BY BRIAN BRIDEMAN. PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR 1989, £ 19.50

I fear that many people with an interest in the Spanish Civil War may overlook this book, because of the bland and uninformative title. This would be a pity, as it is a fascinating work on a rather neglected subject. So what is it about?

'The Flyers' tells the story of British and Commonwealth airmen in the Spanish Civil War and various other conflicts from 1919 to 1940. Whilst there is coverage of pilots involved in the Gran Chaco War and the Sino-Japanese War, for example, the bulk of the book's 250 odd pages is devoted to the aviators of the Spanish Civil War. This includes some details of the American flyers also.

As the author acknowledges, the foreign airmen in Spain have been largely excluded from the literature of the International Brigades because they were mercenaries .and viewed therefore as flying for money, rather than, their ideals. Furthermore, much of the information which has been published is inaccurate or misleading - hardly surprising as many accounts by the pilot themselves were wildly overblown and semi-fictional.

Bridgeman's attempt to provide an accurate account has clearly involved a great deal of diligent research and, as a result, he has been able to dispel a number of myths and also to uncover a great deal of valuable information.

The story which emerges is a remarkable one, ranging from disputes over pay and self-publicising antics at one end of the scale to acts of great courage at the other. The book covers not only those who flew with the "International" squadron at Madrid but also the group of pilots on the Basque front, the Anglo-American Squadron flying Brequet I9's on coastal patrol duties from Valencia and other individuals. A number of British pilots have been known for many years only by the fictional names given to them by Hugh Oloff de Wet in his book 'Cardboard Crucifix' and here their true identities are revealed, together with the fact that three of them were killed in September 1936;flying the hopelessly outclassed Nieuport 52 fighters.

Also included are details of the British pilots in nationalist Spain and a chapter listing all the British pilots who flew, or claim to have flown for the Republic. There are good source notes at the end of each chapter and the book is illustrated with a number of photos. 'The Flyers' is thoroughly recommended and should be available through the larger bookshops.