Autobiographies

Aedan of the Gaels King of the Scots, Keith Coleman. The first full length biography of Aedan mac Gabrain, ruler of Dal Raita, a kingdom split between Ulster and the west coast of Scotland, at the end of the sixth century. A difficult task because of the relative scarcity of sources and their often contradictory nature, but one that the author has handled well, producing a picture of the historic Aedan (as much as possible) as well as the mythical one, who appeared in Scottish, Irish and even Welsh tales (Read Full Review)

The Nearly Man, Mark Bridgeman. A look at a fascinating but flawed figure, who played a part in many of the most important events of his time without ever quite coming to the front. Follows Francis Metcalfe through service in two World Wars including the intervention in Russia in 1918-19 and a brush with Republican violence in western Ireland, but also through the prison systems of two countries! (Read Full Review)

From Journey's End to the Dam Busters - the Life of R.C. Sherriff, Playwright of the Trenches, Roland Wales. Looks at the life and works of R C Sherriff, most famous as the author of Journey’s End, but who went on to be a successful movie scriptwriter, contributing to a series of hit films over several decades, most famously the Dam Busters. Starts with a look at his own military service, which feels different in tone to most other accounts of junior officer’s experiences because of his self doubt, and which played a major role in his success with Journey’s End (Read Full Review)

Admiral Albert Hastings Markham – A Victorian Tale of Triumph, Tragedy & Exploration, Frank Jastrzembski. A biography of a Victorian admiral most famous for his part in the disastrous lost of HMS Victoria in 1893, but who deserves to be better known for his role in Arctic exploration, and the general adventurousness  of his life! This saw him serve in Chinese waters, the South Seas, and reach the furthest point north yet achieved by explorers(Read Full Review)

The Thinking Man's Soldier - The Life and Career of General Sir Henry Brackenbury, 1837-1914, Christopher Brice. A biography of a Victorian soldier who made his name away from the front line, and in particular as head of the Intelligence Department and the successful head of the Ordnance Department during the Boer War, where the army had to cope with demands on a unprecedented scale. An interesting view of life in the British Army as it changed from the disastrously amateurish force of the Crimean War into the increasingly professional force that fought the First World War [read full review]

First In, Last Out - An Unconventional British Officer in Indo-China, J.P. Cross. A fascinating account of the author’s time as military attaché in Laos, arriving in 1972 while the Americans were still propping up the Royal government and leaving in 1976 after the Communist takeover of the country, so an eyewitness to the country’s fall to communism, given extra value by his speaking nine Asian languages (including Lao) and his honesty, which gives us an unusual insight into these dramatic events (Read Full Review)

Run to the Sound of the Guns, Nicholas Moore & Mir Bahmanyar. A very atmospheric account of the experiences of a US Army Ranger who was involved in the War of Terror from the start in 2001 until being wounded in 2011. This period saw the Rangers evolve from a unit that carried out large scale operations, to one capable of carrying out the sort of small scale raids previous left to the Special Forces, and Moore is an engaging guide to that development. We get a convincing mix of successful and unsuccessful operations, and a real feel for what it was like to carry out operations in the Afghan mountains or the Iraqi urban landscape (Read Full Review)

The Regiment - 15 Years in the SAS, Rusty Firmin. A likeable, if rather sweary, autobiography of a member of the SAS who took part in the Iranian Embassy Siege, the Falklands War and several tours of Northern Ireland. The first half of the book covers the author’s transformation from very reluctant recruit to an enthusiastic gunner, then into the Commandos then finally the SAS, the second half his time in the SAS itself, ending with his views on the First Gulf War. Provides a valuable view of life in the SAS in the period that saw it rise to prominence after the Embassy Siege(Read Full Review)

Guardian Angel: Life and Death Adventures with Pararescue, the World's Most Powerful Commando Rescue Force, William F. Sine, USAF (Ret.). The autobiography of a member of a parachute rescue unit in the USAF, a special forces unit dedicated to rescue and retrieval missions, capable of operating in just about any environment. A likeable account of life in an extraordinary unit, although one that doesn’t hide some of the grimmer aspects of their work, which also involves recovering the bodies of dead American servicemen as well as the more positive rescue missions. [read full review]

