John Nichol

From the esteemed author John Nichol comes Lancaster, a compelling, poignant, and deeply human tribute to the Avro Lancaster bomber and the courageous individuals who flew and maintained her during one of the most tumultuous times in history. Nichol, a former RAF Tornado Navigator and Gulf War veteran, weaves a narrative that blends meticulous historical research with gripping personal stories,...

THE SUNDAY TIMES NON-FICTION BESTSELLER WHSmith NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR 2018 'The best book you will ever read about Britain's greatest warplane' – Patrick Bishop, bestselling author of Fighter Boys 'A rich and heartfelt tribute to this most iconic British machine' – Rowland White, bestselling author of Vulcan 607 'As the RAF marks its centenary, Nichol has created a...

Former Tornado Navigator John Nichol tells the incredible story of the RAF Tornado force during the First Gulf War in 1991; the excitement and the danger, the fear and the losses. It is an extraordinary account of courage and fortitude. ‘We were doing about 620 miles-per-hour, 200 feet above the desert, in total darkness. Everything was running on rails as...

The unprecedented scale and destruction of the First World War meant that hundreds of thousands of soldiers perished without being properly identified in death. Over 300,000 names were left without bodies to match; bodies, or fragments of bodies, were left without names. Three hundred thousand families waiting in vain to know what happened to their loved ones. In response to...

THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP 10 BESTSELLER Chosen by WATERSTONES as one of their BEST HISTORY BOOKS for 2024 ‘Compelling… [Nichol has a] terrific eye for detail; an ability to blend tear-jerking letters, quotation and personal anecdotes into a rich, thought-provoking narrative’ Daily Telegraph Over one million British Empire soldiers died during the First World War. More than a century later,...

Eject! Eject! When the call is made to abandon an aircraft, it's only the beginning of the story... From the Sunday Times bestselling writer John Nichol, author of Spitfire, Lancaster, and Tornado, comes a brilliant new book that reveals the astonishing story of an invention that has saved many thousands of lives around the world, including his own: the ejection...

(Previously published as After the Flood) Former RAF Tornado Navigator and Gulf War veteran John Nichol sets out on a personal journey to discover what happened to 617 Squadron after the flood. RAF 617 Squadron’s destruction of the dams at the heart of the Ruhr made them heroes and celebrities of their time. But this elite squadron was also called...

‘Catapults you into the heart of the most epic experiences of ejection, escape and survival’ Andy McNab Since the invention of the ejection seat in the 1940s, tens of thousands of lives have been saved—including John Nichol's. Now, Nichol tells the incredible story of the ejection seat in war and in peace—and of the men and women who were given...

An exceptional piece of work; powerful, vivid and compelling – Rowland White, author of Vulcan 607 The Second World War was not only fought in the skies above Europe or on distant beaches. Between 1939 and 1945, Hitler’s aerial onslaught crashed into lives across the UK night after night, killing more than 60,000 civilians and leaving millions homeless. May 2026...