Share <Embed>

Buy New

$20.86

List Price: $39.95
Save: $19.09 (48%)

FREE Shipping on orders over $25—or get FREE Two-Day Shipping with Amazon Prime

Only 1 left in stock (more on the way).

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Turn on 1-Click ordering for this browser

Ship to:

Select a shipping address:

Other Sellers on Amazon

Add to Cart

$14.00
+ $3.99 shipping

Sold by: BLUECOAT BOOKS

Have one to sell? Sell on Amazon

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See this image

Home is the Halifax: An Extraordinary Account of Re-building a Classic WWII Bomber and Creating the Yorkshire Air Museum to House It Hardcover – August 19, 2010

by Ian Robinson (Author)

2 customer reviews

See all 3 formats and editions Hide other formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Kindle

"Please retry"

$19.82

—

Hardcover

"Please retry"

$20.86

$14.00

$10.35

Between 1935 and 1945, Yorkshire became home to 41 military airfields, the majority located in the Vale of York. The area was often referred to as a land-based aircraft carrier. The author, aged 16, became involved in this vast aviation activity when he started work with the Handley Page aircraft manufacturer at their repair depot at Clifton, York, where Halifax bombers used by 4 Group RAF and 6 Group Royal Canadian Air Force, were repaired and test flown.

At the age of 17, Ian was selected for flying training at Handley Page’s main airfield at Radlett in Hertfordshire, returning to Clifton and becoming flight engineer to the company test pilots. Some 30 or so squadrons operated from these Yorkshire airfields and the Book of Remembrance in York Minster records more than 18,000 names of those killed flying from these Yorkshire bases. Postwar, Ian felt aggrieved that very little was left commemorating these sacrifices and certainly little was left of the Halifax bomber. So when, in 1983, a small group of aviation enthusiasts got together to create a commemorative museum at Elvington, near York, Ian was eager to join them. He became a pivotal player in forming the charity which became the Yorkshire Air Museum and Allied Air Forces Memorial. Ian said at the time that such a museum without a Halifax would be like a frame without a picture – and so the idea to rebuild a WWII Halifax was born. Starting with a derelict fuselage which had been used as a hen-coop on a farm on the Isle of Lewis, he set about gathering all the hundreds of bits needed to complete this mammoth task.

This fascinating book, full of contemporary photos, is Ian’s account of those 13 extraordinary years before Friday the 13th was rolled out on Friday, 13th September, 1996, and it also faithfully records Ian’s part in building the Yorkshire Air Museum, one of the foremost museums of its kind in the world.

REVIEWS

“..a lasting memorial to Mr. Robinson and his dedication to the Halifax and Yorkshire Air Museum…if you enjoy aviation history and preservation, this will be of interest.”
IPMS, 12/6/20110

Home is the Halifax: An Extraordinary Account of Re-building a Classic WWII Bomber and Creating the Yorkshire Air Museum to House It

$20.86
FREE Shipping on orders over $25—or get FREE Two-Day Shipping with Amazon Prime Only 1 left in stock (more on the way). Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Special offers and product promotions

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ian Robinson is a World War II veteran and author of "Home is the Halifax: An Extraordinary Account of Re-Bulding a Classic WWII Bomber and Creating the Yorkshire Air Museum to House It".

Hardcover: 160 pages
Publisher: Grub Street Publishing (August 19, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1906502773
ISBN-13: 978-1906502775
Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 0.8 x 9.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 2 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,976,785 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3686 in Books > History > Military > Vehicles
- #10907 in Books > History > Military > Aviation
- #37211 in Books > History > Europe > Great Britain

Would you like to tell us about a lower price?
If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through seller support?

If you buy a new print edition of this book (or purchased one in the past), you can buy the Kindle edition for only $2.99 (Save 85%). Print edition purchase must be sold by Amazon. .

Start reading Home is the Halifax on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Customer reviews

3.5 out of 5 stars

5 star		0%
4 star		50%
3 star		50%
2 star		0%
1 star		0%

Write a customer review

See all verified purchase reviews

Top customer reviews

Interesting, but not compelling

ByCharles Hallon January 18, 2012

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

I'm not sure what I expected from this book, in fact I wasn't clear if these were Canadians or English restorers putting a plane together. It turns out these are British veterans trying to recreate a Halifax bomber from parts they've scrounged up.

It's amazing that so few of these bombers survived the war. These guys find part of fuselage being used as a chicken coop, some wings from a later airplane that had identical wings, bits from crash sites, a turret sitting in a garden and some parts they had to make themselves. The result is a non-flying but otherwise very close recreation of a Halifax bomber.

The story is told by one of the museum organizers, and much of the book is a chronicle of managing all the volunteers and finding land and materials for the museum buildings. It sounds like the whole thing has been a tremendous success.

So it's an interesting book, but don't expect a nuts & bolts account of rescuing a plane from the scrap heap and flying it again.

0CommentWas this review helpful to you?YesNo

Interesting and Informative

ByPaul Bradleyon February 9, 2012

Format: Hardcover

The Handley-Page Halifax was one of Britain's best 4-engined bombers but, like the Hurricane to the Spitfire, was overshadowed by the Avro Lancaster as a media darling. It didn't help that no original Halifax airframes existed in the world, outside of a sorry example pulled from a Norwegian fjord in the early 70's and displayed in an un-restored state at the RAF Museum in London - a pitiful state of affairs.

In the early 1980's, a nascent aircraft enthusiast group in Yorkshire, heard about a section of Halifax rear fuselage being used as a chicken coop in the wilds of the Shetland Islands off the Scottish coast. Following its recovery the daring plan to create a complete Halifax facsimile was conceived. This book is the story of that project, and the museum that was born from it, from start to triumphal finish in 1996. It's a museum I have had the privilege of visiting on a couple of occasions and had a thoroughly enjoyable time on both visits. Seeing Friday the 13th, as the airframe is known, is a tremendous experience.

The author, Ian Robertson, was one of the leading instigators of the group and his story is told in an informal and anecdotal, but informative style, in some ways reflecting the manner in which the project was carried out. The book has the feeling of a scrapbook, with stories and reminisces scattered throughout alongside personal photos, which are not always of the best quality, but with some really interesting historical data and photos incorporated.

Sadly, as reported in a recent issue of Flypast magazine, Mr. Robertson passed away in 2010 shortly after the book was finished. As such, the book stands as a lasting memorial to Mr. Robertson and his dedication to the Halifax and the Yorkshire Air Museum.

If you enjoy aviation history and preservation, this will be of interest. And should you happen to be in the area of York, not only is the historic and picturesque city well worth a visit, but a side trip to the Yorkshire Air Museum is highly recommended as well.

11 comment One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Set up an Amazon Giveaway

Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers. Learn more about Amazon Giveaway

This item: Home is the Halifax: An Extraordinary Account of Re-building a Classic WWII Bomber and Creating the Yorkshire Air Museum to House It

Set up a giveaway

Pages with related products. See and discover other items: Rc Flight Controllers

Buy New $20.86