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Above Us, The Stars: 10 Squadron Bomber Command - The Wireless Operator's Story Kindle Edition

4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 131 ratings

"A tremendous read, interweaving military, social and family history...beautifully written and unbearably moving."

"As good as it gets...the most engaging account of an ordinary bomber crew that this reviewer has ever had the privilege of reading" - History of War Magazine.

Over 55,000 young Bomber Command airmen made the ultimate sacrifice; thousands more of their comrades survived one of the bloodiest and most controversial campaigns of the Second World War, but never spoke about their experiences after the end of hostilities.

Above Us The Stars tells the story of one of those men, 20-year-old wireless operator Jack Clyde. Through contemporary documents, Jack's own notes, Squadron records, family testimony, interviews with Bomber Command veterans and German civilians, the author pieces together not only the story of Jack and his 10 Squadron Halifax crew, but also that of the family he left behind in the Durham mining town of Seaham Harbour.

Why did so many men like Jack remain silent? Why were they unwilling or unable to tell their stories? How did the families of the "Bomber Boys" cope? How did these young men deal with the death and destruction they wrought upon German civilians, and the loss of so many of their comrades?

The author explores the answers to these questions and more, and casts a new perspective on the RAF bombing campaign, in this vivid account of wartime in North East England, and of the experiences of the "Silent Heroes" of Bomber Command.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09S6WLG8L
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Hellsteeth Creative Ltd (February 9, 2022)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 9, 2022
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 9597 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 350 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 131 ratings

About the author

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Jane Gulliford Lowes
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** NEW - OUT NOW**

ABOVE US THE STARS: 10 SQUADRON BOMBER COMMAND -THE WIRELESS OPERATOR'S STORY PUBLICATION DATE SEPTEMBER 2020

I have a real passion for the people, places and history of North East England - I was born and grew up in County Durham. I write non-fiction books on social history and the Second World War. You can read more about me and my work at www.justcuriousjane.com.

My first book The Horsekeeper's Daughter was published in 2017. It tells the true story of one of the hundreds of women who left the North East mining villages in the 1880s to travel alone to Australia, to start new lives. Much to my amazement it's been an Amazon Best-Seller.

My second book, Above Us The Stars: 10 Squadron Bomber Command - The Wireless Operator's Story, focuses on the experiences of a young Bomber Command aircrewman during World War 2, and of the family he left behind in the small mining town of Seaham Harbour.

I've also published 2 ebooks, She Was Only A Coalminer's Daughter - Stories of a Seaham Childhood, and How to Write Your Family History - A Beginner's Guide, both exclusively available on Amazon Kindle.

I love to hear from readers with their thoughts on my work and about shared experiences, so please do leave feedback. You can find me on twitter @LydiaJane13.

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
131 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2023
I’ve read a lot of books on the subject of RAF crews in WWII, and this book stands out. I really love the personal focus and the additional details regarding the British civilian experience on the ground during bombings. I thought this book did an excellent job exploring the full spectrum of the subject, including the anxiety of waiting family members, the complex ethics of targeting German cities, and the mental toll of constant combat stress. Well done to the author: this book is an ESSENTIAL of the history of this campaign.
Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2023
I liked this book because it gave a view of the bomber offensive from the perspective of the wireless operator. There seem to be many similar entries for pilots and gunners, but few from the wireless operators position. The personal touch of why Jack went into bomber command also helped make it more understandable why so many young men of that era continued to fly operations in spite of the dangers. I recommend this book to any with an interest in the air war over europe.
Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2022
Plenty of top-notch (and some not so top-notch) books have been about WWII aerial combat; autobiographies and second-hand sources biographies alike, fighters and bombers alike, American, RAF, Japanese, and Luftwaffe alike. The thing is, most of these writings have been told from the perspective of the pilots.

With her excellent book “Above Us, the Stars,” author and historian Jane Guilliford Lowes takes an atypical, outside-the-box approach, as its focus is on an RAF Bomber Command crew’s lowly humble enlisted wireless radio operator, a certain Jack Clyde (R.I.P. and God bless) of 10 Squadron, who also happens to be the author’s late granduncle.

