Killed in a
flying accident in February 1944, Flying Officer William Marsh left behind a
personal insight into the life of a desert flyer. Desert Flyer follows Bill
Marsh from his early days as a schoolboy, through his RAF training in
England and
Canada, joins him in his
first operational squadron and ultimately his life in North
Africa. Originally posted to No. 605 Squadron, Bill Marsh was to
have served in the unit in the Far East.
However, fate dictated that he was destined for the desert war. He joined No.
274 Squadron and flew Hurricane fighter/bombers against Rommel's forces in the
North African desert. Graphic descriptions of Marsh's eyewitness accounts of the
sinking of the Royal Navy's aircraft Ark Royal, the aerial dogfights with the
Luftwaffe and Regia Aeronautica, as well as details of his day-to-day life are
all recorded within these pages. Over 230 previously unpublished photographs,
taken by Bill Marsh, support the text. Utilizing private journals, personal
letters, photographs, and flying log books, together with details from squadron
operational record books, the author has brought to life the words and
photographs recorded by William Marsh, the Desert Flyer.
