The MURDER of TSR-2
The Birth and Death of a Mighty British Project
Signed by Stephen Hastings MC MP
Presentation inscription on the front end paper
from Stephen Hastings to Douglas Bader
To Douglas Bader
With my best wishes for
his prosperity & his indulgence!
Stephen Hastings
Macdonald First Edition 1966. 206 pages plus photographs
Fine condition hardback book in red boards. Clean bright and tight. With a Near Fine condition unclipped and unfaded dustjacket with some light staining to the back panel. A first class copy of this hard to find book.
Stephen Hastings’ ‘The Murder of TSR-2′ is one of the most influential books on Britain’s most controversial aviation cancellation. Written with the immediacy of an eyewitness account, it argues that the TSR-2 was destroyed not by technical shortcomings but by political decisions, budget pressures and procurement failures. Hastings makes a complex story into a compelling and readable narrative.
Its importance lies in its examination of the relationship between government, industry and national ambition. More than a history of a remarkable aircraft, it remains a cautionary study of how political choices can shape technological progress. With the benefit of hindsight, it forecasts only too clearly, the decline of the British Aerospace industry during the ’70s and ’80s.
The author was an officer in the Scots Guards during WWII, fighting in the Western Desert and with the SAS. Post war he was elected to Parliament in 1960 and had a strong interest in aviation, being a director of Handley Page Ltd.
Douglas Bader, the famous fighter pilot, was an outspoken advocate for British aviation and was often critical of political decisions that he believed weakened the UK’s aerospace industry. However there’s no record of a public intervention by him in the TSR-2 controversy.
A remarkably rare and collectable book for any aviation library.