Favourite sports book

[Jammy89]

Is it SAS Rogue Heroes, Jammy?

It was not but it is one i shall look out for.

It's called "Happy Odyssey" and it's about a bloke called Adrian Carton de Wiart. Put the blurb about him below.

Adrian Carton de Wiart's autobiography is one of the most remarkable of military memoirs. He was the son of a Belgian barrister, Leon Constant Ghislain Carton de Wiart (1854-1915). He, himself, was intended for the law, but abandoned his studies at Balliol College, Oxford, in 1899 to serve as a trooper in the South African War. He abandoned the law for all time on 14 September 1901 when he received a direct commission in the 4th Dragoon Guards. Carton de Wiart's extraordinary military career embraced service with the Somaliland Camel Corps (1914-15), liaison officer with Polish forces (1939), membership of the British Military Mission to Yugoslavia (1941), a period as a prisoner of war (1941-43), and three years as Churchill's representative to Chiang Kai-shek (1943-46). (Churchill was a great admirer.) During the Great War, besides commanding the 8th Glosters, Carton de Wiart was GOC 12 Brigade (1917) and GOC 105 Brigade (April 1918). Both these command were terminated by wounds. He was wounded eight times during the war (including the loss of an eye and a hand), won the VC during the Batlle of the Somme, was mentioned in despatches six times, and was the model for Brigadier Ben Ritchie Hook in the Sword of Honour trilogy of Evelyn Waugh.


His wikipedia entry includes: He was shot in the face, head, stomach, ankle, leg, hip, and ear; survived two plane crashes; tunnelled out of a prisoner-of-war camp; and tore off his own fingers when a doctor refused to amputate them. Describing his experiences in the First World War, he wrote, "Frankly I had enjoyed the war."

It's a great read.

[Sclox]

It was not but it is one i shall look out for.

It's called "Happy Odyssey" and it's about a bloke called Adrian Carton de Wiart. Put the blurb about him below.

Adrian Carton de Wiart's autobiography is one of the most remarkable of military memoirs. He was the son of a Belgian barrister, Leon Constant Ghislain Carton de Wiart (1854-1915). He, himself, was intended for the law, but abandoned his studies at Balliol College, Oxford, in 1899 to serve as a trooper in the South African War. He abandoned the law for all time on 14 September 1901 when he received a direct commission in the 4th Dragoon Guards. Carton de Wiart's extraordinary military career embraced service with the Somaliland Camel Corps (1914-15), liaison officer with Polish forces (1939), membership of the British Military Mission to Yugoslavia (1941), a period as a prisoner of war (1941-43), and three years as Churchill's representative to Chiang Kai-shek (1943-46). (Churchill was a great admirer.) During the Great War, besides commanding the 8th Glosters, Carton de Wiart was GOC 12 Brigade (1917) and GOC 105 Brigade (April 1918). Both these command were terminated by wounds. He was wounded eight times during the war (including the loss of an eye and a hand), won the VC during the Batlle of the Somme, was mentioned in despatches six times, and was the model for Brigadier Ben Ritchie Hook in the Sword of Honour trilogy of Evelyn Waugh.


His wikipedia entry includes: He was shot in the face, head, stomach, ankle, leg, hip, and ear; survived two plane crashes; tunnelled out of a prisoner-of-war camp; and tore off his own fingers when a doctor refused to amputate them. Describing his experiences in the First World War, he wrote, "Frankly I had enjoyed the war."

It's a great read.

I could be wrong about this but 11 Commando was formed first in Scotland as a forerunner of the SAS when Churchill wanted a "butcher and bolt" battalion in North Africa around 1941/early way. The SAS was known simply as "The Parachute Unit" at the time but I think the two co-existed at the time.

I am sure any army eggheads on here can correct me if I am wrong though.

[Stanleymag]

Was the SAS the forerunner of the Commando's or was it the other way round. My uncle was a sergeant major in the DLI and he was attached to a commando unit during the war, hardest man I ever knew.

Commandos date back donkeys years.

SAS were established by a bloke who's name I forget, who was a bit of an odd ball, who came up with the idea of a small group of nutters who would go behind enemy lines in North Africa and basically create merry hell to disrupt and undermine the Germans.

