BLACK LYSANDER

The memoir of Wing Commander John Nesbitt-Dufort DSO C de G

Laid in signature of

MRAF Sir William Dickson

Jarrolds First Edition 1973.  124 pages plus photographs

A Fine condition hardback book in blue boards with a Fine condition unclipped dustjacket.  The book is clean, bright and tight; a smart, fresh copy. The signature is not attached to the book.

The author was a qualified flying instructor with over 2000 hours experience at the outbreak of war.  Missing the Battle of Britain because he was engaged in instructional duties, he had the knowledge that he had trained many of ‘The Few’ such as Billy Fiske.  However, he managed to find a way back onto operations with Special Duties Squadrons where he specialised in flying agents in and out of Occupied France on cloak and dagger missions. After crashing in France and evading capture he was awarded the DSO.

DSO Citation 1941: “This officer has carried out 16 operational sorties over enemy territory, involving attacks on aerodromes, as well as other flights of extreme importance. His skill, determination and courage have been of the highest order.”

Nesbitt-Dufort returned to test flying and then was appointed CO of 488 (NZ) Squadron during 1943. He later commanded a Night Fighter Wing flying Mosquitos and Spitfires.   In his career he flew over 10,000 hours on over 100 types of aircraft and had first-hand knowledge of what it was like to fly many of them in action. He wrote many articles for the aviation press on the various types he had flown but ‘Black Lysander’ is his scarce and sought after memoir which was published only 2 years before he died.

This is a very scarce book in this condition and complements Hugh Verity’s better known ‘We Landed by Moonlight‘ perfectly.