MUCH has been written about the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War – from memoirs, biographies, histories of Fighter and Bomber commands, to technical studies of the aircraft, accounts of individual operations and exploits – but few have attempted to take the reader on a journey through basic training and active service as air or ground crew and the eventual demobilisation at the end of the war.

That is what Hexham-based military author and historian James Goulty has attempted with Eyewitness RAF: The Experience of War 1939-45, due to be published this month by Pen & Sword Ltd

Using a vivid selection of testimony from men and women, James – a member of the Local Hexham History Society – offers a direct insight into every aspect of wartime life in the service, with an emphasis on the individual’s experience, whether it be related to the preparations for flying, flying itself, the daily routines of an air base, time on leave, and the issues of discipline, morale and motivation.

And a particularly graphic section of the book describes, in the words of the men themselves, what it felt like to go on operations and the impact of casualties – airmen who were killed, injured or taken prisoner.

James, who holds a masters degree and doctorate in Military History from the University of Leeds, hoped that the book would give readers a realistic appreciation of the whole gamut of life in the RAF 70 years ago.

“I’ve had a long standing interest in military history,” said James. “As a youngster, I used to love going to places like the Durham Light Infantry Museum and the Royal Fusiliers Museum, in Alnwick. My dad used to take me to the Durham Light Infantry Museum every August because they had a military vehicles rally.

“I now have a particular interest in how men and women cope with military service, the training they do, and the experiences the ordinary men and women go through.

“The book is called RAF eyewitness, eyewitness very much because its based around what men and women experience, what they saw, what they thought.”

Although with the passing of years, speaking to veterans has becoming increasingly challenging, James was able to draw on family connections after his late grandfather, an intelligence officer in the Far East, wrote to him on the 50th anniversary of VJ in 1995.

He explained that he opened up about his experiences, which was very “moving,” as he’d never done so before.

The book also explores the stories of a man who always wanted to be a teacher, but was pulled into RAF service, a flight engineer who served in India and an elderly gentleman who suffered nightmares as a result of his experiences.

“I am hoping people will have a good appreciation of all of the different activity the RAF was involved with, though Fighter command and Bomber command were obviously very important, there’s more to it than that, and that people will have an appreciation of what women did with the WAF, and all the different kinds of trades and ground based activities which were necessary.

The book is split into eight chapters, and recently Pen & Sword Ltd republished James’ The Second World War Through Soldiers’ Eyes: British Army Life 1939-45 in paperback.