Before I Forget: Memoirs of a Cold War Aviator

One airman’s life in the RAAF―told with clarity, humour and quiet courage.

Before I Forget follows John MacNeil’s journey from a Melbourne boyhood to a 31-year career in the Royal Australian Air Force ― recounted in his own clear, understatedly wry voice. Accepted for aircrew just as the Second World War ended, MacNeil returned to service during the Korean War, trained as a navigator, and went on to fly long, high-stakes maritime patrols in cutting-edge Neptunes through the tense decades of the Cold War.

His story traces friendships forged in the air and on base, the rhythms of postings across Australia and overseas, and the family life threaded through each move and mission. It captures the everyday realities of service ― briefed, airborne, back on the ground, and ready to go again ― set against an era of rapid technological change and shifting global tensions.

Framed by a foreword from Air Marshal Jake Newham, this intimate, panoramic memoir brings Australian aviation history to human scale: the steady hand, the trained eye, and the quiet professionalism behind every flight.