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Long Flight Home
The First World War is over and air mechanic Wally Shiers has promised to return home to his fiancée, Helena Alford. But Wally never reckoned on charismatic fighter pilot Ross Smith, and an invitation to compete in the world's most audacious air race.
A £10,000 prize has been offered for the first airmen to fly from England to Australia. Smith is banking on an open-cockpit Vickers Vimy, a biplane with a fuselage that looks ominously like a coffin.
And who can resist a hero? Wally writes to Helena to say he won't be home for another year - and the love of his life is left holding her hand-stitched wedding dress ...
Using war diaries, letters and Churchill Fellowship research from along the race route, Long Flight Home recreates one of the most important - and largely forgotten - chapters in world aviation history.
Lainie Anderson's ambitious and moving novel is told through her narrator, Wally Shiers. The tale spans the decades and crosses the globe, and at his journey's end we're left peering down from an open cockpit on two beacons of truth. There is no heroism without honour. There is no legacy without love.
Praise for Long Flight Home
'This is a wonderful tale, superbly told. And it all happened!’ – Peter FitzSimons
A £10,000 prize has been offered for the first airmen to fly from England to Australia. Smith is banking on an open-cockpit Vickers Vimy, a biplane with a fuselage that looks ominously like a coffin.
And who can resist a hero? Wally writes to Helena to say he won't be home for another year - and the love of his life is left holding her hand-stitched wedding dress ...
Using war diaries, letters and Churchill Fellowship research from along the race route, Long Flight Home recreates one of the most important - and largely forgotten - chapters in world aviation history.
Lainie Anderson's ambitious and moving novel is told through her narrator, Wally Shiers. The tale spans the decades and crosses the globe, and at his journey's end we're left peering down from an open cockpit on two beacons of truth. There is no heroism without honour. There is no legacy without love.
Praise for Long Flight Home
'This is a wonderful tale, superbly told. And it all happened!’ – Peter FitzSimons
- GenresBook Club
372 pages, Paperback
Published June 1, 2019
5 people are currently reading
58 people want to read
About the author
Lainie Anderson
8 books62 followersLainie Anderson is the author of The Death of Dora Black and Long Flight Home. Her 35-year career in journalism and public relations includes 17 years as a columnist with Sunday Mail, as well as stints at the Herald Sun, London's The Times and the South Australian Tourism Commission. After being awarded a Churchill Fellowship, Lainie published her debut novel Long Flight Home in 2019. In 2024, Lainie completed a PhD with the University of South Australia, researching the life of Kate Cocks, the inspiration behind The Death of Dora Black.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
May 30, 2019
I was shocked by this book. It's compelling, honest and utterly endearing. The narrator Wally Shiers -- one of the mechanics in the Great Air Race of 1919 -- and his mates in the Vickers Vimy are so beautifully rendered that when I finished the book, I felt the loss for days! This is intelligent, historical fiction relating to a little-known Australian feat of aviation. It's brilliantly accessible and (be warned) VERY moving.
May 4, 2020
Wally Shiers never thought his life was going to be exciting or glamorous. To marry Helene, have a family was his only wish. Then World War One broke out, and he enlisted in his native Australia. Little did he know how one day, he would be in a team, changing the history of that nation.
September 9, 2019
Long Flight Home could almost make me read fiction… almost. Lainie Anderson has woven a love story through the most astonishing factual detail about the Ross Smith flight from England to Australia, seamlessly tossing off facts about places, machines, people and situations which must have involved extraordinary amounts of research. What could have been a turgid read, given the plethora of facts she has inserted into her tale, is rendered welcoming and accessible by the clarity and lack of pretension in her writing style, making this a truly approachable read which I found impossible to put down. A splendid work, which contains enough facts that it will survive on my shelf.
