Books
Whither the Fates Call
To All Regt and Corps HQ's
Subject: A BOOK FOR CHRISTMAS
Ladies and Gentlemen,
1. I would like to recommend a new book called 'Whither the Fates Call - a personal account of National Service in the British Army 1950-1952' by Keith Taylor who is Chairman of the British Army Benevolent Fund America (BABFA)
2. Keith Taylor was commissioned from Eaton Hall OCS, served in Korea in 1951 and subsequently spent years in The Parachute Regt (TA).
3. The 400-page hardback is based on his letters home and includes numerous original photographs and footnotes, and was launched at the National Army Museum on 23rd of September. There are forewords by General Sir Geoffrey Howlett, by Mr Lee, Tae Sik the former Korean Ambassador to the UK and USA, and by David Smurthwaite, recently retired Assistant Director of the National Army Museum. (www.garnerbooks.com). A summary is at the bottom of this message.
4. The author is anxious to raise awareness of the book and to sell it! He has published it as a 'not-for-profit' at his own expense. I would be very grateful if RHQ and Corps HQs would buy a copy or three (!) and put it on display in their museum shop. The retail price is £25 including p&p. The price to RHQ's is £17 and £1 will, additionally, be donated to ABF
5. Books can be ordered direct from the printer, Hart and Clough Ltd, Ezra House, West 26 Business Park, Cleckheaton BD19 4TQ. Tel: 01274- 863200 Fax: 01274-863201 (contact Richard Clough) or by e-mail r.clough@hartandclough.co.uk , payment by Sterling cheque made out to Garner Books. Books can also be bought through the website www.garnerbooks.com
6. Coloured A5 double-sided fliers for the book are available FOC from Hart and Clough.
7. I would really appreciate your support for this project will be much appreciated.
Yours sincerely
John Ross
Colonel J M A Ross Regional Director of Fundraising, London
Room G39, Block 7, Wellington Barracks, London SW1E 6HQ
Telephone: 020 7414 3321 or (military) 94631 3321; Fax: 020 7222 6555; mobile: 07747 766119
www.armybenfund.org
The Soldiers' Charity, helping serving and former soldiers
and their families in great need.
Registered Charity Numbers 211645 and SC03918
WHITHER THE FATES CALL
A Personal Account of National Service in the British Army 1950
- 1952
A Personal Account of National Service in the British Army 1950 - 1952
This is a true adventure story which in today’s parlance might be described as a 2 year “gap” year. From the day he entered the Guards Depot at Caterham, Surrey, to the day he disembarked from the troopship Empire Pride in Liverpool from the Far East, the author wrote 208 letters home. These letters, meticulously kept in chronological order, together with numerous photographs, provide a unique record of one person’s National Service experience in The British Army. This beautifully produced hardback of 400 pages is a fascinating story. Ranging from boredom to under-fire action in the Korean War as a junior infantry Officer, the letters include vivid descriptions of arduous training at battlecamps as far from each other as Dartmoor in Devon to Hara Mura in Japan, smuggler hunting on the Hong Kong/Chinese border, rowdy Officers’ Mess nights, leave in Ceylon (Sri Landa) via the Nicobar Islands in the Indian Ocean, an aircraft crash-landing in Manila and learning to manage men under stressful conditions.
The author recalls his experiences with a discerning eye, a sense of humour and a great respect for British National Servicemen to whom, along with his family, this book is dedicated.
An Active Service.
An Active Service traces the story of a young Sid Dowland from civilian life into the tough environment of the Guards Depot in the 1930s and then on to a Guards Service Battalion in London and pre-war Egypt. The outbreak of war finds Sid taking part in the retreat to Dunkirk and then service in North Africa before volunteering for the SAS. Captured after a disastrous raid in Sardinia, he escapes from the Prisoner of War camp in Italy before making it back to England. The end of the war does not signal peace, as the Guards are sent into action in Palestine and subsequently to the jungles of Malaya, where Sid finds that his SAS experience is in great demand.
This book is a tale of adventure, but will be of interest to anyone studying the Second World War or the early days of the SAS. Most of the historical information is previously unpublished, and much of it is drawn from SAS operation reports in the National Archives and from the war diaries of the Grenadier Guards. The story is accompanied by many previously unseen photographs from private collections, and is brought to life by a series of high quality and accurate drawings depicting the uniforms of the day.
This is an enjoyable human story, but is also an accurate account of military life during the war years, which will be of interest to anyone researching or studying this period.
UPDATE.