Helmand to the Himalayas - One Soldier's Inspiration Journey, David Wiseman. A two-part memoir, starting with the author's experiences in Afghanistan, where he took part in the British deployment to Helmand, where he was involved in the aftermath of a traumatic attack on British troops by bogus Afghan policemen, then moving on to his recovery from the physical and mental trauma the author suffered after being badly wounded in combat. This second section is the most valuable, with an unflinching account of the impact of post traumatic stress and an entertaining account of the Everest expedition that helped with the author's recovery [read full review]

The Funny Side of War for the Sick and Demented, Mat Vance. An unvarnished account of the experiences of a US Army Scout who served during the war in Iraq, but focusing on the more light-hearted (for a certain definition of light-hearted) aspects of his service career. The stories ring true, although it is unusual to find an author willing to put himself at the centre of quite so many escapades. Provides a different point of view of life in the modern US military, and thus a valuable work. [read full review]

Baghdad Operators: Ex Special Forces in Iraq, James Glasse with Andrew Rawson. Looks at the experiences of a retired British Special Forces soldier who ended up founding a sizable security firm operating in Iraq in the years after the Second Gulf War. Takes the reader through the chaos of Iraq, where survival was often a matter of random chance, helped by the impressive skills acquired by Glasse and his colleagues. [read full review]

From the Imjin to the Hook, James Jacobs. Interesting autobiography of a national serviceman who serving with the artillery in Korea before volunteering for a second spell of service late in the same war. A very readable account of life in the British Army in Korea, seen from a slightly unusual angle - I've not read an account from the artillery before. [read full review]

Helmand - Diaries of Front-Line Soldiers, Various Authors. Focuses on the diaries of John and Ian Thornton, brothers who served in Afghanistan in 2008 and 2011-12 respectively. John was killed close to the end of his tour of duty, and profits from the book go to the John Thornton Young Achievers Foundation, a charity founded to honour his memory. The two Thornton diaries are supported by two other diaries and two personal reminiscence to produce a vivid picture of the life of a frontline solder in Afghanistan. [read full review]

Arabian Days - The Memoirs of Two Trucial Oman Scouts, Antony Cawston and Michael Curtis. Two memoirs that look at life in the Trucial Oman Scouts (a precursor of the army of the UAE) in two periods during the 1960s. The authors came to the unit in very different ways, but both clearly enjoyed their time there, and they paint a very sympathetic picture of life in the Emirates at the very start of the oil boom. [read full review]

Stay the Distance - The Life and Times of Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Michael Beetham, Peter Jacobs. A biography of one of the RAF's most important post-war leaders, tracing his career from his wartime tour with Bomber Command to his post as Chief of the Air Staff during the Falklands War. [read full review]

In a Bosnia Trench, A Wartime Memoir of a Muslim Bosnian Soldier, Elvir Kulin with Maury Hirschkorn. A impressively un-judgemental account of the Bosnia War as seen by a young Bosnian Muslim from the Sarajevo area, of value both for its account of the fighting, and of the rapid descent into civil war in the former Yugoslavia. [read full review]

On the Deck or in the Drink, Flying with the Royal Navy 1952-1964, Lieutenant Brian R. Allen RN. The autobiography of a pilot in the post-war Fleet Air Arm, recounting his experiences flying a wide range of aircraft from old wartime Avengers to the Fairey Gannet and some alarming early helicopters [read full review]

Back Bearing: A Navigator's Tale, 1942 to 1974, Group Captain Eric Cropper. A useful account of a period of rapid navigation in the science of navigation, seen from the point of view of an RAF Officer who served as a navigator with Bomber Command during the Second World War then remained in the RAF for thirty years, becoming a senior figure in navigation training [read full review]

Save the Last Bullet for Yourself: A Soldier of Fortune in the Balkans and Somalia, Rob Krott. A compelling and convincing tale of life as a soldier of fortune in the Balkans and Somalia written by a former US Army officer, Harvard post-graduate student, looking at the first two years of his career as a successful soldier of fortune. [read full review]

Fighting for the French Foreign Legion: Memoirs of a Scottish Legionnaire, Alex Lochrie. A valuable account of life in the Legion during the period when it became an official part of the French armed forces, covering the selection process, training, and the Legion's involvement in peacekeeping in Africa and Bosnia as well as Operation Desert Storm. [read full review]

Robert Craufurd – The Man & The Myth – The Life and Times of Wellington’s Wayward Martinet, Ian Fletcher. A detailed biography of ‘Black Bob Craufurd’, most famous as commander of Wellington’s Light Division in the Peninsula, but who also fought in Ireland and took part in the disasterous expedition to South America. Looks at how his strict discipline helped turn his division into one of the best in Wellington’s army, but also how his over confidence almost led to disaster. We also get a look at his surprisingly tender private life, illuminated by the letters he sent to his wife (Read Full Review)

