A Pilot at Wimbledon : The Memoirs of Air Chief Marshal Sir Brian Burnett GCB, DFC, AFC

Look very carefully at the armorial bearings in the coat of arms on the back cover of this book and you will find symbols of the two very different spheres in which Sir Brian Burnett, the author of this autobiography, reached the very top.

Not content with having retired from the RAF as an Air Chief Marshal, he embarked on a second career as Chairman of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, presiding over Wimbledon for ten years.

Brian Burnett's career has been one of constant achievement.

Born in India, he was educated at Charter house and Oxford University where he won blues for both Tennis and Squash.

Having also been active in the University Air Squadron, he joined the RAF as part of the very first University Entrant course at RAF Cranwell.

Within a few years he had been selected as a Pilot/Navigator in the World Long Distance Record Flight non-stop from Egypt to Australia and had won the RAF's Squash and Tennis championships.

There followed a distinguished war record, during which he commanded a bomber squadron, taking part in a number of raids.

Bombers featured again during the cold war when he had significant commands as part of the RAF's nuclear deterrent. After a tour as Vice-Chief of the Air Staff his service career culminated in his appointment as Commander-in-Chief of all three services in the Far East, based in Singapore.

He had already been on the committee at Wimbledon for several years before he retired from the RAF, and in 1974 became Chairman.

Over the next ten years he presided over some of the most radical changes in Wimbledon's history.

For tennis fans as well as the lay reader, the last section of this book offers a treasure trove of information about Wimbledon, what happens in the Royal Box and what goes on behind the scenes.

His memories are told with modesty and a directness which portrays him as someone who could talk with people from all walks of life.

He has rubbed shoulders with Sultans, Presidents and members of Royalty, yet not once does he appear boastful of his contacts and encounters; he just recalls his meetings with a down-to-earth reticence which captivates the reader.