Nutters is probably the wrong term, soldiers with no fear of death, throwing themselves from the back of speeding landrovers to practice parachuting. That was their training.

Until recently CL, my Dad was the Standard Bearer for the Consett and Stanley Branch of DLI , attending funerals of old soldiers and Rememberance Sunday's.

We travelled to Dunkirk in 2014 for him to present the standard to commemorate 80 years since the DLI landed on Gold Beach to liberate France.

A very emotional few days I can tell you.

[Sclox]

Commandos date back donkeys years.

SAS were established by a bloke who's name I forget, who was a bit of an odd ball, who came up with the idea of a small group of nutters who would go behind enemy lines in North Africa and basically create merry hell to disrupt and undermine the Germans.

Nutters is probably the wrong term, soldiers with no fear of death, throwing themselves from the back of speeding landrovers to practice parachuting. That was their training.

Until recently CL, my Dad was the Standard Bearer for the Consett and Stanley Branch of DLI , attending funerals of old soldiers and Rememberance Sunday's.

We travelled to Dunkirk in 2014 for him to present the standard to commemorate 80 years since the DLI landed on Gold Beach to liberate France.

A very emotional few days I can tell you.

I bet Stanley. Very impressive credentuals there. That bloke I was talking about Blair Mayne was a pioneer of that type of warfare using the jeeps for hit and run behind the lines. I think David Stirling was that odd ball you talk about who started the old "LDetatchment SAS"

[Stanleymag]

I bet Stanley. Very impressive credentuals there. That bloke I was talking about Blair Mayne was a pioneer of that type of warfare using the jeeps for hit and run behind the lines. I think David Stirling was that odd ball you talk about who started the old "LDetatchment SAS"

That's him came up with idea while lying in hospital.

Many thought he was mad until Auchileck took it on and Churchill gave it his deal of approval. The rest is history.

[ex_pat_magpie]

Commandos date back donkeys years.

SAS were established by a bloke who's name I forget, who was a bit of an odd ball, who came up with the idea of a small group of nutters who would go behind enemy lines in North Africa and basically create merry hell to disrupt and undermine the Germans.

Nutters is probably the wrong term, soldiers with no fear of death, throwing themselves from the back of speeding landrovers to practice parachuting. That was their training.

Until recently CL, my Dad was the Standard Bearer for the Consett and Stanley Branch of DLI , attending funerals of old soldiers and Rememberance Sunday's.

We travelled to Dunkirk in 2014 for him to present the standard to commemorate 80 years since the DLI landed on Gold Beach to liberate France.

A very emotional few days I can tell you.

David Stirling is the name I think you are looking for Stan. He led small groups in the desert targeting mainly aircraft and fuel and supply dumps.

[Sclox]

David Stirling is the name I think you are looking for Stan. He led small groups in the desert targeting mainly aircraft and fuel and supply d2umps.

Ended up in Colditz Pat. The phantom major.

[ex_pat_magpie]

Ended up in Colditz Pat. The phantom major.

I picked up his autobiography cheaply for a couple of bob in a second hand bookshop in Kensington about 50 years ago but unfortunately it got nicked with a lot of valuable stuff following a breakin.

It was a fantastic, gripping read but in some places so light hearted considering the constant danger those lads faced.

[pboromag]

I could be wrong about this but 11 Commando was formed first in Scotland as a forerunner of the SAS when Churchill wanted a "butcher and bolt" battalion in North Africa around 1941/early way. The SAS was known simply as "The Parachute Unit" at the time but I think the two co-existed at the time.

I am sure any army eggheads on here can correct me if I am wrong though.

david sterling formed the sas and i think they were called l detachment in about 1940 ish
the special air service was actually to fool the enemy as they wanted them to believe they only parachuted in and werent mainly land based

their first operations were in egypt and lybia and they failed miserably at first

when they worked wit the long range desert group who were a detachment who operated soley in the deserts and had years of experiance which they passed onto sterling and his men did they have much success

the sbs was formed in about 1942

sterling was captured in about 1942-3 and was in prison for the rest of the war and thats when paddy took command

[TheOtherTerryMac]

Ended up in Colditz Pat. The phantom major.

That’s interesting I’m off on another motorbike trip to Dresden next Friday. We have a day tour booked to Colditz with lunch included. You can stay overnight in the castle but it was fully booked.