Twenty-five lives - and fifty-six thousand more

This book is intended as a tribute to my generation of Australians through the lives of twenty-five men and women whose lives touched mine. Several of those twenty-five flew with me as members of the 110,000 aircrew who served in Bomber Command of the Royal Air Force.

Several of the twenty-five were mentors to me, and helped mould my commercial life. A few worked in my publishing companies. The diligence and the courage of those who served in my aircrew were major factors in my coming through the 1939-45 war physically unscathed. The rest were friends whose lives touched mine at various stages of my life. To each I owe a debt of gratitude, for there is nothing more comforting or important in life than to have friends.

I was greatly honoured by being invited by the family of each of twenty-three of those included to speak at their funeral or at a later commemorative service or to write a tribute for publication Never an easy task, but one which gave me an opportunity to express my personal warmth for the person and the high regard they were held in the wider community.