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SMITH**, SYDNEY: : Wings Day: The man who led the RAF's epic battle in German captivity. [Subject SIGNED+dated copy.]

LONDON.COLLINS,1968.

ISBN No ISBN.

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,SIGNED,1st edn,2nd imp. [First published,first impression, September 1968.Second impression,October 1968 - this particular edition.] VG/VG. Previous owner inscrptn+address,but also the subject's blue ink,shakily but legible handwritten initialled signature with his nickname in quotation marks and date thus: H. M. A Day "Wings" 22 3/69 - to title page,and price-clip to dw/dj.[At the time of this signing "Wings" Day was aged 71,and he lived another 8 years before his death in 1977.] Bright,crisp, clean,glossy laminated,blue+white striped horizontal bands illustrated front panel of dw/dj with red+black lettering,rear panel with subject's 2 b/w portrait photographs; with negligible shelf-wear and creasing to edges and corners - no major nicks or tears present.A couple of small closed tears and a small chip with reciprocal loss to rear top edges of dw/dj; a small (5/8ths") vertical tear at foot of spine/backstrip's front gutter's edge with some residue of 'ghost' sellotape marks.Very shallow rubbing+ chipping to foot of same and similar very shallow chipping (inevitable laminate breakdown/ageing) and flaking to bottom edges of dw/dj.Top+fore-edges very lightly toned but still bright and generally clean with minimal and barely perceptible, sporadic foxing/spotting; contents bright, tight,clean,solid and sound - near pristine - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corners,appears unread - apart from my own collation.Bright,crisp,clean, sharp-cornered,publisher's original plain blue cloth boards with bright,crisp, stamped gilt letters to spine/backstrip and near immaculate plain white endpapers - owner's inscrptn excepted.UK,8vo HB+ dw/dj,1st edn,2nd imp,9-252pp [paginated] includes 12 chapters,8pp contemporary, historical b/w auto+biographical photographs in 4 blocks of 2pp apiece, between pp48/9,pp64/5,pp160/61 and pp176/77 respectively - comprising 25 photographs etc.,in total,plus [unpaginated] blank,half-title page, subject SIGNED+dated title page, illustrations list/table (includes typo of missing number 4 to pp64 and 3 illustrations not credited/listed)and 4pp blanks at the rear.Described hard but fairly and honestly - nowhere as bad as it reads or sounds! A really acceptable example and a scarce SIGNED copy for the collector. See also my book ID rja639716 for UK,8vo HB minus dw/dj,SIGNED+dated,1st edn of 'REACH FOR THE SKY: The Story of Douglas Bader D.S.O.,D.F.C.' [a Subject SIGNED+dated copy.] 'Wings Day' by Sydney Smith (Squadron Leader Eric Sydney-Smith RAF) is an account of Day's exploits as a prisoner of war.The author was also a POW and was held with Day for several years.Harry Melville Arbuthnot Day also features heavily in the biography of Douglas Bader: 'Reach for the Sky' by Paul Brickhill and also 'The Great Escape',also by Brickhill.With films being made from those two books,Day himself,was the films' technical advisor. In October (Friday the 13th) 1939,Wing Commander H. M. A. Day took off from Metz in his Blenheim bomber on his squadron's first reconnaissance flight over Germany. Running out of cloud cover,he was promptly shot down by enemy fighters and taken prisoner. There could have been no greater anti-climax for a man brought up in the rigid traditions of the Royal Marines,and later the Royal Air Force,who had thought of war only in terms of death or glory. Unprepared for captivity,ignorant of its problems,Day sank into a moral lethargy from which he was aroused only by the arrival of other RAF prisoners,most of them half his age. They looked up to him,as Senior British Officer,for guidance,reassurance,hope, escape from prison and from frustration. 'Wings',as they called him,had to respond, had to fight first against himself. He did so,and discovered in himself not only all the qualities of a natural leader,but a remarkable resourcefulness in waging a war which pinned down thousands of German troops and civilians guarding and recapturing RAF prisoners. 'Wings' first put escape on an organized basis; from his camp the first successful RAF tunnel was dug; he developed code networks with home; he won the allegiance and affection of his fellow prisoners; he kept the Germans as happy as possible so that undercover activities could proceed. In between whiles he found time to escape himself on numerous occasions,even getting out of Sachsenhausen concentration camp. His story has remained untold till now because 'Wings' refused to tell it.Every lover of a gripping tale of dauntless courage will rejoice that he has at last been prevailed upon to do so to Sydney Smith. Since April 2013,again in March 2015,and in this year too,the UK Post Office has altered it's Pricing in Proportion template,altering it's prices,weight allowances,dimensions and lowered it's qualifying compensation rates too! So,please contact seller,because of the value of this item for correct,insured shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page!

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,SIGNED,1st edn,2nd imp.
H. M. A Day "Wings" 22 3/69.

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