Heroes of the Skies

Flying Heroes tells the extraordinary stories behind Lord Ashcroft's collection of British and Commonwealth flying gallantry medals—the largest collection of its kind in the world. The book includes the stories of 80 men, mainly airmen and pilots during WWI and WWII. These include iconic fighter aces from WWI and Lt. Leefe Robinson who shot down the first Zeppelin, proving they weren't invincible. From WWII, there are Battle of Britain pilots, members of Bomber Command, and men involved in the Dambusters raid, and the Great Escape. The stories include those of British, Czech, Polish, Russian, Australian, and New Zealand arime as well as awards made for gallantry in the Falklands and in Northern Ireland.

Lord Ashcroft has a life-long interest in bravery and gallantry medals and has one of the largest collections in the world, including 180 Victoria Crosses, which are now on display in the Ashcroft Gallery in the Imperial War Museum. Lord Ashcroft is also Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party, an international businessmen and philanthropist.