General Sir Ralph Abercromby and the French Revolutionary Wars, 1792-1801, Carole Divall. A biography of one of the more competent British generals of the Revolutionary Wars, killed at the height of his success during the expulsion of the French from Egypt. Inevitably most of his experiences during the Revolutionary War came during the unsuccessful campaigns in northern Europe, but he managed to emerge from these campaigns with his reputation largely intact, and won fame with his death during a successful campaign. An interesting study of a less familiar part of the British struggle against revolutionary France (Read Full Review)

Voices from the Peninsula - Eyewitness Accounts by Soldiers of Wellington's Army, 1808-1814, ed. Ian Fletcher. Covers the long series of campaigns fought by Wellington’s army, from the initial victories at Rolica and Vimeiro to the eventually invasion of France, when his troops became the first Allied troops to cross onto French soil as the net closed in on Napoleon. Uses a wide range of authors to bring us into the heart of the action, and to give us accounts of many of the key moments of Wellington’s many victories as well as his rare setbacks(Read Full Review)

In the Legions of Napoleon - the Memoirs of a Polish Officer in Spain and Russia 1808-1813, Henrich von Brandt. The memoirs of a Polish officer from a German background who served with the French from 1808-1813, covering the four years he spent in Spain and the disastrous invasion of Russia of 1812. Provides a rather different viewpoint on these famous campaigns, especially in Spain, where Brandt fought in a part of the war rarely covered by British memoirs. Also includes some more lighthearted moments from Spain, as well as a vivid account of the disastrous retreat from Spain (Read Full Review)

A Soldier for Napoleon - The Campaigns of Lieutenant Franz Joseph Hausmann, 7th Bavarian Infantry, ed John H. Gill. A look at the Bavarian Army’s role in the Napoleonic Wars, built around the war diaries and surviving letters of Franz Joseph Hausmann, a junior officer who served on many of Napoleon’s greatest campaigns, then on the opposite side during the invasion of France of 1814. Most valuable for the collection of letters from the Russian campaign of 1812, covering the activities of one of the flank armies that attempted to protect the Grande Armée as it advanced to Moscow and back(Read Full Review)

Man of War - The Fighting Life of Admiral James Saumarez, Anthony Sullivan. An interesting biography of a less familiar senior British naval officer of the Napoleonic Wars, who served off the French coast and as a floating diplomatic in the Baltic, where he helped prevent an escalation of the war, as well as fighting at many of the major naval battles of the period and commanding at the two battles of Algerciras (Read Full Review)

In the Words of Napoleon - The Emperor Day by Day, ed. R.M. Johnston. Originally produced in 1910 from a wide range of Napoleonic sources in an attempt to produce an artificial 'Napoleon Diary'. The result is an entertaining read, although the lack of references is unfortunate, and like any selection of writings we are limited by the original editor's choices. Despite those limits, it does provide an interesting insight into how Napoleon saw his own actions, and how his attitudes changed over time [read full review]

Sir John Moore - The Making of a Controversial Hero, Janet MacDonald. A full length biography of Sir John Moore, best known for the battle of Corunna and for training the rifle corps at Shorncliffe. As this book proves, he had an active and varied career, serving on Corsica, in the West Indies, Ireland, Holland, Egypt, Sicily and Sweden as well as in Spain and Portugal, so as well as providing a biography of Moore, this book also gives us a cross-section of the British army's activities during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. [read full review]

Into Battle with Napoleon 1812 - The Journal of Jakob Walter, ed. Bob Carruthers. The memoirs of a German soldier who fought in Napoleon's army during the campaigns of 1806-7, 1809 and 1812, taking part in the invasion of Russia, fighting at Borodino and suffering during the retreat from Moscow. Simply written, this gives us a view of the supporting armies in the earlier campaigns as well as the appalling suffering during the retreat from Moscow. [read full review]

A Waterloo Hero: The Reminiscences of Friedrich Lindau, ed. James Bogle and Andrew Uffindell. A rare example of a memoir written by a private soldier in Wellington's army, in this case a skirmisher in the King's German Legion who fought in the last few years of the Peninsular War and at Waterloo, where he was involved in the fighting at La Haye Sainte. A valuable insight into the daily life and preoccupations of one of Wellington's men. [read full review]