Lamb was a naval aviator flying Fairey Swordfish - the Stringbag of the title - during WWII. He was involved in Dunkirk and then later the famous Taranto raid when his squadron sunk a large chunk of the Italian navy. Later he flew secret missions into Vichy controlled Algeria where he crashed and was captured by the French. The last part of the book describes his torture and imprinsonment in an awful camp in the Sahara. Finally after his release and recuperation he was grievously wounded in the leg at the end of the war in the Pacific and it was several years before he walk properly again. It’s the most terrific adventure. Almost hard to believe that one man could live through so much action and adversity but emerge, not only alive, but with his sense of humour and love of life intact. When he’s decorated by the King and gives a quite marvellous tribute to the Royal Navy I had a tear in my eye. What a wonderful book!