Gentleman Air Ace: The Duncan Bell-Irving Story

J.L. Granatstein is a history professor at York University and author of
War and Peacekeeping and For Better or For Worse.

Duncan Bell-Irving was one of the earliest Allied aces of the Great War
and this book, written by his daughter, is an affectionate account of
his life. One of the many children of H.O. Bell-Irving, a prominent
Vancouver figure, Bell-Irving joined the infantry at the outbreak of war
in 1914, transferred to a Scottish regiment and served in the trenches,
and then made his way to the fledgling Royal Flying Corps. After the
usual rudimentary training, he was posted to France, where he scored his
kills quickly, suffered grievous wounds, and passed through a long
recuperation, ending the war with two Military Crosses and in command of
a training establishment. O’Kiely has his letters, those of his
family, and a good body of official records, and she has produced a fine
specimen of family history and a genuine contribution to the early
history of military aviation.