The author Malcolm Smith has been the Editor of Jabberwock the bi-annual journal of the Fleet Air Arm Museum for a short while & has inherited the complete archive of editions dating back to the formation of SOFFAAM in 1979. In browsing through these it quickly became apparent to him that they provided a unique archive of reminiscence of the men & (occasionally) women who served in or have been associated with the Fleet Air Arm since its formation in 1918. The Fleet Air Arm were the branch of the British Royal Navy responsible for the operation of naval aircraft & its history is a varied one as these accounts attest. The Royal Navy in common with the other armed services expanded enormously during the Second World War so anecdotes from this period naturally predominate. To illustrate the varied experiences of the contributors these are grouped into War in the West" & " War in the East". Whether drawn from peace or war however what emerges from these pages is a particular spirit peculiar to the Fleet Air Arm & reflecting its somewhat hybrid nature; a spirit derived from a high level of professional competence combined with a certain irreverence towards Authority."