August 26, 2021
With Father’s Day approaching, we’re all being bombarded with adverts from retailers promoting gifts which they think are suitable for men, and we can see how tricky that is this year because the ‘sporting gift’ is not an option for states in Lockdown. These gendered approaches to gift-giving have always irritated me because (apart from the socks and hankies option) my father would never have wanted any of what was/is being promoted. He was always delighted to receive a gift of music or a book or a ticket to a concert—but only classical music and not tools, not sporting or political bios and definitely not gardening books to give my mother more ideas for him to implement! (Actually, his favourite gift was jars of my home-made lime marmalade, limes in my garden being so conveniently in season at this time of the year).
I thought about this while I was reading this highly enjoyable fictionalised account of the Great Air Race from England to Australia in 1919. If my father were still alive, I’d be sending Long Flight Home up to him for Father’s Day because he was always interested in history and there were gaps in his knowledge of OzHist because his schooling was in Britain. But I bet my mother would have snaffled it before he even had a chance to start on it because she had an adventurous streak, and she would have loved the combination of ‘boys-own-adventure’ and a romance sorely tested by the lure of adventure that overcomes the narrator of the story, Wally Shier.
Long Flight Home is based on the real-life story of the pioneering flight, but it’s not told from the PoV of the well-known aviation hero the pilot Ross Smith and his navigator and brother Keith Smith. Framed by storytelling at the pub in 1968, mechanic Wally Shiers narrates his story, from his reluctant enlistment during WW1 to his capture by the romance of early wartime aviation and his progress through the fledgling Australian air wing to become a sought-after mechanic for the race to win £10,000. His girl, Helena waits for him at home all through the war but her loyalty falters when Wally doesn’t come home as promised but instead goes to India with Smith and then back to England to prepare a plane for the race.
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2021/08/26/l...
I thought about this while I was reading this highly enjoyable fictionalised account of the Great Air Race from England to Australia in 1919. If my father were still alive, I’d be sending Long Flight Home up to him for Father’s Day because he was always interested in history and there were gaps in his knowledge of OzHist because his schooling was in Britain. But I bet my mother would have snaffled it before he even had a chance to start on it because she had an adventurous streak, and she would have loved the combination of ‘boys-own-adventure’ and a romance sorely tested by the lure of adventure that overcomes the narrator of the story, Wally Shier.
Long Flight Home is based on the real-life story of the pioneering flight, but it’s not told from the PoV of the well-known aviation hero the pilot Ross Smith and his navigator and brother Keith Smith. Framed by storytelling at the pub in 1968, mechanic Wally Shiers narrates his story, from his reluctant enlistment during WW1 to his capture by the romance of early wartime aviation and his progress through the fledgling Australian air wing to become a sought-after mechanic for the race to win £10,000. His girl, Helena waits for him at home all through the war but her loyalty falters when Wally doesn’t come home as promised but instead goes to India with Smith and then back to England to prepare a plane for the race.
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2021/08/26/l...
September 28, 2020
The First World War is over and air mechanic Wally Shiers has promised to return home to his fiancée,Helena Alford.But Wally never reckoned on charismatic fighter pilot Ross Smith,and an invitation to compete in the world's most audacious air race.A £10,000 prize has been offered for the first airmen to fly from England to Australia.Smith is banking on an open cockpit Vickers Vimy,a biplane with a fuselage that looks ominously like a coffin.And who can resist a hero? Wally writes to Helena to say he won't be home for another year-and the love of his life is bereft.This story recreates one of the most important-and largely forgotten-chapters in world aviation history.The tale spans the decades and crosses the globe,and at his journey's end we're left peering down from an open cockpit on 2 beacons of truth:There's no heroism without honour.There's no legacy without love.When WWI broke out, Wally worked as an electrician in Leeton and he met Helena in the neighbouring town of Narrandera.Wally enlisted as a trooper with the 4th Light Horse regiment in Sydney, in April 1915.He served with the light horse reserves.In late 1916 he came to the AFC as a driver.He became a fitter and turner in mid 1917.Wally was working with fellow mechanic Sgt Jim Bennett on the twin engines of the Handley Page aircraft flown by Capt.Ross Smith.In early 1919, the Australian government,and the RAC,offered £10,000 for the first flight from GB to Australia,under specific conditions.Valid air crews must be Australian nationals,the aircraft made in the British Empire,and the journey must be done in 30 days.The departure point Hounslow Heath Aerodrome.Vickers entered a converted Vimy bomber (G-EAOU),crewed by Captain Ross Smith and his brother Lt.Keith as copilot and mechanics Shiers and Bennett.They left at 8:30AM on 12th Nov 1919.It flew via Lyon,Rome,Cairo,Damascus,Basra,Karachi,Delhi,Calcutta,Akyab,Rangoon,Singapore,Batavia and Surabaya.They reached Darwin early Dec.The prize money was shared between everyone.The Smith brothers were knighted,and the company presented their aircraft to the government.Sadly,Ross and Bennett died in an aircraft crash in 1922.
