in this story are real,…
Moral Fibre tells the story of a Lancaster skipper, his crew, and the woman he loved. It is the story of a man once branded a coward who returns to continue the fight against fascism.
Given a second chance, Flying Officer Kit Moran forms a new crew. Together, they join the other men of RAF Bomber Command, riding the icy, moonlit sky to take the war to Hitler. Their chances of survival are less than 50%. Their average age is 21. Moral Fibre is a moving tribute to those who fought for freedom. It shows the many faces of courage and grief — and the price of survival.
