R.L.T. Bickers has written more books about the RAF and its predecessor, the RFC, than any other author past or present - some under a pseudonym. His biography of his friend ‘Ginger’ Lacey, the top-scoring pilot in the Battle of Britain, was published to acclaim in 1962.
He volunteered for the RAF on the outbreak of war and served, with a Permanent Commission, for eighteen years. In England he operated with Fighter and Coastal Commands; in North Africa and Italy with the Desert Air Force and Mediterranean Allied Coastal Air Force. After the war he did a tour in Hong Kong and Malaya.