November 30, 2019
I am not an aviation buff by any stretch, but this book captivated me with its combination of a fascinating (true) plot, plausible characters and vivid scenes. The protagonist and narrator Wally is especially well rendered as the self-effacing mechanic with a bit of a Napoleon complex, a foil to the charismatic pilot Ross. The challenges they face on their ill-advised quest to be the first to fly from England to Australia, especially their frequent attempts to lift off after being bogged down at refuelling stops along the way, make for gripping reading. Anderson masterfully evokes the combination of fear and determination the aviators must have felt as they made their perilous way across Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia in their Vickers Vimy claptrap.
December 31, 2019
I’ll say at the outset, I’m not keen on books about the war or aviation, but the amazing storytelling by Lainie Anderson means neither of these are a pre-requisite for a 5-star read.
This aviation race is such a vital part of Australian history, I was surprised how little I understood the importance of the Vicker’s Vimy and its crew.
After reading this fascinating tale of mateship, passion, perseverance and adventure, I feel all the richer in the knowledge I now have. Told from Wally’s point of view is just perfect, weaving romance around the bigger storyline - the love for his sweetheart and his desire to return home after a tough time in the war make it even more poignant.
A story that absolutely needed to be told - it’s a ripper!
This aviation race is such a vital part of Australian history, I was surprised how little I understood the importance of the Vicker’s Vimy and its crew.
After reading this fascinating tale of mateship, passion, perseverance and adventure, I feel all the richer in the knowledge I now have. Told from Wally’s point of view is just perfect, weaving romance around the bigger storyline - the love for his sweetheart and his desire to return home after a tough time in the war make it even more poignant.
A story that absolutely needed to be told - it’s a ripper!
May 2, 2024
I loved this book. I grew up looking at the Vickers Vimy at the Adelaide airport every time I visited the airport as a child. Knew the names of Ross and Keith Smith but didn’t really know the back story. This is the most delightful empathetic story through the eyes of Wally Shiers one of the 2 mechanics on the flight. What a story. WW1, the early days of aviation and the flight of the century. Ordinary people achieving extraordinary things. I’m proud of the number of South Australians who were at the forefront of aviation, including Hubert Wilkins who was another exceptional South Australian.
June 7, 2019
Australians love barracking for an underdog so casting Wally as the narrator was the true genius of this wonderful work of historical fiction. We rejoice in Wally’s triumphs, we feel desperate when he struggles, and we cry tears of joy and relief with him. Once author Lainie Anderson introduces Wally to us, we are instantly bonded in friendship. The beautifully written true story has us yearning to learn more about all sorts of details of war and aviation. This remarkable story of Adelaide pioneers, mechanic Wally Shiers and pilot Sir Ross Smith, is inspirational.
March 11, 2020
What an incredible story. Beautifully written in the first person from the perspective of one of the engineers, I was amazed this could be a true story. The historical significance of this journey is well deserving of such a well written and researched book. I was feverishly pulling out my iPad and searching locations mentioned along the route not to mention the historic types of aircraft recounted in this tale.
Lainie's writing paints a rich picture in vivid detail, it is like you were there for the ride. This would make a brilliant movie!
Lainie's writing paints a rich picture in vivid detail, it is like you were there for the ride. This would make a brilliant movie!
December 3, 2019
A wonderful story told through the eyes of engineer Wally Shiers, who had the best seat in the house (plane?) to witness the historic deeds of the Smith Brothers. Part boys-own adventure, part love story, but most importantly a well-written and free-flowing novel based on the one of the greatest aviation feats in history.
