Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms What are we reading?

I have just finished:

One Woman's War by Eileen Younghusband - an excellent biographical tale of one of the WAAF plotters / filterers who made Watson-Watt's radar really effective.

A few weeks ago, I read:
Britain's Shield: Radar and the Defeat of the Luftwaffe by David Zimmerman - details the development of Radar and how Watson-Watt and the extended team made it a reality. It also describes some of the competing systems that were being seriously considered.

The two books together tell a powerful story of technology working best when people get organised.

What have you just read?

Also suggest Watching The Skies by Jack Gough

From The RADAR Pages
Gough, Jack, Watching The Skies - The History of Ground Radar in the Air Defence of the United Kingdom, HMSO, London, 1993, ISBN 0 11 772723 7, 0117 727 237 8216.

This book describes the birth and development of air defence radar in the UK. Jack Gough gives us a fascinating behind the scenes look at the military and political considerations involved in the air defence of Great Britain as well as describing the systems and equipment in detail. If you served on post war R.A.F. air defence radar and wondered why on earth we did things the way we did then this book should answer many of your questions. The wartime, post war and cold war periods are covered in detail, as are the rationales behind the Rotor and Linesman/Mediator systems. This book is a prime source and something of a philosopher's stone for anyone researching British air defence radar as its author served his country for 34 years at the very heart of British radar development.



I am related to the author

Pete

Ray organised a weekend at Defford airshow couple of years ago at Croft Farm but it was rained off. We went to RAF Defford where they had radar research going on. A nice day despite the weather.
On a car theme I just finishe James Hunt by Maurice Hamilton. Enjoyed it a lot as it brought back memories of F1 at that time.

Total Competition - the Ross Brawn / Adam Parr book on competitive strategy.

For me it's half work, half play interest.

The book's written as a conversation, with Parr setting the context, and asking the questions. He'd just finished a Phd on strategy at Cambridge, so he's a smart cookie who knows their subject.

Ross Brawn built teams that won 22 world championships - none has won more.
There's lots of insight on building managing & motivating teams, as well as on strategy.

Gravity's Rainbow by Pynchon - this book was claimed (but denied) as a big influence on David Foster Wallace, especially his earlier novels. Not quite as poetic as Wallace imho, but just as vast in its scope.

Just started reading Mein Kampf, out of curiosity about the recent Institute of Contemporary History reprint. I knew it would be a harrowing read, and two chapters in it is - but not yet for the reasons I anticipated. I expected the incoherent ramblings of a monster, what I found was a very self-aware and well-written insight from a young guy figuring out what he thought about the world. There is a very genuine human concern for other people, especially the poor. The unfathomable tragedy is how this led to the poison of the later chapters.

Not many of you will remember these - I use to deliver them (3 customers for these) before school on my paper round.

My best read this past year was The Narrow Road to the Deep North, the 2014 Booker Prize winner by Richard Flanagan. This tells you how far I have fallen behind on my reading and since I logged on to TM! It's a harrowing account of the the Burma railway inspired by the authors father but also wonderful writing about war, fathers, wives and mistresses. Richards father died just as the book was completed.

I've also read - The World Beyond Your Head by Matthew B. Crawford. He's the tradesman's philosopher.

I've just finished "Madame Curie" by Eve Curie.

What an absolute genius and the conditions she worked in are desolate.

Two of her quotes. "Have no fear of perfection; you'll never reach it."
"Nothing in life is to be feared; it is only to be understood."

Clearly she was not burdened with an ego !

Very harrowing indeed. Great book.

I've just finished George Millar's book Maquis about his time as the SOE agent in the Besancon area. Amazing story and really well written. "Horned Pigeon", his account of his escape as a POW and successful return to Blighty is next on my "to buy" list

I'm now reading Billy Moss's account of his and Paddy Leigh Fermor's kidnapping of German General Heinrich Kreipe on Crete in 1944. Very good too.

I'm on a bit of a kick on this sort of thing as before that I had re-read Fitzroy Maclean's wonderful "Eastern Approaches", which I last read about 30 years ago. Even better second time around as my appreciation of the history of that period is much greater than when I was a feckless youth. In particular the part of the book covering his time in Yugoslavia with Tito is really fascinating.

Also really enjoyed re-reading Olivia Manning's Balkan trilogy followed by her Levant trilogy (which I'd not previously read; as they are a sequel to the Balkan Trilogy I decided to re-read that first).

My other recent reads have been two of JG Farrell's Empire trilogy; "Troubles" and "The siege of Krishnapur". I still have the final one, "The Singapore Grip" to go. He's up there with Paul Scott for fiction about the legacy of Britain's Imperial past.

Crikey Giles, you are a glutton for trilogies - how do you find the time!

One of my resolutions this year is to find time to read every day. I enjoyed Singapore Grip - had no idea it was one of a trilogy, so will look forward to reading the preceding volumes.