It’s a clear example of life imitating art — a former Royal Air Force pilot has penned a fictional tale about the Second World War, set in Bermuda.British author Alan Edmund Smith has vacationed in Bermuda on 12 different occasions. He was inspired to write about the Island after learning about its wartime history during a visit to the Bermuda Maritime Museum in 1996.The Island has inspired three books: The Bermuda Affair in 2001, The Bermuda Saga in 2006 and his latest work Bermuda Contrails.Mr Smith said the Island made a big impression on him during his trips. “I think we returned frequently because we found that Bermuda really was ‘another world’.“Apart from the sheer beauty of the islands, the friendliness of Bermudians really touched us. We still receive a Christmas card from a lady from Flatts whom we chatted to in St George’s for a few moments in 1984!”His latest historical novel ‘Bermuda Contrails’ is centred around factual events that happened in both Bermuda and Burford, England in the 1940s.But he creates a fictitious character, a member of the British Censorship Department named Pam Croft, who experiences the war from a unique perspective.Originally from Burford, England, Ms Croft gets actively involved in Bermuda life during her stay, but keeps up-to-date with news from the UK through regular letters with her mother.She goes through some challenging and complicated times during the war, but eventually returns to settle in Bermuda and learns the truth of the mysterious wartime contrails.Mr Smith started writing after he retired from aviation information services at Heathrow Airport 22 years ago.He wrote his first two books set in Bermuda, but then took a break and started brainstorming on a different topic.“I started to draft a novel which I called ‘The Bank Manager’, but soon realised however that my heart wasn’t in it.“Furthermore I realised that to enjoy the writing experience I would have to set my third novel, like the first two, in a place, or places, I knew well and I cared deeply about,” he said.He choose to set his latest book in both Bermuda and Burford — which is near to where he was trained as an RAF pilot — stationed at the Central Flying School — in 1947.It took him three years to complete Bermuda Contrails, including about three hours a day writing and lots of time “checking and rechecking” facts at the UK’s National Archive.As a result of his thorough research on the topic and era, Mr Smith said many aspects of the novel are historically accurate and it may be difficult for the reader to discern what is false.But by the end of the novel the reader will have no doubt what was fact and what fiction, he said.“Most chapters start with a summary of actual world news, thus making the story more believable, for some the book may be educational, and for all, more understandable.”Mr Smith explained how he came up with the title of the book and said: “In the summer of 1940 the time of the Battle of Britain mysterious aircraft condensation trails are repeatedly seen over Bermuda. Contrails had never been seen over Bermuda before and are not easily explained.“Every few days a very highflying aircraft, only detectable by its white contrail, would approach St George’s from the direction of Europe, fly the whole length of the Islands, including the Royal Navy Dockyard, then turn back to St George’s and fly out to sea the way it had come.“Nobody had an explanation and it was hard to believe that the Germans had an aircraft capable of flying from Europe to Bermuda and back, the distance being so great.“The British Government said they were not responsible, so did the Americans. The British Prime Minister Winston Churchill expressed his deep concern and ordered the RAF to investigate, but without success.”In the book much of the Island’s population grow worried that Bermuda could be invaded and rumours spread throughout its 21-square-miles quickly.But people’s minds are put at ease once the Americans built an airport in the East End and take a role in building and manning Bermuda’s defences.Bermuda Contrails costs $22.50 and is available at the Bermuda Book Store on Queen Street, the Bookmart on Reid and Front Streets, A.S. Cooper’s and the Bermuda Craft Market in Dockyard.