Roy Farran rose to command an SAS squadron during the Second World War. His classic account of the early years of the SAS became an immediate bestseller when it was first published. Covering action throughout the Middle East, the Mediterranean and Italy, this is the story of how Farran was captured, escaped and went on to lead some of the most daring operations of the war far behind enemy lines. It is a classic volume which demonstrates the fast learning curve required in the heat of battle.
In May 1947 a sixteen-year-old Jewish activist named Alexander Rubowitz was abducted in broad daylight from the streets of Jerusalem. At the abduction scene, a gray hat was found, purportedly belonging to Major Roy Farran, a decorated World War II officer who was in charge of British counterterrorism in Palestine. As evidence mounted against Farran, the Zionist underground swore vengeance. The episode precipitated a series of nail-biting twists and turns that had far-reaching consequences. An engaging mix of true crime and polemical narrative history, peopled by a cast of luminaries including Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, Menachem Begin, and Golda Meir, Major Farran's Hat investigates shady violence, scandaluos cover-ups, and political expediency. It also explores why Britain lost Palestine, as well as how its counterinsurgency and diplomatic strategies collided so disastrously. By exposing Britain's legacy in the Middle East, this historical thriller echoes today's war on terror and pointedly illustrates the circumstances surrounding the birth of the State of Israel.
This edited collection examines the British ‘way’ in counter-insurgency. It brings together and consolidates new scholarship on the counter-insurgency associated with the end of empire, foregrounding a dark and violent history of British imperial rule, one that stretched back to the nineteenth century and continued until the final collapse of the British Empire in the 1960s. The essays gathered in the collection cover the period from the late nineteenth century to the 1960s; they are both empirical and conceptual in tone. This edited collection pivots on the theme of the nature of the force used by Britain against colonial insurgents. It argues that the violence employed by British security forces in counter-insurgency to maintain imperial rule is best seen from a maximal perspective, contra traditional arguments that the British used minimum force to defeat colonial rebellions. Case studies are drawn from across the British Empire, covering a period of some hundred years, but they concentrate on the savage wars of decolonisation after 1945. The collection includes a historiographical essay and one on the ‘lost’ Hanslope archive by the scholar chosen by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to manage the release of the papers held. This book was published as a special issue of Small Wars and Insurgencies.
Drawing on recently declassified files and interviews with veterans, this is a fascinating history of Bill Stirling and 2SAS – pioneering founders of modern special forces. David Stirling is the name synonymous with the wartime SAS, but the real brains behind the operation was in fact Bill Stirling, David's eldest brother. Bill was described in the SAS War Diary as a 'man from the shadows'; it was an apt description for, unlike his attention seeking brother, Bill shunned the spotlight. Now for the first time the truth – and the triumph – of 2SAS is revealed. Having originally joined the SOE in March 1940, Bill Stirling sailed for Cairo in 1941 and there had the idea for a small special forces unit to be led by his mercurial brother. But despite some success, David allowed the legendary 1SAS to drift under his leadership. Following his capture, Bill re-directed 2SAS, under his personal command, to the strategy he had originally envisaged: parachuting behind enemy lines to gather intelligence. Fully illustrated with rare and previously unpublished photographs, this compelling history details how 2SAS fought with ingenuity and aggression, from Italy and then into France before heading through Holland into Germany. The unit was capable of attacking by parachute, jeep or landing craft, establishing a template for future special forces' operations. Their feats have been overshadowed by the many books that have focused on David and 1SAS. 2SAS corrects this oversight, revealing that the real innovator was Bill Stirling – the true pioneer of Who Dares Wins.
Richard Villar, guest of the BBC's Hospital Watch, is a world-famous surgeon. He is also a hero. For much of his career Richard Villar has worked with the SAS, in the developing world, and amidst conflict zones that include Lebanon, Bosnia, the Middle East, Northern Ireland and Central America. Knife Edge is his extraordinary true story.
As imperial political authority was increasingly challenged, sometimes with violence, locally recruited police forces became the front-line guardians of alien law and order. This book presents a study that looks at the problems facing the imperial police forces during the acute political dislocations following decolonization in the British Empire. It examines the role and functions of the colonial police forces during the process of British decolonisation and the transfer of powers in eight colonial territories. The book emphasises that the British adopted a 'colonial' solution to their problems in policing insurgency in Ireland. The book illustrates how the recruitment of Turkish Cypriot policemen to maintain public order against Greek Cypriot insurgents worsened the political situation confronting the British and ultimately compromised the constitutional settlement for the transfer powers. In Cyprus and Malaya, the origins and ethnic backgrounds of serving policemen determined the effectiveness which enabled them to carry out their duties. In 1914, the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) of Ireland was the instrument of a government committed to 'Home Rule' or national autonomy for Ireland. As an agency of state coercion and intelligence-gathering, the police were vital to Britain's attempts to hold on to power in India, especially against the Indian National Congress during the agitational movements of the 1920s and 1930s. In April 1926, the Palestine police force was formally established. The shape of a rapidly rising rate of urban crime laid the major challenge confronting the Kenya Police.