'An Active Service' was published in November 05 with an aim of raising money for the regimental association and to record the story of a great Grenadier. It has so far made a couple of grand in royalties and book profits, all of which has been paid to either the central fund or to individual branches. The publisher has done two print runs and is now looking at producing the book in paperback. A German publisher is also interested in buying the publishing rights. There are currently only 100 copies left from the two print runs. It is now possible for Grenadiers to buy the remaining hard backs from the publisher at 50% discount if they identify themselves as Grenadiers.
For those who have not previously seen a copy, the book covers the service of Sid Dowland. Sid joined the regiment in 1935 and served in the 1st,2nd and 3rd Battalions. He was a member of the SAS and SBS and was captured on a raid in Sardinia in 1943. Having escaped from the POW camp, Sid returned to regimental duty and the Grenadier training Battalion at Victoria Barracks, Windsor. He later served in both Palestine and Malaya where he was the Pioneer Sgt of the 3rd Bn. The story is about life as a Grenadier through the 1930's and then to Dunkirk and the the years after the war. This is the story of an ordinary man told from his perspective and will be enjoyed by Grenadiers young and old
The book is published by Helion books and can be found on their web site at: http://www.helion.co.uk/product.asp?strParents=62,119,125&CAT_ID=590&P_ID=15341
It'll cost you about a tenner but you will be raising money for the association. If anyone has read it I would be grateful if they could find the time to review the book on either the Helion or Amazon sites as this will support sales.
AN ACTIVE SERVICE
The Story of a Soldier's Life in the Grenadier Guards
& SAS 1935-58 
Author: Richard Dorney
Imprint: Helion & Company Ltd
Extent: Format 224pp 230mm x 145mm
Illustrations: Binding: Hardback
c 50 drawings & photos, 3 maps
ISBN: 1-874622-48-5
A profit of £5.00 for every book purchased goes to
Association funds.
All Royalties from the book go to the Grenadier Guards Association
Central fund.
Publication Date: 9 September 2005.
Please remember that although this book is available through
all major retail outlets including
Amazon.co.uk, all orders through this office will generate profits
for the Association.
It is very much hoped that you will be able to help the association by supporting this project.
An Active Service - Order Form
Name: ..........................................................................................
Address: ......................................................................................
....................................................................................................
............................................................. Post Code.....................
Branch of the Association.............................................................:
I would like to order ………copies of 'An Active Service' at a cost of £ each. I enclose a cheque for £……………
Please forward by post to:
Grenadier Guards Association, Wellington Barracks, Birdcage Walk,
London, SWIE 6HQ. (020 7414 3285)
Please make cheques payable to 'Grenadier Guards Association'
Excellence in Action.
MESSAGE FROM THE MAJOR GENERAL
EXCELLENCE IN ACTION
I hope you are already aware of the impending publication before Christmas of a new book on the Household Division. It is entitled 'Excellence in Action' which of course is a superb encapsulation of what the Household Division stands for in both aspects of its dual role - operational and ceremonial - and indeed in every other aspect of its existence.
The publishers have recently shown me early production material and it is clear to me that this book will be of a very high quality and a 'must have' for everyone serving in, or connected with, the Household Division. Indeed, quite apart from our own interest, its publication will be invaluable in keeping us in the public eye. There has not been a book on the Division as a whole in the last 20 years so its publication will fit very well with more recent publications on the Household Cavalry and individual Foot Guards regiments.
The next stage of production is the gathering of fully up to date material from Household Division elements in Iraq and Afghanistan. This is underway.
The production plan includes a subscription offer that enables subscribers to have their name in the book and to be invited to the book launch. It would be marvellous to see much of the Household Division shown in print in this way. It will make an excellent Christmas present. With this in mind, it is possible to have the names of the recipients placed in the subscribers' list in the book, by providing a list of the names with the order.
The subscription period has been extended to the end of September so the opportunity remains for anyone, regardless of whether or not they are in the Household Division, to secure a place in the book. I strongly commend it to you. You will find a leaflet and subscription details by clicking on www.tmiltd.com
Bill Cubitt
W G CUBITT
Major General Commanding the Household Division
==================================================================================================
The story of the seven regiments which compose the Household Division, commonly referred to as the Guards, has been often told, individually and jointly. To the world at large, the image of the Guards has been coloured by their ceremonial duties as the regiments dedicated to the protection of the sovereign - whether on duty at Buckingham Palace and Horse Guards, or at great national occasions such as The Queen's Birthday Parade, which the public know as the Trooping of the Colour.
Yet in the 21st century the Guards have never been more active and engaged in their role as highly effective operational military units, whether in Bosnia, Iraq or, more recently, Afghanistan. Excellence in Action is a new, richly illustrated publication which offers a true, wide-ranging colour portrait of the Household Division which reflects the tradition of excellence of the individual formations in the context of today's role as an elite fighting force.
