Kevin Shannon

Based on many unpublished sources, this book narrates the individual parts played by over 1,500 of those who served with the 1/5th King's Own in the Great War. First seeing action in Flanders in March 1915, they fought in almost all of the major campaigns on the Western Front. Initially recruited from Lancaster, Morecambe, Blackpool and Fleetwood, this battalion was very much a 'family' unit with many of the men closely related and no less than seven father-son relationships within the battalion. Though these relationships helped strengthen the men in times of need, when casualties were suffered they brought extra heartache to the battlefield. Often, these tragic outcomes are related in the men's own words. Using a combination of mainly unpublished sources, this volume details the deeds of this gallant battalion. Wherever possible, accurate coordinates have been given for the places men served, fought and in many cases, were wounded or died. A series of sketch maps detail the trench locations in which the battalion fought. An appendix listing nearly 3,500 officers and men who served with the 1/5th is included and is the most complete battalion roll ever published.

From training for the operation to the evacuations after D-Day, this is the story of the Glider Pilot Regiment's role in the first stage of the airborne assault in the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944. Operation Tonga was vital to the success of D-Day. It included the famous attacks on the Merville Battery and the bridges over the Orne River and Caen Canal, as well as the lesser-known, though equally important provision of an anti-tank screen to protect the southern and eastern flanks of the invasion beaches from German counterattacks. This account, the product of several years of research, is told through the eyes of those who were there-glider pilots, paratroopers, pathfinders, tug crews and passengers. It includes the stories of the crews that evaded capture by the Germans and pays tribute to the help they received from local resistance fighters. The contribution of the nine gliders that took part in the 'Coup de Main' landings has been well documented, but little has been written of the other eighty-nine gliders that participated. Operation Tonga-The Glider Assault: 6 June 1944 tells the full story.

During its seventy-one years of existence, the 17th/21st Lancers became one of the best known British cavalry regiments of all time. Beloved by the Press as the 'Death or Glory Boys', their renowned skull and crossbones 'Motto', was one of the most recognised cap badges of the British Army. This volume, written by a former member of the Regiment, tells their complete story for the first time; much of which is in the words of those who served. The Regiment's role during the Second World War---on the Home Front, in North Africa and Italy; Austria; Greece, and Palestine in the aftermath of the war; its four years of service in Northern Ireland at the height of the 'Troubles'; and the Gulf War, where one of its crews achieved the longest ever direct-fire tank kill, are all covered in considerable detail. Personal accounts add colour to descriptions of routine life for a cavalry regiment in Egypt and India; and an armoured regiment during the Cold War, serving in Germany, Hong Kong, Libya, Yemen and Belize. Eleven sketch maps and 128 photographs illustrate the text. Appendices include, a definitive Roll of Honour; all Commanding Officers, Colonels of the Regiment and RSMs.

Using a wealth of contemporary sources, this book narrates the story of the Liverpool Rifles in the Great War from their mobilisation in August 1914 to their return to Liverpool in 1919, each day of their active service in France and Belgium detailed. The role played by 3,000 individuals, including every single casualty---wounded or killed---is covered in the narrative and in many cases, the exact position where this happened. The battalion served a tough apprenticeship in the Second Battle of Ypres, losing over 40 per cent casualties in their first five months overseas. By the time the battalion left the Somme in September 1916, their casualties figures exceeded the number who sailed to France in 1915. The ferocious struggle in the Third Battle of Ypres and their epic defensive actions at Little Priel Farm and Givenchy are described down to individual platoon level; twenty-one detailed sketch maps allowing the reader to follow the action. Uniquely, the battalion roll in the appendices includes every officer and man who served with the battalion overseas, many of whom do not feature in the Medal Rolls.

After a life of faithful grind, Saul feels compromised by the authoritarian figures in whom he has placed his unconditional trust. However, his belief in the system is undermined when the Pillars of Society have an adverse reaction to his affair with the mysterious Leah, a former co-worker at the behemoth government agency in which Saul works. What results is a deadly domino effect of outrageous acts of moral turpitude and betrayal that lead to a redemptive encounter with Nature. Saul must dig deep to find the courage and fortitude he never knew he had in order to overcome adversity and survive death. His journey is the story of an everyman in which love leads to disaster, paving the way to deep, authentic reflection. Only when Saul becomes hopelessly lost does he finally find his true self.

The final part of the Lion and the Rose trilogy detailing the TF battalions of the King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment in the Great War. Established in August 1914, the 2/5th spent the next thirty months in England perfecting their ability to `form fours’; engaged in almost every sort of training other than that which they would need at the Front. When they deployed to France in February 1917, they were pitted against an aggressive and experienced foe. This book tells the story of their struggle to learn the skills necessary to survive in the pitiless arena of modern warfare and their progress to become the fighting equals of any by the end of the war. With no history written for either 57 Division or the 2/5th, this book—based on dozens of contemporary and unpublished sources, tells their story for the first time. The book contains sketch maps of the sectors the battalion fought in and accurate coordinates for all positions; previously unpublished photographs of men from the battalion; the most complete battalion roll yet compiled and narrates the individual parts played by 1,000 of the officers and men during the war.

The Lion and the Rose tells the story of an infantry battalion in the Great War. Based on many unpublished sources, the book narrates the individual parts played by nearly 2,000 of those who served with the 4th King's Own (Royal Lancaster) Regiment from the day that war was declared in 1914 until the armistice in 1918 and in a few cases, the stories of men whose war continued long afterwards. The battalion first saw action in Festubert in May 1915 and went on to fight on the Somme, the Ypres Salient and Gillemont Farm, though the battalion's epic stand at Givenchy on 9 April 1918 must rate as one of the greatest defensive actions of the war. Using contemporary combat reports, many of the major actions are described down to individual platoon level. The Lion and the Rose does not just concentrate on the major battles, but also examines everyday life in the trenches. Appendices give the most complete battalion roll to date and list those awarded medals for their bravery and also those nominated unsuccessfully for recognition.

Operation Tonga - The Glider Assault: 6 June 1944 is an account of the Glider Pilot Regiment's role in Operation Tonga, the first stage of the airborne assault in the Normandy landings in June 1944. The story is told through the eyes of those who were there - glider pilots, paratroopers, pathfinders, tug crews and passengers - and covers the operation from training through to evacuations after D-Day. Operation Tonga was vital to the success of D-Day and included the now famous attacks on the Merville Battery and the bridges over the Orne River and Caen Canal. The equally important, though less well known, part of the operation was to provide an anti-tank screen to protect the southern and eastern flanks of the invasion beaches from German counter attacks. The account includes stories of crew who evaded capture by the Germans and pays tribute to the help they received from local resistance fighters. The contribution of the nine gliders which took part in the 'Coup de Main' landings has been well-documented, but of the other eighty-nine gliders which took part, little has been written. Operation Tonga - The Glider Assault: 6 June 1944 tells the full story.