Soldiers history men john

  Soldiers - A History of men in Battle by John Keegan and Richard Holmes Published 1987 Hardcover book in very good condition. The dust jacket show wear and tear. Previous owners name on first page. The book are undamaged and clean. 288 pages   Please see the photo's as part of the description   International bidders  are welcome. (please enquire about postage) Postage and packaging: R62..00 SA post office. Courier at R120. (Preferred) Pickup can also be arranged                 Please see our other medallion, pins and coins, books ext.  

  Soldiers: A History of Men in Battle Author: John Keegan & Richard Holmes with a Foreword by Frederick Forsyth Publisher: Sphere Books Ltd, London, United Kingdom Edition: First Edition 1985 Condition: Good – Slight wear and tear to dust jacket, other wise clean copy with tight binding    Binding: Hardcover Pages: 288. Several colour, black & white photographs   Additional Information   The book of the major BBC TV Series Please note that we refer the right to close our auctions at any time Please refer to all images for condition, as this form an integral part of the description Payment to be processed within 2 days of auction closing Item will be posted on the first Saturday following receipt of payment. We are not responsible for damages to or loss of items once posted The item is second hand and sold as such with no warranty or guarantee implied, expressed or given. Bidders to request detail of shipping options and costs International bidders to kindly request details of shipping costs

1985. Hard cover with dust cover. 288 pages. Very good condition. Minor rust spots in front and back. Parcel over 1 kg. Celebrated military historian, John Keegan, and co-author, Richard Holmes, chart the changes in the conduct of warfare through history with an instructive combination of analysis and illustration. In the process they reveal that what has not changed is that an army ultimately has to depend on the courage and determination of its fighting men. With an introduction by Frederick Forsyth.      

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

It is May 1983. The UMR is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its Headquarters, the UMR Hall, in Greytown. A medal parade, civic dinner and a number of other events are on the programme. The members of the Unit are upbeat and enthusiastic and look forward to all the activities. There is an officers meeting in the old UMR Hall. On the agenda the Unit's history going forward from 1975 when the last edition was published. A decision is taken to appoint a senior officer (Maj. L. Palmer) to commence working on the History project. The idea is to begin collecting material, articles and photographs, interviewing the older ex-members and Comrades of the Unit, collecting anecdotes and any other related information. The years passed and the work load increased as time went on. The one man project became a 4 member committee and members came and went. Cmdt. John Allchin took over the project. Under his direction the work continued until in, 2004, there was enough progress to appoint a professional scribe to put it all together. Mark Coghlan of the Pietermaritzburg Museum, a person of great experience and insight into military history in KwaZulu-Natal, was approached and accepted the assignment;  To draft, collate and produce the History of the UMR 1864 to 2004. The rest is history, the culmination of over 20-odd years of hard but fulfilling work. As the reader turns the pagers of this document, the history of the illustrious UMR will unfold before his/her very eyes, and the reader will be taken for the ride of a lifetime. The ride starts with a small band of 45 cavalry volunteers in Greytown and ends with a modern Armoured Car Regiment, a compliment of 254 trained men and women, equipped with Rooikat armoured vehicles and a modern and functional headquarters at Pinetown, KwaZulu-Natal. The Umvoti Mounted Rifles is the second oldest Regiment in the South African National Defence Force. It was 150 years old on 16 May 2014. The regiment fought gallantly and with honour in the South African (Zulu) War of 1879; The South Africa (Anglo Boer) War of 1899 -1902; Natal (Bambata) Rebellion of 1906; South West Africa (First world War) 1914-1915 and Gibbon, Western Desert (Second World War) 1941-1943. The Regiment stands proud as the only active Armoured Car Regiment in KwaZulu-Natal, and is ready to serve the South African National Defence Force, The Country and its People, where and whenever called upon to do so. Hardcover, 795 pages. Published October 2012 

The Soldiers   Author: Willem Steenkamp Publisher: Don Nelson, Cape Town     Edition: First Edition 1978 ISBN:   0 909238 34 0 Condition: Good. Library copy. Reflects library stamps and tags, Wear & tear to dustcover, otherwise a clean copy with tight binding Binding: Hardcover Pages: 144. Various black & white photographs and maps     Additional Information South Africans are a warlike breed, although not militaristic by nature. therefore it’s hardly surprising that in its troubled history, this country and its territories which became part of it, have produced generation after generation of daring generals. Some of them, like Louis Botha and Jan Christian Smuts, went onto greater fame as statesmen; others were fighting men pure and simple.   The Soldiers presents six of the warriors, two fro each of the great wars vin which South Africans fought between 1899 and 19454. Tro a remarkable degree their stories are intertwined; sometimes they fought against each other; at other times one would be a young soldier serving under a great general, not knowing that in later years he in turn would at the lonely pinnacle of a supreme leadership in the filed   Please note that we refer the right to close our auctions at any time Please refer to all images for condition, as this form an integral part of the description Payment to be processed within 2 days of auction closing Item will be posted on the first Saturday following receipt of payment. We are not responsible for damages to or loss of items once posted The item is second hand and sold as such with no warranty or guarantee implied, expressed or given. Regretfully, no buyers from outside the borders of South Africa

1990. Hard cover with dust cover; A4 size; 199 pages. Very good, clean condition. Parcel over 1kg. One of the most comprehensive accounts of the 1879 Anglo-Zulu War ever published, "Brave Men's Blood" is also the best illustrated. The result of years of research in Britain, South Africa, France, the USA and Australia, it includes 270 contemporary illustrations integrated with text providing a concise history of the Zulu state and the causes of the war. The illustrations of men in action, uniforms and weapons, brings to life the experiences of soldiers from both sides, and create a sense of life in the field and the drama of combat itself. Battles are depicted in contemporary sketches and engravings that present a unique record of the campaign.   

This item is sold brand new. It is ordered on demand from our supplier and is usually dispatched within 7 - 11 working days Featuring exclusive interviews with the greatest players in team history, Richard Whittingham's "We Are the Bears" is the definitive story of this classic NFL franchise, told by the men who built it. This oral history of the team, which features numerous legends--including Mike Singletary, Mike Ditka, Gayle Sayers, Dan Hampton, and many others--will delight fans of all ages. Features Summary Featuring exclusive interviews with the greatest players in team history, Richard Whittingham's "We Are the Bears" is the definitive story of this classic NFL franchise... Author Richard Whittingham (Author), Mike Singletary (Foreword by), John Mullin (Introduction by) Publisher Triumph Books (IL) Release date Pages 256 ISBN ISBN

This item is sold brand new. It is ordered on demand from our supplier and is usually dispatched within 7 - 13 working days The Hundred Years War () dominated life in England and France for well over a century. It became the defining feature of existence for generations. This sweeping book is the first to tell the human story of the longest military conflict in history. Historian David Green focuses on the ways the war affected different groups, among them knights, clerics, women, peasants, soldiers, peacemakers, and kings. He also explores how the long war altered governance in England and France and reshaped peoples' perceptions of themselves and of their national character. Using the events of the war as a narrative thread, Green illuminates the realities of battle and the conditions of those compelled to live in occupied territory; the roles played by clergy and their shifting loyalties to king and pope; and the influence of the war on developing notions of government, literacy, and education. Peopled with vivid and well-known characters--Henry V, Joan of Arc, Philippe the Good of Burgundy, Edward the Black Prince, John the Blind of Bohemia, and many others--as well as a host of ordinary individuals who were drawn into the struggle, this absorbing book reveals for the first time not only the Hundred Years War's impact on warfare, institutions, and nations, but also its true human cost. Features Summary What life was like for ordinary French and English people, embroiled in a devastating century-long conflict that changed their world Author David Green Publisher Yale University Press Release date Pages 339 ISBN ISBN

Formed in 1916 as The Rhodesia Native Regiment, its troops were blooded with honour in the East African campaign. Disbanded in 1919, the regiment was re-formed in 1940 during World War II as The Rhodesian African Rifles, seeing action in Burma. In the 1950s, the regiment distinguished itself further during the Malayan Emergency. During the 1960s and 1970s, the regiment was at the forefront of hostilities in the bloody Rhodesian bush war. Ironically, it was after Zimbabwean independence in 1980, that the RARs finest hour came, when, fighting for their erstwhile enemy, Mugabe, the soldiers of the RAR defeated Nkomos invading ZIPRA armies at the battles of Entumbane in Bulawayo. Masodja  London launch address - Brigadier D. Heppenstall: 09/11/07 Lord Salisbury, our President, General Lord Michael Walker, the son of our battalion 2ic in Burma in World War 2, honoured guests, members of the Association, ladies and gentlemen. Like the Battle of Waterloo, this has been a close run thing. Yesterday morning I received four copies of Masodja from the printers in Durban, South Africa, by special delivery, and the main consignment only arrived at Heathrow yesterday evening. The main reason for the four by special delivery was so that we could present one of them to Prince Philip when he signed our Regimental Drumskin at lunchtime yesterday. He was most intrigued when Tobias Mutangadura pointed out to him his photograph taken at the Malayan Independence Merdeka celebrations fifty years ago in 1957. Anyway to get back to the main topic, the reasons why we almost didnt succeed in getting the books here for the launch were several. Firstly it was published and printed in South Africa on the one hand and the author and Regimental Association in the UK on the other. This of course prevented close liaison between the two sides although the use of email made things far easier than they used to be. Most of the text was completed by Alex Binda several years ago, although there were gaps in the records available, and more information was received right up to the last minute. Originally we had planned to have the Launch last April to coincide with our Regimental Day, Tanlwe Chaung Day. This was deemed too early, and it was put back to July, the month in which the Regiment was formed. In the meantime, however, in conjunction with Chris Cocks, Alex had written the History of the RLI, The Saints, which had a very impressive Launch last June. Chris Cocks, our publisher at 30 Degrees South, advised us that a July Launch would be too close to the Saints Launch and recommended that it be postponed to Remembrance Weekend  which we agreed and set the wheels in motion to hire this hall and invite our VIP guests. Apart from the distance between publishers and originators, other mitigating factors included the sheer volume of photographs of which about 75% have been included. These were still being annotated about ten days before the book went to print! Another major factor which nearly caused a postponement was the bad reaction to a new course of medicine prescribed to Kerrin Cocks. This resulted in her being rushed into intensive care followed by a two week break to recuperate. Kerrin is a vital cog in the 30 Degrees South machine, but was soon back on line to rush things through. Pinetown Printers in Durban did a great job in completing those books which we have here today, and in fact they were working 24 hours over the whole of last weekend. We owe a debt of gratitude to all involved in the publication, to Chris and Kerrin Cocks for their expertise, to Pinetown Printers and to Bill Welsh for acting as our Marshal Blucher and arriving with the books in the nick of time. Apart, of course, from Alex Binda, I owe a special thank you to John Hopkins, Iain Harper, Bridget Wells-West and all those who supplied photographs and reminiscences of their time in the Regiment. I would now like to deal with our four members whom we invited over from Zimbabwe. This has been possible due to the magnificent support given by the Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League who paid all their expenses. Our four who came over are: Captain Machakada Patrick Nelomwe: He attested in time to go to the Canal Zone, Egypt, with 1RAR in 1952, and has subsequently seen service in Malaya, the Nyasaland Emergency, the Congo border and the Rhodesian bush war. He rose from company clerk in A Company to ORQMS in the 1st Battalion in 1980. He was commissioned, subsequently in the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA). Major Tobias Chenharu Mutangadura DMM: A member of the Rhodesian Army Education Corps who served almost all his time with 1RAR. By 1980 he was a WO1 and had been awarded the Defence Forces Medal for Meritorious Service (DMM). He was commissioned in the ZNA, and retired as major. He was curator of the Gweru Military Museum for several years. RSM Gibson Zanago Mugadza BCR: A very talented half back in my battalion football team in his younger days. In the Rhodesian bush war he was awarded the Bronze Cross of Rhodesia (BCR) for outstanding leadership and bravery in action. He retired from the Army after 1980 as RSM at the School of Infantry, Gwelo. RSM Obert Veremu DMM: Obert was in my platoon in Malaya where he was a junior NCO, leading scout and tracker. That was exactly 50 years ago. He rose steadily through the ranks, was a champion 110 mile marcher and was awarded his DMM in 1972. He was RSM 1RAR from 1977 to 1978 and 3RAR from its formation in 1978 until after independence when he retired and went farming. The four are ideally situated throughout the country. Patrick is in Bulawayo, Tobias in Gweru, Gibson in Harare and Obert in the Vumba. They will be able to tell all our old comrades that the Regiment is still very much alive! I must now emphasise that the main reason that they arrived here at all is thanks to Lt-Col Malcolm Clewer, the Chairman of our Association in Zimbabwe and also the Chairman of the Harare Branch of the Legion

