Squadron Leader Beryl E. Escott was born in Newfoundland and educated at Durham University. She joined the RAF in 1961 and in her spare time edited magazines and wrote books for the service. On leaving the RAF in 1986, she started work on 'Women in Air Force Blue', a history of the service, and she has since written several other books. Widely recognised as the leading WAAF historian, she lives in Warwickshire.