May 30, 2019
I couldn’t put it down. Long Flight Home has something for everyone. A historical fiction which details with great accuracy an incredible feat in aviation history, entwined with romance and enduring friendship. Beautifully descriptive. After reading I feel like I was in that cockpit with them.
June 26, 2019
What a wonderful story. Hard to believe that people can endure these conditions and still function. Lainie has beautifully brought to life an amazing story of courage and endurance. Something all Australians should be proud of. I couldn't put it down!
August 17, 2019
I really enjoyed reading this account of the Smith brothers and crew's first ever UK-Australia flight, as told through the eyes of mechanic Wally Shiers. It is based on sound research. Very easy to read and entertaining.
July 18, 2020
What an incredible story of courage and endurance told through the eyes of Wally Shirers. It was an amazing true story about a war and then a record setting race. Laine Anderson has told an incredible story.
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April 15, 2023Absolutely magical. So well crafted, I don’t know how this is achieved - but it’s masterful. I learned so much about an astounding moment in aviation history, and was also moved to tears. Bravo Lainie.
February 21, 2025
Really enjoyed this. An interesting time in history, told from the perspective of one of the engineers on the first successful flight from England to Australia. I really felt I was involved in their journey.
May 31, 2019
A great read, well researched, kept me involved from start to finish.
May 31, 2019
A wonderful tale of adventure, determination, friendship, bravery and love. Beautifully told from start to finish.
June 26, 2019
Couldn’t put it down! What a cracker! So brilliantly researched and written - it felt like I was with Wally every step of the way. Well done Lainie.
July 4, 2019
Could not recommend more highly!
November 28, 2019
The Long Flight Home is a great read. I thoroughly enjoyed the insight into Wally’s life. It gave you a real sense of being there and captured the amazing feeling of what it would have been like to be part of the journey of the greatest aviation race! Well done Lainie and well worth a read 😍😍
December 22, 2020
A fabulous story, easy to read.
November 24, 2021
Loved it!
September 20, 2024
Should be in the school curriculum for students to read!
Great yarn revolving around that great first flight (& the war beforehand & the road to departure) from Britain to Australia in 1919-20 with fabulously talented and extraordinarily skilful navigators and engineers; those Aussie heroes of the day who gave up so much more after the Great War, including love, in order to get that Vickers Vimy up and flying from each of their ports of call enroute to Darwin.
Lainie has served them well and her Churchill Scholarship to research the flight, has anchored this book amongst other brilliant historic reads of Australia's past; precisely South Australia, where some crew and indeed the Vimy, have lived or been laid to rest.
I thoroughly enjoyed the first person narration of Wal, the mechanic-protagonist, who tended to over indulge his tale as he told it at the bar of his local 'watering hole' but with misty eyes; as mine were too by the end! I highly recommend this superb tale of a real event, one that we all should know much more about! 4.5*
Great yarn revolving around that great first flight (& the war beforehand & the road to departure) from Britain to Australia in 1919-20 with fabulously talented and extraordinarily skilful navigators and engineers; those Aussie heroes of the day who gave up so much more after the Great War, including love, in order to get that Vickers Vimy up and flying from each of their ports of call enroute to Darwin.
Lainie has served them well and her Churchill Scholarship to research the flight, has anchored this book amongst other brilliant historic reads of Australia's past; precisely South Australia, where some crew and indeed the Vimy, have lived or been laid to rest.
I thoroughly enjoyed the first person narration of Wal, the mechanic-protagonist, who tended to over indulge his tale as he told it at the bar of his local 'watering hole' but with misty eyes; as mine were too by the end! I highly recommend this superb tale of a real event, one that we all should know much more about! 4.5*
August 28, 2021
Captivating!
May 31, 2019
What an amazing story researched and brought to life by obviously an extremely talented author. I loved the fact that it made you feel you were right there in the pub in Hilton to a time well before my years. I loved that it had it all romance, history and the importance of friendship no matter what!
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews