Mi6 life death service

This item is sold brand new. It is ordered on demand from our supplier and is usually dispatched within 6 - 13 working days Published in hardback as THE ART OF BETRAYAL and fully updated for the paperback edition. The British Secret Service has been cloaked in secrecy and shrouded in myth since it was created a hundred years ago. Our understanding of what it is to be a spy has been largely defined by the fictional worlds of James Bond and John le Carre. THE ART OF BETRAYAL provides a unique and unprecedented insight into this secret world and the reality that lies behind the fiction. It tells the story of how the secret service has changed since the end of World War II and by focusing on the people and the relationships that lie at the heart of espionage, revealing the danger, the drama, the intrigue, the moral ambiguities and the occasional comedy that comes with working for British intelligence. From the defining period of the early Cold War through to the modern day, MI6 has undergone a dramatic transformation from a gung-ho, amateurish organisation to its modern, no less controversial, incarnation. Gordon Corera reveals the triumphs and disasters along the way. The grand dramas of the Cold War and after - the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the 11 September attacks and the Iraq war - are the backdrop for the human stories of the individual spies whose stories form the centrepiece of the narrative. But some of the individuals featured here, in turn, helped shape the course of those events. Corera draws on the first-hand accounts of those who have spied, lied and in some cases nearly died in service of the state. They range from the spymasters to the agents they ran to their sworn enemies. Many of these accounts are based on exclusive interviews and access. From Afghanistan to the Congo, from Moscow to the back streets of London, these are the voices of those who have worked on the front line of Britain's secret wars. And the truth is often more remarkable than the fiction. Features Summary The secret history of MI6 - from the Cold War to the present day. Author Gordon Corera Publisher Phoenix (an Imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd) Release date Pages 496 ISBN ISBN

Buy MI6: A Life and Death in the Service of the British Secret Service - Gordon Corera for R190.00

1994 first edition hardcover with dust jacket in very good condition.  A thick book of 709 pages.  R55 postage in SA or R60 courier to most bigger cities. Sir Edward Dunlop, or 'Weary' as many knew him, became a hero to thousands of prisoners of war on the Burma-Thailand 'Death Railway' during World War II. When the War broke out he took charge of a surgical team at St. Mary's, Paddington in the Emergency Medical Service, then joined the Australian Army and served in Palestine, Egypt, Greece, Crete and North Africa. In 1942 he sailed with his medical unit to Java and elected to be captured with the Allied General Hospital he began there. During more than three years as a prisoner of war, his gift for organizing vast hospital camps in Java and on the railway in Thailand, his courage, compassion and determination to get men home alive, made him a legend in his lifetime. Had his frank diaries of captivity been found by the Japanese, he would have been beheaded. Returning to Australia in 1945, Weary dedicated his life to caring for former Allied prisoners of war. Sadly he died before this biography, written with his full cooperation, could be published.

The romantic legend of the Holy Grail is almost without parallel in the stories of chivalry.  It has about it a quality of inspiration and a standard of purity that transcends everyday life.  It shines like a star through the darkness of the Dark Ages.  But what if Satan has his own counterpart?  What if - just as the Black Mass of the witches and wizards, is an abominable reversal of the Holy Communion service of the Christian - what if, then, there is an Unholy Grail?  A sinister thing of death and terror.  A glittering, golden chalice forged in the nethermost chasms of Hell, wrought by the hands of unholy craftsmen.  Gilded by demons, decked with gems by jewellers who live with the Prince of Darkness. A thing that originated below the dark hills where trolls dwell... That too would be the object of many a quest.  There would be dedicated heroes searching to destroy it.  There would be unscrupulous men who wanted to employ its dark power for their own ends.  There would be weak men unable to resist its call.  There would be strong men whose wills clashed with the almost irresistible power of the Golden Chalice. Soft cover, fair condition.  The paper is a bit yellowed.  The cover has slight signs of wear.  158 pages.

This is the story of the sinking of the SS Mendi during WW1, the bravery of the men on board and the ensuing inquiry conducted by the Board of Trade in London. The story follows the small band of survivors to France where they complete their tour of duty. The First World War rages in Europe, it is a white mans war, but when the British government calls for 10 000 black soldiers to be sent to France as a labour force, men from around South Africa volunteer for service. In the foothills of the Drakensberg, Kula Hlongwane, an amaNgwane prince steps forward, followed by a group of his tribesmen. Madondo is ordered to accompany them. For him it is a nightmare from which there is no escape. When crossing the English Channel on the troopship, the SS Mendi, lights loom out of the thick black fog, then a siren blasts. With no time to avoid the collision, the Mendi is struck a devastating blow on the starboard side where Kula and his men lie sleeping. Within minutes, the Mendi begins to sink. The book makes use of various historical documents and the transcripts from the inquiry held in London by the Board of Trade to establish causality for the large loss of life. On conclusion of the inquiry, these transcripts were declared secret and concealed from view for the next 50 years. Men of the Mendi gives an in depth account of the inquiry and the apparent reason for the cover-up.  At 5 am on 21 February 1917, in thick fog about 10 nautical miles (19 km) south of St. Catherine's Point on the Isle of Wight, the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company cargo ship Darro accidentally rammed Mendi's starboard quarter, breaching her forward hold. Darro was an 11,484 GRT ship, much larger than Mendi, sailing in ballast to Argentina to load meat. Darro survived the collision but Mendi sank, killing 616 South Africans (607 of them black troops) and 30 crew. Some men were killed outright in the collision; others were trapped below decks. Many others gathered on Mendi's deck as she listed and sank. Oral history records that the men met their fate with great dignity. An interpreter, Isaac Williams Wauchope, who had previously served as a Minister in the Congregational Native Church of Fort Beaufort and Blinkwater, is reported to have calmed the panicked men by raising his arms aloft and crying out in a loud voice: "Be quiet and calm, my countrymen. What is happening now is what you came to do...you are going to die, but that is what you came to do. Brothers, we are drilling the death drill. I, a Xhosa, say you are my brothers...Swazis, Pondos, Basotho...so let us die like brothers. We are the sons of Africa. Raise your war-cries, brothers, for though they made us leave our assegais in the kraal, our voices are left with our bodies." The damaged Darro did not stay to assist. But Brisk lowered her boats, whose crews then rescued survivors. The investigation into the accident led to a formal hearing in summer 1917, held in Caxton Hall, Westminster. It opened on 24 July, sat for five days spread over the next fortnight, and concluded on 8 August. The court found Darro's Master, Henry W Stump, guilty of "having travelled at a dangerously high speed in thick fog, and of having failed to ensure that his ship emitted the necessary fog sound signals." It suspended Stump's licence for a year. Stump's decision not to help Mendi's survivors has been a source of controversy. One source states that it was because of the risk of attack by enemy submarines. Certainly Darro was vulnerable, both as a large merchant ship and having sustained damage that put her out of action for up to three months. But some historians have suggested that racial prejudice influenced Stump's decision, and others hold that he merely lost his nerve. Softcover, 320 pages. First published: February 2017

 Boer War: Buitengewone Staats-Courant Zuid Afrikaansche Republiek  (Dated 27 November 1899). This item is an ORIGINAL,  period piece and is in EXCELLENT CONDITION.  A physical reminder of the most prominent conflict that shaped South Africa's history. This Buitengewone Staats-Courant was published on Monday, the 27th of November 1899 -  a month after the outbreak of hostilities at Colenso. The body of text is printed in Dutch and proclaims that all free citizens (burghers) of the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek,  who qualify for and who have been called up for military service / commando duties - are no longer able to cancel their life insurance policies.  This was legislated to prevent the premature withdrawal of funds associated with policies due to the possibility of early death associated with conflict.   The text of the document is clear and is not obscured. Please note that the item is nearly 120 years old - so the paper will show signs of age and some discolouration.   An ideal historical piece, documenting the early days of the Anglo-Boer War, from the perspective of those living in the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek. A wonderful addition that would take pride of place to any collection of Boer memorabilia.   FOREIGN BIDDERS TO PAY USING BOB BUCKS -QUOTED SHIPPING  NO COLLECTIONS  PAYMENT IN 7 DAYS OR SNC  SEE SHIPPING