Ms. Lowes, in addition to giving Big Picture background on the air war between Britain and Germany, takes us from Jack’s experiences as a teenager during the early years of WWII in the humble coal mining town of Seaham (closest major city is Sunderland) and how his ordeal and that of his family and fellow townsfolk eventually motivated him to volunteer for the war effort via the RAF, from there making the transition from wet-behind-the-ears trainee to battle-hardened crewman and NCO.

Battle-hardened, but certainly not glorious. Jack and his flightmates endure the terror of German fighter interceptors and flak (AAA fire), the grief of the loss of beloved comrades & brothers-in-arms (as the author points out, RAF Bomber
Command suffered a mind-numbing 44% KIA rate, “the highest attrition rate of any Allied unit in the Second World War”), and, eventually, the pangs of guilt over the many thousands of German civilians killed by Air Marshall Arthur “Bomber” Harris’s air raids (wartime enmities and the evil of Hitler’s regime notwithstanding, we’re still talking human beings here). All of those, of course, tacked onto the pangs of separation from loved ones back home that are endemic to any war.

And the author also describes the shameful manner in which the RAF brass treated what we now know as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), cruelly and cold-bloodedly branding it’s psychologically-spent airmen with the proverbial scarlet letter of the “Lack of Moral Fibre” (LMF) label.

But in addition to all of the tragedy, the book is also full of the camaraderie and humour and light-hearted moments that are also inherent to a band of battle brothers.

As a lifelong military history buff, son of a WWII veteran, and Air Force veteran (USAF in my case), “Above Us, the Stars” gets my highest recommendation. Bully for you, Jane!
Reviewed in the United States on July 5, 2021
This is a wonderful book that tells the story of a British bomber crew member, Jack Clyde, in the Second World War. The author artfully weaves together not only Jack’s experiences in training and flying bombing raids over Europe, but also the story of his family and home town during the same time. His hometown (and even his family home) was damaged in a German bombing raid, so to have the direct experience of both ends of a bombing campaign in the same book is quite fascinating. The author does a great job of portraying the psychology and emotion of all of these aspects. It is a fresh take on these subjects, and the book is refreshingly different than any other book I have read on the Second World War or the bombing effort.
The research that went into the book is of the highest quality, and the author weaves in a lot of detail on a multitude of topics related to the aircraft, the unit, and the tactics of strategic bombing. Two of my favorite details in the book were on the carriage of homing pigeons to send distress messages and the German flak towers.
The book is super engaging and highly recommend it!

Top reviews from other countries

David At Burlington
5.0 out of 5 stars The Wireless Operator's Story
Reviewed in Canada on January 30, 2022
A wonderfully written Second World War story survival for two brothers-in-law in England's RAF and Royal Army and of their families' at home in the North Eastern mining town of Seaham Harbour. We're warmly introduced to all while learning of the 'hurry up and wait' of armed forces life quickly followed by abject terror, the loss of compatriots and reflections. The author, Jane Gulliford Lowes, shows us the inside of stunning nighttime bombings of Seaham, the loss of homes and neighbours and how those at home 'got on with it'. She also allows us light moments; I'll not forget the line "I dunno son, it's just come through the wall."
T Jackson
5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 11, 2024
Having read many books about bomber crews of world war 2 none have moved me emotionally as this one has, the fear, the terror the emotions these young lads went through is brought to life in this book, but not only the lives of the crew but the terror felt by the families at home, especially the small village of seaham harbour, who'd have thought a tiny North eastern coastal village could go through so much grief. A well written and well researched book, a must read for anyone who wants to know what the young lads of the RAF went through on a nightly basis as well as the sacrifice little communities went through, I highly recommend the moving little book.
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Liz
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 16, 2024
This is the second book by this author I have read and excellent book full of interesting facts
Carole Hope
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully and skilfully written
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 19, 2023
I cannot believe the one person who left a one star review, seems like spitefulness for the sake of it. I am in agreement with the five star reviews. This is my favourite type of war history book, centred on the experiences of real people that the writer has gleaned through primary sources as well as the recollections of family and their peers. She also does not shy away from addressing the controversial issue of the effects of the saturation bombing of German cities. The story of Bomber Command, and the huge losses of its personnel, is one I knew next to nothing about but this book has inspired me to find out more. It is a beautifully and skilfully written book which stirs every human emotion and I recommend it.
Ange
5.0 out of 5 stars Above Us ,The Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 23, 2024
This book is really good Great Buy

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