Sounds like a good read Dave, I recently read "They gave me a Seafire" by Commder R.M. Crosley. Its a great account of life in the FAA during WWII and it was a very enjoyable read.
Also, "Sea Harrier over the Falklands" is a cracking read. Its Commander "Sharky" Ward's personal account of his experience of commanding NAS 801 during the Falklands war. I have to say its a real eye-opener and this chap does not pull any punches either! He has a distinct contempt for the RAF,(FAA and RAF have always been great rivals.) yet I still found myself admiring him as both a fighter pilot and a leader. Highly recommended.
I have also had another great score.........I was in my LHS yesterday and in the "bargain bucket" was a 1/48 Airfix RN Buccaneer. I asked the chap in charge if I could take a look inside the box and he told me I was quite welcome to.
Unfortunately, all the decals were stained and torn. Not being certain if I could purchase the same markings on an AM decal sheet I decided to put the kit back on the shelf. The owner said "hang on a minute , I have another one somewhere."
He came back with a brand new kit straight off the delivery truck and said he would sell it to me for the same low price if I still wanted it. I took a quick peek inside the box and sure enough, everything looked perfect. I snapped it up straight away. When I went to pay he then gave me another 10% off to make up for any inconvenience! What a bloody decent bloke.
The kit has a terrible reputation, but its the only game in town if one wants a 1/48 Buccaneer, luckily I know plenty of chaps who have built this kit so I will seeking lots of advice when I get around to building it.