New Book by Roger Gunn:
Four of Our Finest, the Great War Pilots
Fall, Atkey, Claxton and Quigley

Synopsis provided by Roger Gunn
March 2025
This is the third book by Roger Gunn about Canadian pilots in the First World War and will be available in late April.

Roger Gunn has meticulously researched four lesser-known Canadian pilots of the First World War, four pilots who should be better known. Joseph Fall, Alfred Atkey, William Claxton and Francis Quigley. They led fascinating lives and Roger traces them from their beginnings in Canada to their life in the skies over the Western Front and beyond.
Joseph Fall was a survivor. He survived an horrific accident at age 14 and the brain surgery that followed. He survived the Great War as a fighter pilot, downing 36 enemy aircraft and two balloons. As such, Joe Fall was the second highest scoring Royal Naval Air Service pilot next to Raymond Collishaw. Fall was the only pilot to be awarded the Navy’s Distinguished Service Cross three times for bravery in the air.

Alfred Atkey flew Bristol Fighters with No. 22 Squadron. He along with his observer Charles Gass were a formidable pair. They shot down thirty-eight enemy aircraft, twenty-seven of which he and Gass shot down in May 1918 alone. Not much is known about Atkey so you can learn more about this notable pilot.

William Claxton flew the SE5a, one of the most formidable aircraft of the First World War. Claxton was an excellent pilot and totally fearless. In one engagement, in June 1918, he and his friend and fellow 41 Squadron mate Fred McCall took on twenty enemy aircraft and lived to tell the tale. In August 1918, Claxton was shot down and became a POW for the duration of the war. Claxton was credited with thirty-seven victories and would be awarded the Distinguished Services Order (DSO), Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), with Bar and the Military Cross (MC).

Francis Quigley began the war as a Sapper with the Canadian Engineers and saw action at Ypres and on the Somme. He transferred to the Royal Flying Corps in the fall of 1917 and joined No. 70 Squadron flying Sopwith Camels. He was an expert pilot and deadly shot, accumulating thirty-three victories in just six months. However, Quigley met with tragedy before the war was over. He was awarded the DSO, MC, and Bar.
All four of these fine pilots should receive the recognition they so justly deserve. Roger Gunn has told their story in a readable and very interesting fashion. The reader will agree.

Four of Our Finest is a fascinating read, one that aviation buffs and lovers of history alike will enjoy. It contains over 95,000 words and contains over 100 pictures, many of which have never been seen before in public.

Roger can be reached at his website www.rogergunn.ca.