On 4 October 1943 two RAF pupil pilots, Walter Adamson and Gerald Edwards, took off from Kumalo (Zimbabwe). Some time later they were forced to land in Botswana. They climbed out unscathed, left a note, and disappeared. What happened next would entail ethno-archaeological investigation, a sensational murder trial and worldwide media coverage - and a sensational outcome - that led to a profound change in the lives of the Tyua Bush people. The airmen had been murdered by bullet and axe - but why? The leader of the group of eight killers charged, Twai Twai Molele, was known to be a witchdoctor and a bottle allegedly containing human fat was found in his possession... Following the trial the Tyua's guns were confiscated and their ageless nomadic hunting life began to die out. The murders offered an excuse for British-protected ranchers to take their lands. Reopening this extraordinary case, Jonathan Laverick reviews the evidence to uncover the true story.

Botswana celebrated one hundred years of powered flight in 2020. Laverick and Morgan cover in detail at the first 50 of these. From the first flight to Palapye Road in 1920 to the collapse of the first national airline in 1969, regional politics were never far away. Whether it was traversing inhospitable terrain in fragile biplanes, avoiding inter-war German influence, spiriting Liberation Movement leaders out of the country, or the mysterious circumstances around the demise of Botswana National Airways, aviation in Southern Africa was never dull. The book looks at the first flight from London to Cape Town, Inter-War Aviation, the impact of the Second World War, Wenela - Africa's largest airline, Bechuanaland Safaris - a British Intelligence operation, the formation and collapse of Botswana National Airways itself, and the men and women behind the stories. This account includes interviews from aircrew and many previously unpublished photos from a vintage era of flying. It also looks at the development of the Bechuanaland Protectorate into Botswana, one of Africa's biggest and most successful safari destinations - something that would not have happened without the dawn of aviation.

'...an impressive, extremely well-researched work documenting some very interesting history, whether socially or aeronautically.' Aeroplane Magazine