Books by ABN Members

In Never Surrender Robert Kershaw captures the authentic voices of the ordinary heroes of the Second World War, from the soldiers fighting abroad to those battling on the home front, and creates an extraordinary portrait of a generation fighting for survival. Beginning with first-hand accounts of the reaction to Chamberlain's declaration of war in 1939, Kershaw portrays the many aspects of war through the words of those who were there, from the sailors of the little ships of Dunkirk to German soldiers preparing for Operation 'Sea Lion'. He takes us from the nightly horrors of the Blitz to battles in the limitless desert of North Africa, and from jungle war in Burma to Lancaster bombers over Germany and the beaches of Normandy.

Featuring new interviews with veterans and civilians from Britain, the Commonwealth and Germany as well as diaries, letters, and first-hand accounts, this is a testimony to the remarkable men and women who lived through the Second World War - whose refusal to surrender changed them, and Britain, forever.

 A collection of contemporary word art in bite sizes concerning entertainment, humour and literature, portrayed in a new communication medium. Cool postcards is an anthology of poetry with explanations in the form of personal notes to the author's friends, relatives, and others, which both stand alone and give alternative contextual information that provides different view points for the poems.

The exploits of the British Army's elite 22nd Special Air Service Regiment - the regiment of the SAS that forms part of the Regular army - are shrouded in mystery and myths abound about its members. But what is the truth behind the public façade of clinical professionalism? How has such a small regiment attracted so many weighty legends? And what is the purpose of the SAS in the 21st century?

Grow Your Own Charity is a vital tool for all those in leadership of new charities. It sets out clearly and concisely how to plan strategically while developing structures for financial stability and systematic growth. David Marfleet knows charities from the inside out, this is a brilliantly practical guide to sorting out the back office so that you can concentrate on the real business of helping others. Danny Kruger, founder of Only Connect UK. David Marfleet has expressed in a few pages what it has taken me years to learn about running a small charity.

Four Brothers in Arms is a remarkable account of a single family and their service in the British Armed Forces, drawing on an unusual collection of letters and photographs. The book provides glimpses of four brothers' experiences over a period of twenty years on the North West Frontier of India in the 1930s, throughout the Second World War, during the partition of India in 1947 and the Malayan Emergency in the 1950s as well as a rare insight into their mother's precarious isolation during the war in Jersey under German occupation.

Every year getting fit and losing weight is at the top of the list of resolutions but few of us manage to stick to any kind of fitness regime. What you need is a military instructor watching over your exercise programme, helping you out and encouraging you along the way. Unfortunately, we can't supply you with your own personal fitness expert, but this book is the next best thing.

The Royal Marine Commandos were formed by Churchill during World War II and have earned a reputation as the most feared amphibious infantry in the world. They are highly trained, disciplined, tough, determined and efficient, always basing their operations on speed, mobility, surprise and fire-power.

This is a personal account of a dramatic ascent of the third highest unclimbed peak in the Chinese Karakoram, made in 1987 by a team of largely inexperienced climbers. The stresses and breakdown in relationships are discussed frankly as well as the author's battle against M.E.

Hugh McManners was among the first of the British Special Forces to land on the Falkland Islands and here, in this gripping narrative, is his first-hand account of this most famous of modern British military operations.

The Falklands War was a turning point in modern British history. On the one hand, it was what some considered to be the 'last of the great Elizabethan adventures', with the Royal Navy pulling off an incredible feat of maritime warfare, under the most appallingly risky circumstances. On the other hand, it was the first war of the modern age, using satellite surveillance, computer-driven missiles, night observation devices, and all the technologically developed power of modern weaponry. It was also a conflict that could so easily have gone terribly wrong for British forces. Instead, it was a resounding military success. And yet, the conflict's significance is often overlooked.

Hugh McManners' original interviews for Gulf War One provide a compelling picture and explode many myths of how this war was carried out, and why. From military planners and politicians to ordinary soldiers and Gulf War Syndrome sufferers, both those serving and those caught up in the war tell its history in their own words.

