Vets Might Fly

The 1940s. A war is brewing. James Herriot, like a lot of his compatriots, is summoned to defend the country, as a air crew member of the Royal Air Force (RAF). In crazy times like these, even vets must fly.

This is his 5th book chronicling his days a veterinarian in the Dales of Yorkshire's Darrowby. So far Herriot has survived Darrowby's farmers, pet owners and of course, animals. But how would he fare in a training stint with the RAF?

Making the situation more unsettling is the fact that his wife Helen is pregnant with their first child.

Vets Might Fly seems like a story of how Herriot coped with the training and the then ongoing war. He endures the days in training by reminiscing the times when he still in Darrowby, injecting sick dogs with medicine, castrating bulls when asked by their owners and treating cows that communicate their pain and discomfort by kicking.

Being under the strict order of the army also drives Herriot to a bit of mischief. When he got moved to an area near Darrowby, he secretly snuck out to see Helen. Luckily, he did not got caught. And soon later, he was allowed to go home when his son little Jimmy Herriot was born. He grew up to a veterinarian like his father, and even wrote a book on him.

More on Herriot in the war in the next one, Vet in a Spin.