The RAF Museum Cosford will host a talk about Roald Dahl, presented by historian and former RAF pilot Graham Laurie on Saturday 10 September 2016.
‘Roald Dahl’s War’ will cover the writer’s life in the RAF and his subsequent rise to literary stardom.
Graham will examine Roald Dahl’s career as he went from employee of the oil company Shell, to fighter ace crashing in the Libyan desert.
So famous were his popular novels that Dahl’s RAF career has often been overlooked. But, at the age of 23, he enlisted in the RAF and began his training. Once qualified, he was posted to 80 Squadron based in North Africa.
In 1940, while on a flight to deliver new aircraft to his squadron, Dahl came into difficulties and crash-landed. He suffered severe head and back injuries as a result, which required him to spend almost six months recovering in hospital.
He re-joined 80 Squadron near Athens, and later took part in the Battle of Athens (1946). But, as a result of debilitating headaches after his crash in Libya, Dahl was no longer able to fly and was invalided to Britain.
The illustrated talk contains many of Dahl’s own photographs and will take place at 2pm on Saturday 10 September, just three days before what would have been Roald Dahl’s 100th birthday.
Places are limited, so anyone interested in attending is advised to book their place via the museum’s website: www.rafmuseum.org/cosford. Tickets cost £5 each.