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Per Ardua Ad Ulcers by Bill Webb

PER ARDUA AD ULCERS

     William Webb was called up for National Service in February 1956, but after signing on was finally discharged in February 1966.   He trained as an Air Radar Mechanic at RAF Yatesbury and was afterwards posted to RAF Chivenor 229 OCU.   In April 1958 he was posted to RAF Jever in Germany where he spent some time with 93 Squadron working on the Hawker Hunter Mk VI.   Whilst with the squadron he was selected to be a member of the 1958 2nd TAF Gunnery Team Servicing Party at Casaux, France.

     On returning to the UK in 1960 he remustered to Ground Radar and completed the fitter's course at RAF Locking. He was subsequently posted to RAF Bawdsey where he worked on various Early Warning Radars.

     After leaving the RAF William Webb worked for the Royal Saudi Arabian Air Force, the Nigerian Air Force, the Libyan Air Defence Command, the Omani Army, and the Multi-national Peacekeeping Force in Sinai, Egypt.   He subsequently became an Aeronautical Telecommunications Consultant and carried out contracts on behalf of the Civil Aviation Authorities on the UK, Belize, Botswana, Lesotho, Nigeria, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.

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     His first attempt at fiction writing, Per Ardua Ad Ulcers, describes the journey of Jim Weaver as he leaves his job as a printing ink technician to sign up with the RAF.

     Alternating between hilariously funny and unbearably sad, this poignant tale details the ups and downs of life on various RAF Bases from the initial training through to this airman's first posting and his eventual posting overseas to Germany.

     The author does not colour these experiences with rose-tinted spectacles and thus the reader is able to appreciate both the coarse humour of these airmen and with this comes a new understanding of both National Service and the RAF in general.   The reader experiences all the ups and downs of Jim's character so they can commiserate with him when he's punished and celebrate his triumphs.

     A fascinating story for anyone who wants to know what RAF servicemen (and women) and the RAF (particularly the men) are really like.

Published by Austin and Macauley, September 2012.

William Webb has also published:
     Been There, Done That, Got the T-Shirt which is a guide for would-be travellers.

     My Art is Where the Ohm Is, an account of his adventures in Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Libya, and Zimbabwe.
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