This is the story of South African soldiers during the 1916 Somme offensive, which took place between the Allied forces and the Germans along the Somme River in France and was one of the bloodiest conflicts of the First World War, resulting in over a million deaths in six months. In July 1916, the men of the 1st South African Infantry Brigade were involved in recapturing the village of Lingueval and clearing Delville Wood of enemy soldiers, but they suffered extreme casualties. After six days of fighting, of the Brigade's 3433 soldiers, only 750 were left standing. The rest were dead or wounded. This book tells the stories of the men of the Brigade via their letters, diaries, and interviews that the author conducted with survivors many years ago. Not much has been written about South Africans during World War I. Surprisingly, it is a relatively untapped period of military history. This fascinating new book covers the iconic battle of Delville Wood, the most famous event involving South Africans during the war. Paperback, 280 pages Published August 2014

This item is sold brand new. It is ordered on demand from our supplier and is usually dispatched within 7 - 11 working days Writing to his mother the day after the fighting, Captain Thomas Wildman of the 7th Hussars described 'a victory so splendid & important that you may search the annals of history in vain for its parallel'. Little wonder, for Waterloo was widely recognised - even in its immediate wake - as one of the most decisive battles in history: after more than twenty years of uninterrupted conflict this single day's encounter finally put paid to French aspirations for European hegemony. The culminating point of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, Waterloo also witnessed levels of determination and bravery by both sides which far exceeded anything experienced by the veterans of Wellington's recent campaigns in Spain and Portugal. Indeed, it was that unconquerable spirit which left over men dead on the field of battle and tens of thousands of others wounded. This thoroughly researched and highly detailed account of one history's greatest human dramas looks first at the wider strategic picture before focussing on the tactical roles played by individual British units - all meticulously examined with the benefit of the extensive array of hitherto unexploited primary sources which reveal the battlefield experience of officers and soldiers as never before. Refusing simply to repeat the same unchallenged accounts and to commit the same errors of previous historians, this work relies exclusively on hundreds of first-hand accounts by men of all ranks and from practically every British regiment and corps present on that fateful day to provide a fresh and revised perspective on one of the most pivotal events of modern times. Features Summary Waterloo Author Gregory Fremont-Barnes Publisher The History Press Ltd Release date Pages 440 ISBN ISBN

