This story is about 19 year old Paul Townend as he joins the
British air force in World War 1. The book starts out with there being an announcement
about a war that has started and Canada supporting Britain. Paul’s brother immediately
signs up in the army and he travels to Britain to fight. 2 years pass and it is
nearing Paul’s 19 birthday, when he sees an airplane fly by their farm. He immediately
knows what part of the army he wants to join. On his 19 birthday he signs up
for the Royal Naval Air Service [ RNAS ] and travels to the Curtiss Aviation
School where he trains in the Curtiss Jenny, a plane used to train pilots.
While he is there he quickly becomes friends with Billy Barker and they become
best friends. Once his training finishes there, he goes to Red Cross where he
continues his training, this time on how German craft look like and how to
shoot them down and using maps. On one training mission he runs out of fuel and
crash lands in a farm where he meets a girl named Nellie and they strike up a
very close friendship. After several air attacks and taking down a Zeppelin
Paul is offered a leave where he visits Nellie and meets Robert again. Several
more fights and bombing pass when Paul fights the infamous Red Baron and
suffers a concussion. Paul recovers soon enough and begins fighting once again
until, in a dogfight, Billy’s plane crashed against another plane and catches fire
and toward the ocean. Paul writes a letter to Billy’s parents on how Billy was
a great friend and how he will always be remembered. Later on when is flying an
Armstrong Whitworth F.K.8, the Germans attack and Paul suffers a concussion.
This one is major so Paul’s career as a pilot is over. In the meantime he and
Nellie have been engaged and once Paul returns to Red Cross, he marries her. In
the end Paul and Nellie go home to Canada.
This is the first book I read in the "I AM CANADA" series.
