In his introduction the author says:

"I hope this book will serve as a record of a great team and give some dea of what it was like to change from a factory largely engaged on experimental designs and seldom, if ever, receiving contracts for more than six aircraft at a time to be produced at the rate of one per month into a factory receiving orders for hundreds to be produced at the rate of 30 or more per week."

"What it was like to be bombed out of the factory and to have to disperse production into some forty workshops spread up to 50 miles apart and maintain production throughout."

"What it was like to revert to peacetime production, to enter the jet propulsion age and then to see the team gradually break up as the 'founder members' died off."

Denis Le P Webb - the author of this book, joined the Supermarine Aviation Works at Woolston, Southampton as a "Grade A" apprentice in 1926 and in the course of his aprenticeship obtained experience in every department.

In the following years he survived many changes in the company structure and occupied inreasingly important positions. Thus it can be said that he came to know in detail 'what went on' both in the company management and in its dealings with government ministries and other external bodies.