In 1945, as the Allied forces approached the German border having fought so bravely following the successful Normandy landings, it was decided that an elite unit was needed to work alongside the frontline soldiers as they headed east: they were called Target-Force. Until now their story has never appeared in any histories of the period. Through extensive archival work and after interviewing many of the soldiers who tell their story here for the first time, historian Sean Longden can finally reveal the previously unknown story of the men who were sent into Germany to seize and secure highly developed Nazi military technology, key factories and scientists.T-Force was born out of the chaos of war torn Europe in 1945, and it is no wonder the story reads like a spy thriller: the unit was top secret and originated from a plan belonging to the Naval intelligence officer, Ian Fleming, later the creator of James Bond. The unit was selected from the remnants of the infantry after Normandy and included drivers, sappers, bomb disposal experts, commandos and teams of expert scientists, specialists and engineers. What they discovered would not only shock the allied army but also play a huge role in the opening years of the Cold War. Between March and summer 1945, the unit was constantly at work seizing targets in towns such as Bremen, Celle, Hamburg and Hanover, where they uncovered a secret laboratory hidden beneath a straw covered floor of a barn, vast blast furnaces in Ruhr Valley steel works that were dismantled and shipped back to England, and a fully functioning aircraft factory operating in two miles of underground tunnels. They went in search of codebooks that could decrypt the enemys signals; new technology such as jet propelled engines, and mini submarines. They also hunted down the men behind these extraordinary feats: nearly 1,000 top scientists, some smuggled out of the Soviet Zone in unmarked lorries, including Werner Von Braun, the brains behind the V1 and V2 rockets who was to become a key figure in the American space race, Otto Hahn, Germanys foremost expert in nuclear fission and Helmut Walther, the man who inspired Ian Flemings Moonraker.Sean Longdens riveting history will change the story of how the second World War was won and how the first battles of the Cold War were fought; it reads like the finest espionage thriller of the era.

In 2012  the South African Army celebrated its 100th birthday. What started out as a small, ill-equipped organisation grew into the most powerful army on the continent by the 1980s. Springboks, Troepies and Cadres tells the story of the SA army in telling the stories of the men who shaped it. A divergent group of soldiers, from general officers to ordinary foot soldiers, tells of the tragedies and triumphs of the battles they took part in. Their first-hand accounts vividly bring home the realities of being a soldier, while some of the officers divulge and discuss military strategy. The book is divided into four eras - World War I, World War II, the Border War and the post-1994 era. Historical battles, including Delville Wood (World War I) and El Alamein (World War II), come alive. The soldiers' stories have recurring themes: Through the army's entire history there was as an emphasis on keeping casualties to a minimum and a military ethos that glorified effectiveness rather than sacrifice. The author also takes a hard look at the state of the SA army in 2012 and the assortment of challenges it faces - from a lack of resources to racial tension and poor discipline. Yet, for the most part, these stories of the army offer a gripping and inspirational historical record. Paperback, 220 pages

Book and wrapper in great condition - Actually looks brand new and unread to me - 403 pages which includes and excellent index at the back -  Before Southern Africa's peac e there came the war. Between August 1987 and July 1988 Fidel Castro's Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces, the South African Defence Force, Angolan government forces directed by Soviet officers and an Angolan opposition guerrilla army trained by Red China, France and the United States clashed in the biggest land battles in the history of black Africa. It was a fierce collision of ideologies and of modern warplanes, missiles and tanks across one of the world's most remote and undeveloped terrains known to Angola's former Portuguese colonial rulers as the Land at the End of the Earth. Thousands of men died and thousands more were terribly maimed. Weapons and ammunition worth billions of dollars were destroyed and expended. The Angolan economy was crippled. The budgets of Cuba, South Africa and the Soviet Union were subjected to terrible strains. It was a War for Africa's very soul. It culminated in a peace agreement, the New York Accords, signed on 22 December 1988,. The reader will learn what it is like to encounter an advanced Soviet MiG fighter in a French Mirage warplane 30,000 feet above the forests of Africa; what emotion grip a reconnaissance commando lying unseen inside Cuban lines within feet of enemy soldiers; how it feels in an armoured car to face a Soviet T-55 tank at just 30 feet in burning bush and swirling dust and smoke. This is, however, far more than just an account of men in battle. Woven through are details of the political background to the conflict and the diplomatic initiatives which governed the lives and deaths of young Cuban, South African and Angolan men at the front.    * Africana *  *N.B.*   If you buy more than one book from me you only pay R 6 postage on each additional book   – see what else I have to offer, it might be worth your while.