In 1918, the RAF was established as the world's first independent air force. To mark the 100th anniversary of its creation, Penguin are publishing the Centenary Collection, a series of six classic books highlighting the skill, heroism and esprit de corps that have characterised the Royal Air Force throughout its first century. The Last Enemy is Richard Hillary's extraordinary account of his experience as a Spitfire pilot in the Second World War. Hillary was shot down during the Battle of Britain, leading to months in hospital as part of Archibald McIndoe's 'Guinea Pig Club', undergoing pioneering plastic surgery to rebuild his face and hands. The Last Enemy was first published in 1942, just seven months before Hilary's untimely death in a second crash and has gone on to be hailed as one of the classic texts of World War II. The Centenary Collection: 1. The Last Enemy by Richard Hillary 2. Tumult in the Clouds by James Goodson 3. Going Solo by Roald Dahl 4. First Light by Geoffrey Wellum 5. Tornado Down by John Peters & John Nichol 6. Immediate Response by Mark Hammond

This early work by Richard Hillary was originally published in 1942 and we are now republishing it. 'The Last Enemy' is a work in which the author writes about his experiences as a Supermarine Spitfire pilot in World War II. This is and excellent work for anyone interested in military history.

* The moving story of a WWII fighter-pilot's epic recovery after being shot down *A harrowing reflection on the ordeals of combat *Commemorative edition of a recognised classic Described by critics as 'not a book written by a pilot about the war, but a book written by a writer about a pilot', The Last Enemy tells the story of a young writer's experiences as a Spitfire pilot in training and during the Battle of Britain, and of the life he led after being shot down. From his carefree days at Trinity College, Oxford, through the youthful excitement of his training, to the horror of being shot down and his slow and painful recovery, Richard Hillary has created a masterpiece of reflection and a testament to youth cruelly forsaken. Hillary's ordeal left him temporarily blinded, his face and hands savagely burned and terribly disfigured, and he endured repeated operations and skin grafts. While undergoing this harrowing experience he questioned whether he might fly again, and if not what he could do to honour those that had died. His conclusion was to write, and this remarkable book is the fruits of his resolution. This commemorative edition of The Last Enemy, originally published in 2003 sixty years after his death, contains a Foreword by 'D.M.W.', to whom the book was originally dedicated.

The Last Enemy is the story of Richard Hillary, one of Sebastian Faulks' three 'fatal englishmen'. In this extraordinary account, the author details his experiences as a fighter pilot in the Second World War, in which he was shot down, leading to months in hospital as part of Archibald McIndoe's 'Guinea Pig Club', undergoing pioneering plastic surgery to rebuild his face and hands. The Last Enemy was first published in 1942, just seven months before Hilary's untimely death in a second crash and has gone on to be hailed as one of the classic texts of World War Two.