The Debt We Owe: The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund 1919-1989
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Very good
Pages: Good
For seven decades, the men and women who served Britain through the skies have never truly been left behind — The Debt We Owe chronicles the remarkable seventy-year history of the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund, from its founding in the aftermath of the First World War in 1919 through to its anniversary year of 1989. Edward Bishop presents a compelling institutional portrait of one of Britain's most enduring military charities, detailing how the Fund was established to support the airmen, airwomen, and their families who sacrificed so much during two world wars and the decades of Cold War tension that followed. The narrative weaves together personal stories of hardship and resilience with the broader administrative and political history of the RAF, illustrating the human cost of aerial warfare and the enduring responsibility felt by a nation toward those who served. Bishop writes with authority and warmth, drawing on extensive archival research to produce a work that is both a tribute and a rigorous historical record. His account situates the Benevolent Fund within the wider context of British military and social history, arguing that the Fund's survival and growth reflects a deeply held national compact between the state and its servicemen. Richly detailed and profoundly moving, this is an indispensable volume for anyone who wishes to understand the quiet, unglamorous work that has sustained generations of RAF veterans — and a timely reminder that the debt, as Bishop makes clear, is one that can never be fully repaid.
Author: Edward Bishop
Format: Hardback
Published: 1989, Airlife England
Genre: Military history
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Very good
Pages: Good
For seven decades, the men and women who served Britain through the skies have never truly been left behind — The Debt We Owe chronicles the remarkable seventy-year history of the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund, from its founding in the aftermath of the First World War in 1919 through to its anniversary year of 1989. Edward Bishop presents a compelling institutional portrait of one of Britain's most enduring military charities, detailing how the Fund was established to support the airmen, airwomen, and their families who sacrificed so much during two world wars and the decades of Cold War tension that followed. The narrative weaves together personal stories of hardship and resilience with the broader administrative and political history of the RAF, illustrating the human cost of aerial warfare and the enduring responsibility felt by a nation toward those who served. Bishop writes with authority and warmth, drawing on extensive archival research to produce a work that is both a tribute and a rigorous historical record. His account situates the Benevolent Fund within the wider context of British military and social history, arguing that the Fund's survival and growth reflects a deeply held national compact between the state and its servicemen. Richly detailed and profoundly moving, this is an indispensable volume for anyone who wishes to understand the quiet, unglamorous work that has sustained generations of RAF veterans — and a timely reminder that the debt, as Bishop makes clear, is one that can never be fully repaid.