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Books > Fiction > True stories > War / combat / elite forces
In this sequel to the hugely-popular This Man's Wee Boy, young Tony
Doherty struggles to come to terms with the murder of his father,
Paddy, on Bloody Sunday and the impact it has on his mother,
Eileen, and his brothers and sisters. At nine years old, he knows a
terrible wrong has been committed against his family but lacks the
understanding or the means to do anything about it - yet. For his
fractured family, life goes on, with Tony determined to preserve
the memory of his father and the bond they shared, even as he
becomes increasingly immersed in the violent conflict raging on
Derry's streets. As the 1970s unfold his father's absence remains
the backdrop to the teenage Tony's newfound friendships and
relationships, an ever-present ache amidst the craic and excitement
of Sunday dances, first kisses and a trip to Butlins. Then, at
seventeen, Tony decides it's time to join the fight.
Most of us never get to test ourselves in combat. As a UH-1
Helicopter pilot flying in the jungle highlands of South Vietnam,
Warrant Officer Jim Crigler and the men he flew with were tested
daily. Coming of age in the late 1960s and early 1970s was
challenging for most young men of that era. Throw in drugs, free
love, draft notices, the Vietnam War and a country deeply divided,
and you have one of the most important books of this genre. This
true story is a raw, bold, introspective autobiography where the
author openly wrestles with his personal moral dilemma to find
meaning and purpose in his life. He calls it his "Mission of
Honor."
'Evader' is one of the most remarkable stories ever to come out of
the Second World War. It has its place amongst the modern-day tales
of living, fighting and evading behind enemy lines.
True stories from the frontlines of World War I Published to mark
the centenary of the First World War and of the RSL in 2016, this
is a collection of 100 true stories of Aussie courage from those
who were in the action. The RSL, an Australian icon, has supported
Australian veterans since 1916, pledging that their sacrifices will
never be forgotten. Now from the annals of the RSL come these
compelling yarns and memories, written by diggers for diggers and
capturing the impact of war on those who took part. With eyewitness
accounts ranging from Gallipoli to the Middle East and Western
Front, Australia's Great War is brought to life with humour, pathos
and vivid detail. Discover a rare account of the capture of German
New Guinea, the first Australian action of the war, and experience
the Gallipoli campaign through the diggers' eyes. There's the story
of how a Light Horse patrol daringly slipped through advancing
Turkish troops to warn their mates of danger, a sapper's-eye view
of the battle of Fromelles, how the Melbourne Cup was run on the
Western Front - and so much more. Collected here for the first
time, these stories are a must-read record of World War I.
'Bomb doors open!'It was the call that haunted airmen's dreams.This
is the story of an ordinary young Australian whose ambition to fly
took him halfway round the globe during World War II - and the
fateful mission when his plane was hit three times.'Battle Order
204 is about the quality of courage.Christobel Mattingley has
written this book with compassion and insight, its presentation is
gripping and moving.' Max Fatchen AM'Brilliant.At once uplifting
yet thought-provoking; enlightening yet, of necessity, sad. There
is a commendable balance of hard fact and human emotion elements,
and I found it almost impossible to put down.' Mike Garbett, author
of The Lancaster at War
Untold secrets of a post-war childhood. A true story of a child
born in war-torn London soon after the Second World War whose early
memories are of the care and security given to him by his
grandmother and a guardian angel who watches over him. At six he
finds out a devastating secret that changes his life. He withdraws
into his own world, searching for understanding and meaning.
Isolated from his family and children of his own age he turns to
his angel for love and guidance but even she cannot save him from
what is to come. Unable to read and write he joins a gang and at
fourteen finds himself before the courts for the first time.
Nice One Centurion tells the individual personal, funny stories of
men who have served in the RAF & RAF Regiment. All the stories
that have been compiled date from the very beginning of the
formation of the RAF Regiment up to present-day operations. The
reader of this book will be amused and highly entertained at some
of the antics that occurred not only in war, but in peacetime as
well. The fabulous illustrations by Tim Parker highlight what this
book is all about: making a difference with humour. Nice One
Centurion was born out of an idea to help fellow servicemen who
suffer with PTSD. A percentage of the proceeds from this book will
be donated to the RAF Benevolent Fund, Help 4 Heroes, and the RAF
Regiment Museum.
An inspiring account of struggle, survival and coping with life
during the early twentieth century...Two sailors sit astride camels
at the Pyramids, on leave from guarding Suez against attack in
1914. Crewmen scramble from the flooded engine room of their
cruiser 'Warrior' as it sinks at the Battle of Jutland. British
warships shell Bolshevik troops in Estonia in 1919. The Royal Navy
visits Japan in 1928 to celebrate Hirohito's Coronation. Excited
Plymouth children, blitzed out of their school, watch an American
soldier's lasso tricks just before D-Day.This biography of a
sailor, George Lancaster, views a half-century of history from his
novel perspectives. George experienced world wars, revolutions,
sectarian atrocities and the Great Depression. Serving in the Royal
Navy across the globe, he witnessed British imperial display and
decline, and saw civil conflict in countries - Russia, Turkey and
China - where nationalist movements were filling the void created
by the collapse of empires.
As an 18-year-old, John Urwin was posted to Cyprus, where he was
recruited into a top-secret unit called the Sixteen, whose task was
to assassinate key figures throughout the Middle East. Now he
breaks his silence to tell their story. Their training was said to
have surpassed that of the SAS in unarmed combat and weaponry. His
description of their four key missions is explosive and a riveting
account of the turbulent 1950s in the Middle East. The Cold War was
approaching its height and when there was a mission to be
undertaken that no government could be seen to endorse, the Sixteen
would do the job. No previous depiction of a military group, in
book or movie, has remotely compared to the secrecy, skills and
sheer professionalism of the Sixteen.
Stumbling from a university anarchist meeting into a career in the
army, Chip Chapman is aware of how consciously incompetent he is.
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst confirms his worst fears. He
is eventually let loose on 6 Platoon of 2 PARA and, via the
Falklands War, manages to elevate himself to a position of
conscious competence and save his career. Snapshots on all aspects
of military life, and government decision making, show the military
at work and play. This hilarious, touching, informative and
thought-provoking insight into a generation of soldiering in the
late 20th century and beyond is set against the drumbeat of the
social, cultural, legal and educational rhythms of the age, and the
change from the certainties of the Cold War to the nihilism of
9/11. Chip Chapman eventually manages to somehow climb the greasy
pole to become a General. With echoes of David Niven's The Moon's a
Balloon, Lesley Thomas' Virgin Soldiers and the travelogues of Bill
Bryson, Chapman captures the rawness, spirit and fortitude of the
soldier and soldiering in both peace and war.
In August 1914, thirteen-year-old Amy was trapped on the Belgian
seacoast as war was declared with Germany, alone with her younger
brothers. British, resilient and feisty, she got back to occupied
Brussels and began her war diaries. Amy knew Nurse Cavell and Ada
Bodart, members of the secret network to get Allied soldiers across
the frontier. She writes of zeppelins, food shortages, constant
gunfire and spies. She confronts a 'sneering' German who demands to
know where her brother is: 'I could have shot him, ' she comments.
Then it all changes: in 1917 her mother attacks her and Amy is
moved to a Catholic boarding school nearby. Constantly in trouble
for being disruptive, answering back, whistling, laughing in church
and climbing onto roofs 'for fun', she longs for the love and
approval of her teacher - and her estranged mother.
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