I was delighted to discover that the subject of this charming little book is Major HW von Poellnitz, about whom I had previously known little, although his distinctive name crops up in many World War I aviation accounts. After service in the trenches with the Lincolnshire Regiment, he transferred to the RFC in 1915. After qualifying as a pilot, he joined 32 Squadron commanded by Major LWB Rees, and later 24 Squadron under Lanoe Hawker. In 1917 he went to Joyce Green in England as an Instructor at the same time as James McCudden, and trained Mannock among others. In June 1917 he was appointed to command a new Squadron, No 72, and eventually took it to Mesopotamia, where he was killed in a car accident at the age of 27.

I now have a desire for more about this man.