Many of you will be familiar with Association Member Peter Sharpe’s excellent website No. 630 Squadron – “A tribute to those that served” which provides a comprehensive history of 630 Squadron’s time at East Kirkby.
Peter has now published an operational history of 630 Squadron: “Death by Night” No. 630 Squadron – an Operational History (Aviation Books, 2024, ISBN: 9781915335500).
The Association’s Information Officer, Wendy Rothery, writes the following:
It is rare to find a book that blends a readable narrative with detailed information, but Peter Sharpe has achieved just that with “Death by Night”. The work is meticulously researched and provides a comprehensive record of No. 630 Squadron and its Lancaster operations between its formation in November 1943 and disbandment in May 1945.
Peter’s research has uncovered precious photographs of a number of the 1199 aircrew who flew operationally with the Squadron and these help draw attention to the fact that most of them were very young men at the time. The black and white images assume an added poignancy when linked with the cataloguing of the steady toll of casualties and the knowledge that so many of these brave men did not live to see their 30th birthdays; some were not even old enough to have the vote.
The narrative brings together multiple sources and forms a rich picture of the Squadron’s operations from RAF East Kirkby. It also traces the further exploits of some of those who flew with the Squadron and subsequently transferred to other units to meet with success or a place on the Roll of Honour. The inclusion of personal memories from a generation now almost entirely lost to us, serves vividly to illustrate the realities of Bomber Command operations.
This excellent book, which encompasses the complete history of a single squadron, will be of interest to aviation enthusiasts and serious historians alike. It is not only a reference work in its own right, it stands as a tribute to the men of No. 630 Squadron, a full third of whom met ‘Death by Night’, and their Squadron brothers in arms who continued to fly and fight despite the odds.
It is available to purchase directly from the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre and from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Death-Night-Peter-Sharpe/dp/1915335507/
All royalties from sales support the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre.
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