{"product_id":"rom-khaki-to-blue-air-commodore-r-j-brownell-1st-edition","title":"From Khaki to Blue, Air Commodore R.J. Brownell — 1st Edition","description":"\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"2\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"2\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003ePublication:\u003c\/b\u003e Canberra, The Military Historical Society of Australia, 1978\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"3\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"3\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eFormatting:\u003c\/b\u003e 8vo, pp. [viii], 218, [18] (photographic plates).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"4\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"4\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eCondition Report:\u003c\/b\u003e Very Good. The stiff card pictorial wrappers are remarkably bright, exhibiting only minor shelf-wear to the extremities, primarily slight rubbing and tiny creases to the corners and spine ends. The binding remains notably tight and square, entirely uncreased at the spine, indicating the book has seen little to no reading wear. Internally, the text block is clean and crisp, free from the significant foxing, structural splitting, or toning often found in publications of this era, presenting as a highly attractive and well-preserved copy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"5\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"5\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eCatalogue Note:\u003c\/b\u003e This is the true first edition of Brownell’s posthumously published military autobiography. The volume is comprehensively illustrated with a frontispiece portrait and several sections of black-and-white photographic plates detailing his extensive career.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"6\"\u003eThis edition has become increasingly scarce on the open market. The majority of surviving copies tend to suffer from heavy structural wear or binding splits due to the thickness of the text block and the glued softcover binding, making a tightly bound, well-preserved example highly desirable for aviation and military historians.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"7\"\u003e\u003ci data-path-to-node=\"7\" data-index-in-node=\"7\"\u003eFrom Khaki to Blue\u003c\/i\u003e is the captivating autobiography of Air Commodore Raymond James Brownell, chronicling a remarkable military career that spanned the entirety of both World Wars. Beginning his service at age 18 in the Australian Field Artillery at Gallipoli and the Western Front—where he was awarded the Military Medal—Brownell soon transitioned to the Royal Flying Corps, becoming a highly decorated fighter pilot credited with at least 13 aerial victories. He later commanded RAAF units in Malaya and Morotai during the Second World War. Compiled from his detailed personal diaries and finished posthumously, this intimate account offers an invaluable primary-source perspective on the evolution of Australian military aviation, from the mud of the trenches to the command of the skies.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Broadhursts Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54385184506195,"sku":"4728","price":28.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0960\/1469\/6787\/files\/20260717_193039.jpg?v=1784807465","url":"https:\/\/broadhurstsbooks.com\/products\/rom-khaki-to-blue-air-commodore-r-j-brownell-1st-edition","provider":"Broadhursts Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}