Brought into service late 1941, it superseded the Manchester bomber which had not lived up to expectations. He lets those who did the fighting have their say and they themselves are very aware of the tragedy they participated in. Ostensibly a tribute to the RAF bomber that helped win World War II, Nichol's book actually ends up being more of a tribute to the men who flew the Lancaster.

This book would set them straight on how thousands of men were killed and families ripped apart in a war not of their making.

Lancaster: The Forging of a Very British Legend makes it clear that whilst the area bombing undertaken by the Commonwealth bomber squadrons over Europe during WW2 might have had moral implications, for the men who flew the missions their job was, at heart, to defeat a monstrous enemy and stay alive for as long as possible. All vans and trailers (including single axle trailers) must make an appointment to visit a recycling centre.

I had the honour of meeting one of the vets in the book who was volunteering at the Battle of Britain memorial flight near Woodhall Spa. My first experience of Lancaster's was in making Airfix kits of them, even in polystyrene form, the elegance of the design the majestic sense of power is so clear.

Nichol tackles that dichotomy head on with precious eyewitness accounts from both the bombers and the bombed. When I first selected this book I thought that, based on its title, it would be a rather straightforward account of the design, production and operational history of the Avro Lancaster. The notion that many a hurried liaison may have taken place in the back of a partially assembled Lancaster on the Avro production lines, is an angle on history I had not seen before. By recording their bravery, humility, camaraderie, tragedy and sheer joy in flying their beloved Spits he has done them, and us, a valuable service.