New Book: War Torn Skies - Hertfordshire by Julian Evan-Hart

[Phantom_Major]

War Torn Skies ââ,¬â€œ Hertfordshire by Julian Evan-Hart. Published by Red Kite. Price: Ã,£14.95

The second in a series of books detailing the air battles and wartime activity over Britain focuses on Hertfordshire. It is now 222 years since the Italian diplomat Vincenzo Lunardi landed his balloon there, accompanied by his dog, cat and a caged pigeon. One of the first fatal military aircraft crashes happened in the county in 1912, and the first German airship (a Schutte-Lanz SL-11) to fall in Britain during World War 1 came down at Cuffley in 1916. The famous DeHavilland family based their aircraft manufacturing business at Hatfield, near to which is Salisbury Hall where the prototype Mosquito was designed and built, during World War 2 several Luftwaffe bombers were shot down in the county and American bombers were stationed at its airfields; all have contributed to the countyââ,¬â,,¢s rich aviation heritage. It is possible as in many counties to walk around unaware of many historical events and happenings in Hertfordshire as so few have attracted permanent memorials.

The aim of this work is to make the reader more aware of the history on their door-step. By utilising some of the eye-witness accounts, no longer available first hand with the passing of many witnesses, and wartime archives it hopes to stimulate further personal research avenues to be undertaken in the future; this can be immensely satisfying, as one never quite knows where such an undertaking may lead to.

Julian Evan-Hart is one of Britainââ,¬â,,¢s leading metal detector users, and has spent much of his life researching the history of his county, from the Iron Age to the Second World War. Julian is a regular contributor to metal detecting and treasure hunting journals and is co- author of the best selling book ââ,¬ËœBeginnerââ,¬â,,¢s Guide to Metal Detectingââ,¬â,,¢ he has recently featured in BBC2ââ,¬â,,¢s Time Watch and journeyed to Jordan as part of a expedition to locate the sites where Laurence of Arabia fought.