Major Thomas Falcon Hazell DSO, MC, DFC and bar, Britain and Ireland’s most successful fighter ace to survive the Great War, is one of the unsung heroes who out-fought Herrman Goering’s Jasta and duelled with Ernst Udet, second only to Baron von Richthofen himself.

Firsthand graphic accounts from those who fought alongside Hazell bring alive the full horror, mixed with elation, of the lethal dog-fights above the Somme. These are interposed with family and other matters in the west of Ireland and his growing up during a crucial period in 20th century Irish history. Retiring from the RAF in 1927 after action in Iraq and the Northwest Frontier, Hazell was instrumental in the formation of the Irish Aluminium Co. Ltd which became one of the largest manufacturing enterprises in an independent state.

To set the story in its historic context and as a background to Hazell’s career, The Life and Times of Major Thomas Falcon Hazell DSO, MC, DFC and Bar explores the build-up to the First World War, raises the issue of why the war started in the first place and reviews its aftermath, echoing past history through to the present day.