About James Jamieson

James Jamieson is the author of An Armourer's Tale, a personal memoir of his service in the Royal Air Force from 1955 to 1958.

In January 1955 James Jamieson left Edinburgh to join the Royal Air Force, signing on as a three-year Regular rather than waiting to be called up for National Service.

His service took him through RAF Cardington, where recruits were kitted out, and on to basic training at RAF Padgate. He then trained as an armourer at RAF Kirkham before being posted to RAF Leconfield in Yorkshire.

At Leconfield he worked on the guns and weapons of front-line jet fighters of the early Cold War, including the Hawker Hunter, Gloster Meteor and de Havilland Venom.

An Armourer's Tale records those years in his own words: the drill sergeants, the friendships, the humour and the daily life of a young airman.