Three Passions and a Lucky Penny

"For nearly 30 years Dr Eric Stephenson was a medical officer in the RAAF, rising to be Director-General of Air Force Health Services with the rank of Air Vice-Marshal. Even in retirement, he continued working in the Defence health field, until his association with the RAAF reached the extraordinary span of more than 50 years. In this autobiography he describes his early life in England, where the three great loves of his life - Freda, the Air Force and medicine - had their beginning. During World War II, his pursuit of all three almost came to an abrupt end twice, depending first on the lucky flip of a coin and, later on, through surviving the experience of being shot down over Germany in a Lancaster bomber. His return from captivity at the end of the war allowed him to pick up where he left off with fiancée Freda, and saw him become a country doctor in Norfolk. In 1955 he also resumed wearing Air Force blue, only this time in Australia. Here he describes the many momentous changes that he has observed and helped happen in the practice of medicine, both within aviation and the general community - in between indulging his fourth passion (travel to exotic places). 'Doc' Stephenson has become virtually an institution in the RAAF."--Provided by publisher.