The Fledgling: An Aerial Gunner in World War I

by Arch Whitehouse

Arch Whitehouse, an American of British birth who grew up in New Jersey, left home in 1914 to join the Allied cause. He first served as an infantryman in the trenches of the Western Front with the Northamptonshire Yeomanry. But amid the blood, filth, lice, and threat of imminent death, he became enchanted with the aviators whose planes he would see high up in the sky. He then resolved that he would find a way to join the Royal Flying Corps (RFC).

Fortunately, several months later, a call was made from the RFC for qualified gunners. So, Whitehouse took his chance and was able to transfer to the RFC. He trained as an observer and served with a 2-seater unit at the Front, flying many perilous missions, which he relates to the reader with a startling clarity and immediacy almost 50 years after World War I. This is Whitehouse's story which ranks with the best combat memoirs of his contemporaries.

302 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1964

Reviews

[Geoffrey Thompson]

This is a fascinating and well written book - one of the best I have read on air warfare in WW1.At some points the writing style is rather dreamlike, so you wonder slightly about the when's and hows. However, it is a hugely interesting book, well worth reading.
Geoffrey Thompson

[Barry Kendrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gem of a book. Told with intelligence & great humor.