Darlow, Steve/Gilbert, Dave Epitaphs of Bomber Command

During the Second World War, the Royal Air Force Bomber Command suffered unprecedented losses. Those who served, were killed and were found now rest in graves maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission throughout the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe. Of these, nearly 30,000 gravestones bear emotional and poignant epitaphs chosen by the next of kin, expressing their loss in different ways. Some families chose literary quotations or opted for a phrase in Latin or another language. Many wanted to honour the sacrifice made in battle against the enemy in defence of their country, or the sacrifice of a pilot who remained at the controls of his aircraft to save his crew. Other families referred to siblings of the airmen who had also lost their lives. There were also those who opted for gentle humour. Often, the epitaph mentioned the wife and children of the deceased, or the bereaved chose a sentence from the last letter they had received from their loved one. Others found their own words in their hearts. In Epitaphs of Bomber Command, Steve Darlow and Dave Gilbert select a hundred epitaphs and provide further details about the respective victims as well as insights into the words chosen for the inscriptions. Words that were limited by the number of letters allowed by the War Graves Commission. Published eighty years after the end of the Second World War and focusing specifically on RAF Bomber Command, this collection offers a direct and sobering insight into the cost of war on a personal level.