This is the story of the Troubles in Northern Ireland told from the perspective of the British soldiers
who served there between 1969 and 1998. This was a war against terrorists who knew no mercy or
compassion; a war involving sectarian hatred and violent death. Over 1,000 British lives were lost
in a place just 30 minutes flying time away from the mainland.
The British Army was sent into Northern Ireland on August 14, 1969 by the Wilson government
as law and order had broken down and the population (mainly Catholics) and property were at
grave risk. Between then and 1998 some 300,000 British troops served in Northern Ireland.
This is their story – in their own words – from first to last.
There are stories from some of the most seminal moments in the period of the Troubles in Northern Ireland -
detailed accounts of firefights at Crossmaglen from the commanders on the ground at the time; an incredible
story from a British Army sniper in Londonderry, 1973; an account from the first squaddie on the scene at
Penny Lane after the 1988 funeral killings of the two corporals; the 1988 Ballygawley coach blast
which killed 8 Light Infantrymen, with a first-hand account by one of the survivors; the case of
the missing Christmas Club money in the Ardoyne; Gerry Adams' ‘birthday treat’ at a vehicle
checkpoint, accounts by plain-clothes intelligence officers on the streets of Belfast … and
many more. The brave men and women of the Ulster Defence Regiment, many of whom were murdered
in their homes or at their places of work, occupy a prominent place in the book.
The author has also conducted a great deal of original research to produce a roll of honour
for all service personnel killed in Northern Ireland. A major contribution to research, the
list differs to its ‘official’ MoD counterpart to a surprising degree. It includes more
than 20 names before the first official casualty, Gunner Robert Curtis (1971) and more
than 10 after the last official casualty, L/Bombardier Stephen Restorick (1997).
Receiving a remarkable amount of cooperation from Northern Ireland veterans eager to tell
their story, the author has compiled a vivid and unforgettable record. Their experiences -
sad and poignant, fearful and violent, courageous in the face of adversity, even downright
hilarious - make for compelling reading. Their voices need to be heard.
"In this excellent and wide-ranging selection of first-hand accounts from the British Army
in Northern Ireland, Ken Wharton has assembled testimonies from men of all ranks that are
invariably informative, sometimes humorous and often deeply moving. A fitting tribute to
the British soldier in a campaign that lasted nearly three decades."
Adrian Gilbert,
author of POW: Allied Prisoners in Europe 1939-1945 (The Sunday Times Best Military
Books 2006)
"A compelling story, told in the refreshingly simple prose of a soldier-scribe. This is
the tale of that other war on terror - one fought over several, bloody decades, and
largely in the shadows. Lest we forget."
Damien Lewis, bestselling author of Operation Certain Death and Bloody Heroes
"Here at last is the authentic voice of the veterans of a gruelling and thankless campaign. Powerful,
revealing and moving."
Patrick Bishop, bestselling author of 3 Para and Bomber Boys.
Ken Wharton -
Ken Wharton is 57 and was born and bred in Yorkshire, where he still lives. Leaving school at 15, he worked I
variously as a clerk at the Yorkshire Copperworks in Leeds, a junior tailor, and selling Rington's tea door-todoor,
before joining the army at 17. He served for 5 years, including two tours of Northern Ireland. After the
army he studied Politics at Warwick University, before a long career in sales. A Long Long War is the first of a
series of oral history books about the British Army that Ken Wharton is writing.