Fundraising
Books
Fire Strike 7/9
by Sgt Paul 'Bommer' Grahame and Damien Lewis
FIRE STRIKE 7/9 tells the true story of Bommer Grahame and his four-man Fire Support Team on one brutal tour of Afghanistan. Operating deep behind enemy lines and in the heat of the fiercest fighting in the Afghan theatre, Sgt Grahame conjures up deadly accurate airborne firepower in the most impossible of situations, with devastating results for his adversaries.
Hunted relentlessly by the Taliban, shot at, blown up and mortared, the hundreds of airstrikes directed by JTAC Bommer Grahame, often ‘danger close’ to his own and fellow soldier’s positions, saved countless lives and decimated a relentless enemy.
A riveting account of intense frontline fighting, high-tech weaponry and daily feats of unbelievable heroism, FIRE STRIKE 7/9 offers a fascinating insight into modern soldiering.
Special Offer
Combat Stress supporters are able to buy Fire Strike 7/9 for a special price of £15.95, rather than the RRP £18.99. Simply enter the promotional code '0706' when purchasing the book from www.rbooks.co.uk/firestrike.
REVIEWS
"The soldier who calls in air strikes on the battlefield can unleash hell, or die trying. This is how it is done."
Frederick Forsyth
"A gritty, adrenaline-fuelled hellride of non-stop combat."
Johnson Beharry VC
Operation Snakebite by Stephen Grey
At its heart, Operation Snakebite is the story of one battle around the town of Musa Qala. But in an investigation of un-paralleled scope, involving more than 200 interviews with both British and American soldiers, commanders and other key players, Grey traces the tentacles of a very modern war to reveal the untold story of horror and heroism on the frontline, the intrigues in the Presidential Palace, the passions that flare between commanders under pressure, and the ongoing doubts about where the war is heading.
REVIEWS
The book itself has been receiving some superb reviews:
Writing in the Sunday Times, the military historian and veteran Falklands War correspondent Max Hastings described the description of combat in Operation Snakebite as "exemplary"; and called the book "an uncommonly vivid portrait of battle..."
Writing in the Guardian, Raymond Bonner said the reporting in Operation Snakebite was "superb ... It is fast-paced and fluid, a seamless weaving of what he observed with interviews with soldiers, from corporals to generals... It is a fine piece of war reporting..."
Helmand by Robert Wilson
When the photographer Robert Wilson was invited to commemorate the six month tour of duty to Afghanistan with the 52nd Infantry Brigade, he was given unprecedented access. The result is an intimate record of life and death on the frontline.
Robert was invited as a war artist, and in his two weeks with the troops he produced some extraordinary pictures of the British Forces under the pressure of conflict. The work consists of portraits of the troops, including several portraits of women soldiers, portraits of Afghans, and pictures of bases and daily life. There are a number of views of the landscape, expecially from the air. Finally, there is the first record of a repatriation ceremony to mark the return of a British marine coffin on board a Hercules aircraft.
Proceeds from the book sales will be split between Combat Stress and BLESMA. Combat Stress supporters can buy Helmand (RRP £30) for the special price of £26 including free UK postage and packing. To order, please call 01206 255800 and quote reference "Combat Stress".
A Few Deeds Short of a Hero
by Robert Widders
Robert Widders is the last man alive to have served in all three branches of the armed services; the Royal Navy, the Army and the RAF. A Few Deeds Short of a Hero tracks his life from childhood through naval service in the NATO rapid response Atlantic Squadron during the Cold War, through Army military manoeuvres in Germany and active service in RAF Field Hospitals during the Gulf War.
Through his life-long service and brief period AWOL, for which he served military imprisonment, he paints a colourful picture of both the boredom and tragedy of War, interspersed with the shenanigans of a young man sliding towards alcoholism and a penchant for feats of physical endurance, including running the Bahrain Marathon and expeditions to both the Sahara and Mount Everest base camp.
Widders has emerged on the other side of conflict and a life shaped by the military as a balanced individual despite the trials of war. He maintains his experiences have only made him stronger.
You can order a copy of his book here.
From Trench to Sky
by Arthur Wilson
The letters are a remarkable testimony of a 20 year old, which, unlike much other material from the 1914-1918 war, shed light on how a person with a background of strong faith managed to cope with the horrors of it all.
"My dearest Parents and all,
Once again the ceaseless din of battle is ringing in my ears and I am in the trenches ready for any duty whatever it may be. The leaves are falling fast from the shattered trees of devastated Belgium and the whole district looks dismal. Even the birds have departed from our midst; the only living creatures of nature are rats which infest every square yard of earth..."
Thus begins one of Peter's letters from the front: yet despite the bleak surroundings and horrific sights, what shines through this book is "Jolly Pierre's" optimism, faith and love.
These letters and reminiscences offer a personal glimpse into the world of the trenches. Easy to read and full of little homely details and illustrations, this is an ideal book for all interested in day-to-day life at the front, whether new to the topic or expert.
It gives an insight into how one man's faith helped him not just to survive the horrors, but to encourage and support others throughout his life. Arthur George (Peter) Wilson was awarded the Military Cross and went on to do his medical training, serving as a much loved GP for 48 years. His son, Michael, rediscovered the letters recently and has supplemented them with photographs, drawings and extracts from Peter's memoirs. A moving and interesting book, providing excellent source material for those studying or interested in WWI. Combat Stress and Erskine (Renfrew) will each receive £1 for every book sold or presented. 
