Wings, 1913-1945 : Royal Flying Corps, Royal Naval Air Service, Canadian Aviation Corps, Royal Canadian Naval Air Service, Canadian Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force, Fleet Air Arm, Royal Air Force, Armies of Great Britain and Canada

"Wings, 1913-1945: Royal Flying Corps, Royal Naval Air Service, Canadian Aviation Corps, Royal Canadian Naval Air Service, Canadian Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force, Fleet Air Arm, Royal Air Force, Armies of Great Britain and Canada" by Warren Carroll is a reference work aimed squarely at collectors, historians, and enthusiasts of military aviation insignia and Commonwealth air force history. As the extensive title suggests, the book's scope is broad, tracing the evolution of aviation branches within the British and Canadian armed forces from the earliest days of military flight in 1913 through the end of the Second World War in 1945.

This span of over three decades covers a period of extraordinary transformation in military aviation. The book begins in the years just before the First World War, when the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service were newly established and aviation itself was still an experimental and often perilous undertaking. It follows these organizations through the upheavals of the First World War, the interwar period of reorganization and consolidation, and into the Second World War, by which time air power had become a central pillar of military strategy. Along the way, the book addresses the parallel development of Canadian aviation services, including the Canadian Aviation Corps, the Royal Canadian Naval Air Service, the Canadian Air Force, and eventually the Royal Canadian Air Force, reflecting the close ties between British and Canadian military structures during this era.

Given its title, the book appears to function primarily as a reference or catalog, likely focused on the insignia, badges, or "wings" awarded to personnel across these various branches. This type of reference material serves an important niche within military history and militaria collecting communities. Such badges are not merely decorative; they represent qualification standards, unit affiliations, and periods of service that can be difficult to research without a dedicated resource. For collectors seeking to identify and authenticate historical pieces, or for researchers trying to understand the organizational distinctions between similarly named units across different eras, a work like this can be genuinely valuable.

The breadth of organizations covered is notable. Beyond the well-known Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force, the book extends its attention to the Fleet Air Arm and to the broader army context in Great Britain and Canada. This inclusive approach acknowledges that aviation history cannot be neatly separated from the ground forces and naval services from which many early aviators were drawn. The Royal Naval Air Service, for instance, operated under naval command before its merger with the Royal Flying Corps in 1918 to form the Royal Air Force, and understanding these transitions is essential to making sense of the insignia and structures discussed.

The Canadian dimension of the book is particularly interesting, as Canadian aviation history is sometimes overshadowed by British and American narratives in general military history writing. Canada's aviation corps went through several distinct phases, including a brief and largely unsuccessful attempt at an independent Canadian Air Force after the First World War, followed by a more sustained development of the Royal Canadian Air Force in the interwar and wartime periods. A book that traces these organizational changes alongside their British counterparts offers useful context for understanding how Commonwealth air forces developed both independently and interdependently.

As with many specialized reference works, the audience for this book is likely to be relatively narrow but deeply engaged. Casual readers seeking a narrative history of aviation in this period may find the format less accessible than a traditional history book, particularly if the content leans heavily toward technical details of insignia, dates, and organizational charts rather than storytelling. However, for those with a specific interest in militaria, uniform history, or the administrative development of Commonwealth air services, this specificity is precisely the appeal.

Overall, "Wings, 1913-1945" appears to fill a useful gap for those researching the visual and organizational history of British and Canadian military aviation during a formative period. Its value will depend largely on the depth and accuracy of its documentation, but the scope alone signals a serious and comprehensive undertaking by Warren Carroll.