This is the third of a projected series of five, which has become a major directory. Everyone in the area you have ever heard of (and many you haven’t) is comprehensively covered alphabetically by county and town with an excellent index as well. Entries range from pages on the big manufacturers in the area, like Sopwith, Miles, de Havilland, Fairey, Shorts and Vickers , complete with illustrations (240 of them) to one liners like ‘The Phoenix Aircraft Construction Co was resident 4 miles north of Southend in the 1930s. Nothing else is known’. What a shame that the beautiful Martin-Baker MB5 never succeeded. This area is also the birthplace of many replica RAF and RFC aircraft built either for films or just for fun.

I particularly enjoyed the many reproduction advertisements, including one from The DFW German Aircraft Works whose plans ‘were brought to an abrupt end by the outbreak of the First World War’. A great addition to any library.