Chalmers' War: A Royal Flying Corps Novel of 1917

by Paul Saunders

This is the story of Jonnie Chalmers as he goes from teacher to fighter pilot during ‘The Great War’. He falls in love with the idea of flying, just as his brother did. But not only does Jonnie love to fly, he wants to contribute towards the war effort. More importantly, he needs to fulfil his duty towards King and Country. As a school teacher, Jonnie had never contemplated going off to war. Teachers were protected against conscription, this being the importance of education, and so the pressures of signing up were never at the forefront of his daily life. After having savoured the fun of flying in his brother’s aircraft, he wants to taste active service and bask in all its glory. Jonnie Chalmers’ journey through life throws many obstacles in his way, and as for all of us, he has to overcome them if he wants to be a part of the Royal Flying Corps. There are personal battles to be won and flying instructors to impress during the months of strenuous training. Freddie, Jonnie's brother, hatches a plan to help with Jonnie's flying training. He recalls a favour which is owed to him by a RFC Captain who has returned home from active service injured, but recovering. Jonnie's training, both as a cadet and as a probationary 2nd Lieutenant, sees many opportunities for him to prove his worth as a pilot and as a Junior Officer. Jonnie does what comes naturally and starts to motivate himself and those around him, always giving maximum effort to achieve the task in hand.

698 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 19, 2015