Jan Lee admires an emotive tale which was inspired by the airmen of Bomber Command

Of the 125,000 men who served in Bomber Command 55,573 were killed, one was Christopher Jory’s great-uncle, Flying Officer John Ross of 186 Squadron, known as Uncle Jackie.

This book is dedicated to him. But Lost in the Flames is neither a history nor a biography but a fine novel.

Jory, with a simple directness and transparency of prose, conveys the transience of life, of war and of a love that survives death.

Flying nightly in the Second World War, the sacrifice of these young men has, until now, been barely acknowledged.

Churchill backed the bombing, but failed to acknowledge their huge contribution in his 1945 victory speech, a devastating moment for the family in the novel.

How could these brave airmen, who risked their lives for our freedom, be morally culpable? Jory has Jacob, his main character, acknowledge “these hands have killed thousands.” Then, after he bombs Dortmund in July 1943, the German surgeon who operates on him, writes: “Tommy Bomber... consider for a moment the memory the world will have of you.”

The stories his grandmother told him inspired and informed Jory, giving authenticity to the novel.

Jacob, like Jackie, dreams of flying (young Jacob does an Icarus, builds wings and jumps out of the attic window), both volunteer early, train as pilots, become bomb-aimers, fly beyond the thirty operations required and both leave a cigarette stub on the mantelpiece before their final op. The symbolism and realism of fire and light permeate the story.

The characters are embedded in the history of the time and in the spirit of place. We feel the tension, the loyalty to one another, the fearful anticipation of the next raid, all this in contrast to the early chapters evoking country life in rural Oxfordshire in the 30s. Jory lives in Chipping Norton, the setting for his story, his house is Jacob’s house.

Lost in the Flames by Christopher Jory, McNidder & Grace, £7.99.