This debut book by Helen Balkwill is the story of the life, adventures and sudden disappearance of her father Peter, her search for the truth about him and the experiences she has along the way.
Peter Balkwill, who was a trained aircraft fitter, spent many years working as a peripatetic aerial crop spraying engineer, followed by a spell with the national airline of Sudan in Khartoum, finally ending his days in the late 1960s working for the South Arabian Air Force (PDRYAF) at a time which has, before Helen's book, been little researched nor written about.
The story begins in the early part of the twentieth century, transporting us from his home town in the moors of North Devon to the Middle East and finally Yemen. It eloquently evokes the rapidly evolving political and social scene of the era, bringing us right up to modern day with accounts of Helen's investigations, as well as a final, post-script chapter about Yemen today.
