As a spitfire pilot in the largely unsung Photographic Reconnaissance Unit, Geoffrey Guy’s wartime experiences were a world away from his pursuit of academic excellence at Brasenose College, Oxford.

Editors Jennifer Barraclough and David Guy sensitively capture this cataclysmic change in Geoffrey Guy's War, the edited memoirs of their uncle, who died in 2006. The uncomplicated and fatalistic language echoes the understated feelings of the time as Guy settles into Oxford from a relatively privileged upbringing in Kent before the expectant glow of youth gradually dims with a reluctant acceptance of war.

His love of flying shines through during training in Canada but this exuberance is tempered by an acceptance of imminent death and a detached approach to any emotional ties. On gaining his wings and the initial upset at not receiving his commission, there is a brief stay at RAF Benson for further training before abortive assignments in North Africa and the Middle East. Eventually he sees action in the campaign to resist the Japanese advance into India from Burma. On arriving at Dum Dum airfield near Calcutta, Guy is confronted by the class divide between the officers and the NCOs. Ultimately this absence of camaraderie leads to a request for transfer to a more dangerous frontline posting. He became the last of his training school to survive the war.

The sense of loss is softened by his return to England and marriage but his belief in duty continued, until his retirement, through his work with the colonial service.