Going Solo by Roald Dahl (October 5-16, 2005)
Dahl continues the stories of his life that he began in Boy in this second autobiographical collection, titled Going Solo. These stories begin in 1934. Dahl is 22 years old and has begun his first job working for the Shell Oil Company in Dur es Salaam, Tanganyika, East Africa (now Tanzania). He drives about and delivers oil to British colonists, some of whom are very, very quirky. His memories of the time period involve the deadly black and green mambas and a lion who made off with the chef’s wife.
The later stories chronicle his life as a Royal Air Force pilot during World War II. With very little training in aerial combat, he learned to fly with other volunteers in Nairobi. From here, he went to Egypt and then to Libya. On his final leg to Mersah Matruh, his coordinates of the landing strip were incorrect (in a no man’s land between the English and Italian forces) and he crashed in the desert. His flight and lucky survival later became the subject of his first published work. From his accident, he had fractured his skull, smashing his nose in, and was temporarily blinded. After months in the hospital, he was discharged and given the task of flying a Hurricane with a day to learn to fly this new plane. He was to join the forces in Greece, where only 14 planes were to defend the entire region. He describes near-death encounters, accidents, combats and deaths without fuss and worry, understating the dangers he and his fellow pilots faced. After the Battle of Athens, he flew in Palestine and Syria until he began having severe headaches from his earlier injury and unable to fly, headed home to England and his mother.
Throughout, he includes his own photographs and excerpts from his letters
home to his mother, which complement his words to bring his memories back
to life. Reading this will give you a sense of the sheer luck Dahl had in
life and the inspirations behind many of his stories.
