Burton of the Flying Corps

In the summer of 1914, a youthful pilot named Ted Burton lands his sleek hydro‑aeroplane on a marshy creek, his suitcase in hand, and heads straight for a solitary shed where his eccentric friend is immersed in a cloud of chemicals and experiments. Their banter is sharp and witty, punctuated by the smell of ammonia and decayed fish as the scientist struggles for a supply of picric acid—an essential ingredient for his mysterious work. When Burton is asked to whisk the volatile material from a nearby town, the simple errand quickly hints at the blend of daring and ingenuity that will define his wartime adventures.

From that modest start, Burton’s story unfolds across a series of bold missions: a daring dash to Ostend in pursuit of a spy, a tense night in a French chateau, a chase through Bulgarian hills, and a perilous encounter in the Macedonian front. Each episode mixes the thrill of early aviation with the gritty reality of trench warfare, offering listeners a vivid portrait of a charismatic hero navigating danger, humor, and the unexpected twists of a world at war.