A Bomber Command book with a difference. Rear Gunner Pathfinders is the story of the air war over Germany as seen from the small Perspex bubble of a 'Tail-End Charlie' rear gunner in a Lancaster. Flying firstly with 626 squadron, and later 156 Pathfinder squadron, Ron Smith flew 65 operations and recorded them with the intensity brought on by the isolation of being cocooned in his lonely gun turret.

My purpose is to encourage and help anyone who feels stuck, who is not sure where they're going on this journey called life.For most of my 75 years, like so many of us, I have had self-doubts and fear of failure, and put myself in so many categories like 'I'm not very clever', 'I'm not good at many things' or 'Other people are smarter, born gifted at music, technology, public speaking and life in general'.A year ago, I published my first book – The Boxer: My Journey to Life...

When Ron suggested to his wife that he wanted to leave his well-paid job with the state government so that he could help people become fit and healthy, her reaction was, "Who the hell would pay you to do that?""I don't know," he replied. "But let's make it work."So began The Centre for Lifelong Health and Fitness in Mt Eliza, a pretty bayside community on the Mornington Peninsula, one hour south of Melbourne, Victoria.And so continued Ron's journey towards his own h...

“What is a stroke?” This is the question that plagues Ron Smith as he emerges from the carpet bombing of his brain. The Defiant Mind: Living Inside a Stroke is a first-person account of a massive ischemic stroke to the brain stem. Smith takes the reader inside the experience and shows how recuperation happens ― the challenges of communication, the barriers to treatment, the frustrations of being misunderstood and written off, the role of memory in recovering identity, the power of continui...

Many people are surprised to learn that the city of Amarillo was actually founded twice. Originally settled by J. T. Berry in April 1887 and known as Oneida, the site of the town was located on such low ground that many residents feared it was susceptible to flooding. In 1888, one concerned resident named Henry B. Sanborn began buying land a mile east of the site as a potential place to relocate the town. In 1889, the town's fears came to fruition when heavy rains flooded the original town...

"The remarkable story of the survival of this unique statue"A result of 8 year's research, this book tells the story of the remarkable survival of a wooden statue from Aberdeen.It has survived the religious persecution of the 16th and 17th century, was smuggled into the Low Countries, and was again hidden there during wars and persecutions. It is in a church in Brussels today, where it is held in high regard.This book unveils a lot of the mystery and secrecy that ha...

10th March 2015 is the 400th anniversary of the death by hanging of Scotland's only post-Reformation saint, John Ogilvie.St. Thomas' Church, Keith, have produced a book about St. John Ogilvie. He was born at Keith, and died in Glasgow. He had a short life, full of intrigue and mystery, as it was illegal to be a priest in those days, and he often travelled around in disguise. This book tells all that is known of his life and work, and is inspiring and informative.

The Cessna 172 is unquestionably the world's most successful light aircraft. More than 43,000 have been built since 1956, and the type is in service all over the world. For many, it defines the experience of cross-country flying with family and friends. This small volume traces the origins of the Cessna 172 and highlights the features that have made it so successful. Comprehensively illustrated, with many previously unpublished photographs, the book includes a close-up look at an individua...

St. Thomas' Roman Catholic Church in Keith, Banffshire Scotland, is a very attractive building with a fascinating history. The majority of the finance for the construction came from King Charles X of France, and the huge oil painting that is the altar piece was painted by the royal painter, Francois Dubois. Built in 1831, the Church sits on the highest point in Keith, and its copper dome is a landmark. This book provides a glimpse into the history of this magnificent church, the various pr...

This book describes the heritage and development of the entire Piper Cherokee family; its safety and ownership characteristics; internal and external details; and a range of special variants from STOL modifications and new engines to seaplanes and tailwheel conversions. The hugely successful Piper PA-28 was produced and sold as a direct competitor to the Cessna 172. Initially produced with a rectangular wing planform and fixed undercarriage, it was available with installed powers ranging f...

The title of Ron Smith’s new collection comes from Yeats’s observation that creators “must go from desire to weariness and so to desire again, and live but for the moment when vision comes to our weariness like terrible lightning, in the humility of the brutes.” The poems in The Humility of the Brutes move beyond Yeats’s journey, using precise language and memorable phrasing to push through skepticism and guide us toward the mystical as we struggle to understand our past and our p...