Camel Combat Ace
The Great War Flying Career of Edwin Swale CBE OBE DFC*
Barry M Marsden
* An enthralling biography of an overlooked Great War hero.
* Captain Edwin Swale destroyed seventeen enemy aircraft over the course of his First World War career, for which he garnered acclaim. Since then, however, his name and story have slipped from the public's awareness.
*All his operations, patrols, bombing and strafing missions and bombe
This work follows the First World War career of Captain (later wing commander) Edwin Swale, CBE DFC and bar, who served with 210 Squadron RAF, piloting Sopwith Camel scouts between March and October 1918. During this timeframe, he destroyed seventeen enemy aircraft, the majority being the formidable Fokker DV11. He undertook a series of perilous operations, including patrols, bombing and strafing missions and bomber escorts.
After the cessation of hostilities, he continued his flying career by piloting gliders over his native Derbyshire. He rejoined the RAF during the Second World War and ended the conflict as an intelligence officer in charge of Ultra operations with the 2nd TAF. His son Duncan also served in the RAF during the Second World War, flying low-level intruder operations in de Havilland Mosquitoes and earning a DFC and a US DFC. Swale also gave noted service to his native Chesterfield as a councillor, alderman, mayor and JP.
This is his story, told in full and thrilling detail.
Barry M. Marsden is an esteemed author and historian. Previous publications released include Portraits of Heroes: Derbyshire Fighter Pilots in the Second World War (2011, Amberley Publishing), Tracks and Trackless: Chesterfield's Trams and Trolleybuses (2012, Amberley Publishing) and Prehistoric Pathfinders: Pioneers of English Archaeology (2014, Fonthill Media). He lives in Eldwick, West Yorkshire.
"…a well detailed and illustrated book… Marsden's book is highly recommended."
- Over the Front, Autumn 2017
Camel Combat Ace Reviews
Confrontation The War with Indonesia 1962 – 1966
Nicholas van der Bijl
Luck of a Lancaster
Gordon Thorburn
The Hunt For Martin Bormann
Charles Whiting
The Napoleonic Wars
J J Jenkins
Scattered Under the Rising Sun
James Falkner's Guide to Marlborough's Battlefields
James Falkner
Royal Navy Submarines
Maurice Cocker
Stilwell and the Chindits
Jon Diamond