This really is a remarkable work. A quick look showed me a diagram of how an airman had to lay out his kit on his bed, a quick biography of Wilfred Freeman, a verdict on Trenchard’s policies, and a run down on the activities of the Aircraft Disposal Company. Add to this information about the changing structure of the Force – it so very nearly vanished after World War I – political machinations and their effects, and technical advances in navigation and engine performance. The Index is remarkably short, but as the work is cross referenced throughout, this hardly matters. It is hugely illustrated, although some of the pictures are of poor quality, and full of maps and diagrams. This is an essential reference work on The Royal Air Force, and a fascinating postscript to World War I, about a period that has been, until now, under researched. Volume 2 will complete the story up to 1939.