Subscription offer extended until 30 September
2007:
Take advantage of the special pre-publication discount price
of £37.50 (incl. UK p&p) and ensure your name is included
in the book.
Overseas addresses £41.25 (surface mail). Airmail rates
also available. The RRP on publication will be £45.00.
Contribute now:
The Editor is happy to receive first-hand accounts, memories
and anecdotes, preferably typed in one-and-a-half spacing, along
with photographs and memorabilia of all kinds.
Please send contributions to
Rupert Uloth c/o Third Millennium Information, 2-5 Benjamin Street,
London EC1M 5QL
Tel: 020 7336 0144 E-mail:
guards@tmiltd.com
A Long Long War
Voices from the British Army
in Northern Ireland 1969-98
Some time ago I placed a message on this page about a book being written by Ken Wharton concerning the conflict in Northern Ireland during the period 1969-98. This book is now published under the heading A Long Long War.
A recent e-mail tells me that the book is now in the shops and perhaps those who served in Northern Ireland might like to have a look at it and hopefully purchase a copy. Ken Wharton, in his e-mail, writes as follows:-
Ladies and Gentlemen I would like to announce that my book 'A Long Long War; Voices of the British Army in Northern Ireland, 1969-98' is being dispatched to the shops, wholesalers and book clubs on Tuesday. Yesterday, I signed 250 copies of those ordered on-line (the other 3,750 of the first print run are spoken for via Waterstones, Borders etc) and these will be sent out in the next 48 hours.
Ken is now working on his second book because he had far too much from contributers. I urge you to look at his website about this second book, as I have done, and you may then wish to help him with further details about YOUR service in Northern Ireland. Go to www.squaddiesvoices.com
Ken Wharton also sent me an e-mail some time ago now, it has
nothing to do with his book but I thought it might be of interest
to you.
Every other movie which hits our screens these days seems to be about the last war - a war in which the ALLIED armies fought and won - but it is ALWAYS from an American perspective.
I mean absolutely NO OFFENCE to my US friends who I hope will enjoy this e-mail - but if Hollywood is to be believed, then it was purely an American war, won by the American army and involving only Americans. Why, the other day, I spoke with a young man of about 20 and he said that he was unaware that the British (let alone the Canadians, Aussies, Kiwis, Indians, Ghurkas, South Africans) had been in the war; he knew that because of all the war movies he had seen !Let me, slightly, redress the balance with a story of a Brit, a story only just released following his recent death at the age of 88. I would like to share with you, the remarkable story of a world war II British officer - or a Rupert as we former soldiers called our betters. Lieutenant Stan Jeavons was a young man of 25 and, with D-Day approaching, was informed that he wouldn't be allowed leave to see his equally young wife, Nancy who had given birth to a baby boy the previous day.
As he flew by military plane to join the rest of his regiment on the south coast, prior to the British and Canadian airborne assault on the left flank of Normandy - the Americans assaulted the right flank - he casually asked if the plane was near the west Midlands. When he was informed that they were, he casually opened the exit hatch of the Dakota and bailed out, and parachuted to the ground ! Several hours later, he arrived at his home in Coseley, Dudley and found two military policemen waiting for him. When they challenged him, he tapped his loaded 9mm Sten gun - an automatic weapon, hated by the Brits because it had no safety catch, misfired at critical times and was wont to fire when accidentally dropped - and informed the two Red Caps, that they could do it '....the easy way or the hard way....' Something about this desperate man's manner told them that discretion was the better part of valour and they let him go inside to hold the baby.
He got his 5 minutes with his newborn son and was then arrested and taken straight to his camp for court martial and the inevitable prison sentence. As luck would have it, the next day was June 5 and in the early hours of June 6, his seniors, realising that he was far more use in Normandy than in front of a court martial in southern England, allowed him to jump with British 6th Airborne and Canadian Airborne into the Orne-Caen area of France. Typically of the man, he led the way and was the first British officer to parachute into occupied France and begin the liberation of Europe. The British, Canadians and the Americans suffered 40% casualties during the Normandy drops, incidentally. He later jumped with British 6th and the US 17th Airborne into Nazi Germany as they spearheaded the Rhine crossing the following March.After 6 decades of secrecy, the story finally became public when Stan Jeavons passed away at the age of 88.
His son said: 'Had he been killed, I would have known that
he had held me, kissed me and told me that he loved me. This
was one of the greatest treasures of my life.'A wonderful story
of a wonderful man, a very British war hero.