From the bestselling author of The Real Bravo Two Zero comes the definitive history of the world's most elite fighting force - the SAS 'Breathtaking bravery, astonishing feats of endurance, raids and battles described with terrific immediacy and pace. Compelling and definitive . . . will surely not be bettered' Sunday Telegraph On 4 May 1980, seven terrorists holding twenty-one people captive in the Iranian Embassy in London's Prince's Gate, executed their first hostage. They threatened to kill another hostage every thirty minutes until their demands were met. Minutes later, armed men in black overalls and balaclavas shimmied down the roof on ropes and burst in through windows and doors. In seconds all but one of the terrorists had been shot dead, the other captured. For most people, this was their first acquaintance with a unit that was soon to become the ideal of modern military excellence - the Special Air Service regiment. Few realized that the SAS had been in existence for almost forty years, playing a discreet, if not secret, role almost everywhere Britain had fought since World War II, and had been the prototype of all modern special forces units throughout the world. In The Regiment, Michael Asher - a former soldier in 23 SAS Regiment - examines the evolution of the special forces idea and investigates the real story behind the greatest military legend of the late twentieth century. 'Detailed, scathingly honest. Asher has brought the critical eye of the knowledgeable insider to his in-depth study of SAS operations and personalities' Herald Praise for Michael Asher: 'This is the most complete picture of the Sudanese campaigns that has yet been published . . . a vigorous and engrossing narrative' Philip Ziegler, Daily Telegraph 'A staggering achievement. Asher has delivered a scintillating tale of a period of history that deserves to be remembered' Guardian
The Incredulity of Father Brown is the third book of the Father Brown series. Eight short stories including: The Resurrection of Father Brown; The Arrow of Heaven; The Oracle of the Dog; The Miracle of Moon Crescent; The Curse of the Golden Cross; The Dagger with Wings; The Doom of the Darnaways; and, The Ghost of Gideon Wise.
As Alexander the Great sits with his troops poised to attack, his guides are murdered. Can he uncover the spies in time? The House of Death is the first mystery in the magnificent Ancient Greece series featuring Alexander the Great and his physician Telamon, by master historian Paul Doherty. Perfect for fans of Gary Corby and Margaret Doody. 'Paul Doherty has created a vivid, credible picture of life in the Persian and Macedonian courts on the eve of Alexander's conquests' - The Times It is 334 BC and the young Alexander sits with his troops by the Hellespont, poised to attack the empire of the great King Darius III. To win the approval of the gods for his enterprise he makes many offerings, yet the smoke does not rise, the sacrificial animals are flawed. Worse, his guides are being brutally murdered, Persian spies are in the camp, and Alexander's generals have their own secrets. Into this turmoil comes Telamon, a physician and boyhood friend of Alexander. As the climax builds and Alexander throws off his nervous fears, winning a brilliant and bloody triumph over the Persians, Telamon must at last succeed in unmasking their enemies... What readers are saying about The House of Death: 'A book to fall in love with' 'Paul Doherty at his very best! Very well researched - a joy to read' 'Found myself totally engrossed in the book; I could not put it down till I got to the very last page'
On George Vlachonikolis' 25th birthday, he was holding an SA80 assault rifle. Inside his webbing pouches were 150 rounds of ammunition, two HE grenades, two smoke grenades, a small survival kit, 20 Marlboro Lights, and a medikit that included two sticks of morphine and two tourniquets. Strapped to the left-hand side of his Osprey body armour, within easy reach, was his bayonet. George was in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. On George’s 37th birthday, he was wearing a striped cotton twill shirt and well-ironed beige chinos. A thin fabric lanyard carried his ID badge proudly. In front of him was a class of secondary school students, who were settling down and getting ready for their next lesson. George was in a school in the UK. From Camouflage to Classroom is about everything George learned with the Army in Afghanistan and has brought to his classroom teaching today. By reflecting on the most intense and thought-provoking experiences of his life, George aims to explore the role of the classroom teacher from an original perspective: one based on military principles and practice. This book takes a direct, human and very honest look at the challenges faced by classroom teachers today and offers some military-inspired solutions.