Home for Christmas
by Jeremy Archer
With the notable exception of the Western Front Christmas Truce of 1914, warfare makes few concessions to the festive season. In fact, as Home for Christmas shows, any opportunity to take advantage of a relaxed guard from your enemy appears to have been seized with enthusiasm. Nevertheless, whether serving in North America, the Peninsula, the Crimea, on the Western Front, in northern India, Italy, Baghdad, Korea or Vietnam – or being held in captivity – valiant attempts have always been made to keep the Christmas spirit alive and celebrate the birth of Christ.
Home for Christmas is a poignant anthology of Christmas letters, cards and diary entries, written during wartime, charmingly illustrated by Matilda Hunt.
What the critics say
"A wonderful Santa's sack of personal accounts, some serious and others frivoulous, but many with a note of that poignacy that comes from spending Christmas far away from home. This is, beyond question, my Christmas book." Richard Holmes
"A deeply moving book. A real work of love, and considerable research. I can't think of a more appealing Christmas present to give – or to receive." Sir Alistair Horne
"Jeremy Archer has assembled a wonderfully vivid and moving collection of war-time Christmas stories, which bring alive the loneliness of conflict for soldiers far from home." Sir Max Hastings
"[Home for Christmas] will touch and inspire readers everywhere." Good Book Guide
"In a series of poignant, humorous and, on occasion, near heartbreaking extracts from letters and diaries, the author shows us how, on this one day at least, people's thoughts turn to their loved ones and, just as important, how best to celebrate as circumstances allow." Country Life
Joint Force Harrier
by Adrian Orchard
Helmand Province, October 2006: British soldiers are engaged in the most intense, sustained fighting they've faced since the Korean War. Against a tough, experienced and frighteningly motivated enemy, their lives too often depended on the success of danger-close, pin-point attacks pressed home from the air.
When 800 Naval Air Squadron – callsign "Recoil" – arrived in theatre, their Boss, Commander Ade Orchard, knew there could be no slip-ups. Day and night, the Fleet Air Arm crews were on constant alert, ready to scramble their heavily armed Harrier attack jets at a moment's notice in support of the men on the ground. The call wasn't slow in coming. Just fifteen minutes after getting airborne for the first time, Orchard and his wingman were in the thick of it, called in when an Apache helicopter gunship was forced back by heavy fire...
The first book written by a serving British fast jet pilot since the 1991 Gulf War, Joint Force Harrier offers an unprecedented, heart-stopping insight into the realities of modern air warfare. The complexity and sophistication of the equipment may have moved on since the epic war battles of WWII, but it's clear that the courage, skill and character of the men engaged in this struggle for a country's survival has not.
Words of a Wolf, Poetry of a Veteran
by Villayat 'SnowMoon-Wolf' Sunkmanitu
“My poetry allows me to hang on to parts of my persona that might otherwise have been swallowed up by the PTSD, leaving me completely at the mercy of a debilitating condition, while the photography sets me free for a while.”
Wolf, a Veteran and a talented professional wildlife photographer and poet, has just published this personal collection of poems and images.
Please contact Fundraising for copies at £6.99 plus £2 p+p PB (while stock lasts):
Email fundraising@combatstress.org.uk, or call 01372 841619.
Wolf will be holding a series of exhibitions of his wonderful photographic work in various locations around the UK. Please visit www.wolf-photography.com for further information.
Here’s to Our Far-Flung Empire, An Account of a Colonial Upbringing
by Tony Orchard
Tony Orchard was born in Kenya in 1926. Most of the next fourteen years were spent at boarding schools in England and on holidays with relatives and guardians. Dunkirk provided the catalyst to joining his parents in India, thereafter traversing the British Empire from Bengal to Barbados, and Sydney to southern Ontario.
"Had it not been for World War II and the ‘miracle of Dunkirk’ I, along with thousands of other children with parents in the colonies of the then British Empire, would have had an upbringing restricted to boarding schools in Britain, with holidays spent with other folk in loco parentis.
"However, once out of the box aged just fourteen, I enjoyed a liberating run for the next seventeen years, seeing much of the world and living in three British dominions…
"Such an upbringing … was out of the ordinary. It contained some lows, some long plateaux and many more highs and if, as they say, variety is the spice of life, then mine had it in spades…"
Here's to Our Far-Flung Empire is published by Athena Press and available from Amazon and in local bookshops. Paperback. Published price £11.99.
Repercussion
by Rob Alexander
Rob Alexander's debut novel contains all the ingredients necessary for a best seller. Fast paced, plenty of action and a clever plot that provides a chilling insight into terrorism on a global scale.
A note from the author:
I am raising money for BLESMA (the British Limbless Ex-Service Men's Association) and Combat Stress.
Why? I served as a Parachute Engineer in the 70's and I'm now employed as a civilian by the Royal Marines at Lympstone. When the lads were in Afghanistan taking casualties it became personal. Around that time, writing under the pen name Rob Alexander, I had just finished writing Repercussion. I started looking into ways of selling it to raise money for the charities that help injured servicemen and Veterans. Quickly realising that the author is the last one in the food chain I become the publisher. Houghton Books was born. Unable to afford professional editing I had to rely on friends. Publishing a book on a tight budget was hard, but if it can be instrumental in helping a few of those guys it will be worth it. We must try to ensure that they get the treatment necessary to enable them to have a relatively normal life after their experiences.
Repercussion costs £6.99 and two pounds from each sale will be split between BLESMA and COMBAT STRESS - P&P is free of charge.
The sequel to Repercussion should be ready later this year.
Repercussion is published by Houghton Books and is available on their website, http://www.houghtonbooks.co.uk/.