Get back to basics with this practical guide to mastering survival skills from the man who's done it all, Hugh McManners. Be ready for the great outdoors: find out the basics from what equipment to pack to how to stay warm and dry in the elements, to where you'll find water and food. Learn to survive in adverse conditions: easy-to-follow techniques from testing plants for poison to making your own compass to splinting a broken arm and surviving in a blizzard.

Getting away from it all is becoming increasingly popular with many people spending most of their free time visiting wild areas. But if you want to go backpacking how do you start? How do you sift through the numerous styles of equipment to find the right kit for your needs? And once you have decided on a trip where do you go?

In this book former commando and special forces major Hugh McManners saw combat in the Falklands and has trained rigorously to overcome life-and-death situations. Now he shares his specialized knowledge and skills in this practical guide to staying alive outdoors under adverse conditions. Could you recognize signs of an approaching storm, put up a dry shelter, or - if you had to - prepare a meal of slugs? Would you know how to locate water, splint a broken leg or signal for help? With this unique book you'll learn all these outdoor skills and hundreds more.

War is by far the most traumatic life event that any human can experience - a damaging combination of danger, uncertainty and horror. Yet little has been written about the actual experiences of combat - what the modern battlefield is really like and how professional soldiers, sailors and airmen, prepare to cope with carnage.

Aiming to provide a balanced view of the issues facing a modern air force, this study of the RAF takes readers behind the air displays and Royal Tournament performances, the uniforms and the war heroes, to examine the dedication and rigorous training that goes into creating a fighter pilot. Among the other topics considered are how today's pilots differ from their World War I and World War II counterparts, technology and its influence on the modern plane, and the effectiveness of the latest fighter planes.

68 dead and nearly 300 injured in a hostile vehicle and bomb attack on a community festival in Birmingham, the country is in shock.
Battling the mental turmoil of the aftermath, Alex, a former Army communications specialist, stumbles across the UK Terror Watch List - he cannot resist the challenge of stealing the list from under the nose of his contract supervisor, Lucy Butler, a razor sharp and headstrong Intelligence Corps corporal with big ambitions.

Utrinque paratus. Ready for anything. The motto of the famed Parachute Regiment (The Paras) covers war and peace, work and play and all to the highest and most exhilarating standards. And "anything" and everything is certainly covered in this book where the reader is taken, by some thought-provoking and often hilarious anecdotes, through training, life in the barracks, exercises, on operations, off duty, and facing the ultimate sacrifice. If you thought you knew The Paras... think again!

MODEST MOUNTAINEERING is possibly the most idiosyncratic mountaineering book you will ever read. It comprises 34 vignettes, mainly on mountaineering topics, but with excursions into expedition rationing, Christian belief and pithy quotations. Geographically the mountaineering episodes extend from the modest hills of Wales to Everest via the Arctic, two volcanoes, via ferratas and even a safari in Botswana.

This book is an account of the 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment during the last three days of the Falklands war, it has been put together with the goodwill of the members of 3 Para and their attachments. When I asked Lieutenant-General Sir Hew Pike KCB, DSO, MBE if he would do a read through, to make sure he had no objections to the content and if he would be kind enough to write the foreword, this was his reply, it sums up what the book is all about.

The hostilities that saw the break-up of Tito's Yugoslavia ravaged the Balkans and generated some of the most tragic episodes in modern history. War and Peace in the Balkans explores the history of the conflict and its themes from an insider's perspective. In this independent and critical account, Ian Oliver uses his extensive experience in the region to evaluate the role of the international community in its responses to the war and the efforts to rebuild.

A compilation of 514 new and specially selected humorous short stories from the author of 'More Sky Laughing' about the unbelievable antics of the Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces.

During the economic recession, in the early nineties, seven families decide to leave London to resettle in the Highlands of Scotland. Working together, they aim to create a self-sufficient community that will provide a good environment to raise their kids.

This unit history delves deeply into the creation and subsequent combat service of the 11th Parachute Battalion. The bulk of the book deals with the preparation and subsequent service of the Battalion at Arnhem in 1944, in particular around Oosterbeek. Apart from a detailed narrative which contains many eyewitness accounts, the book features a number of appendices including an order of battle, list of awards, nominal roll and roll of honour, besides many truly rare photographs.