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[hotel21]

Just finished a nice hot soak in an overfull bath, nice quiet folkey type music on the radio, glass of favourite malt at the elbow, reading a good book.

And it had me weeping tears....

The Forgotten Highlander by Alistair Urquhart. 

ISBN 978-1-4087-0211-6

Especially poignant at this time of year and a stark reminder of how things and perceptions change and how time blurs reality....

[hotel21]

link to book review

Please read the comments beneath......

[Jimbob]

Glad youve enjoyed the book, and it certainly gets some interesting reviews.

Personally, I think Ill give it a miss, doesnt sound relaxing reading, I am intrigued though.

[Auto Addict]

I used to read a lot of books about the war, but as I got older, I found them too upsetting.

[jerry]

have read a couple of books on the fall of Singapore, but this one sounds worth a look. Such books are a reminder of the bravery , fear and horrors that war entails as well as follies and barbarism. I think Major Thomas's speech from the Australian movie "Breaker Morant" is quite apt when he says "the fact of the matter is that war changes mens natures. The barbarities of war are seldom committed by abnormal men.The tragedy of war is that these horrors are committed by normal men in abnormal situations, situations in which the ebb and flow of everyday life have departed and have been replaced by a constant round of fear and anger, blood and death. Soldiers at war are not to be judged by civilian rules....even though they commit acts which, calmly viewed afterwards, could only be seen as unchristian and brutal". Surely applies to the majority of cases of men at war.

[Dishevelled Den]

I'm glad that you experienced those emotions B.

It's inherently good that we strip away the comfortable veneer of modern life to learn of what some people experienced during certain points in our recent history.

Time will blur the raw fact of such events and while the world moves on (necessarily so) some things must never be forgotten, so it's good that accounts of the disturbing side to human nature be made by those who bore witness to them.

War and conflict are steeped in vainglory, bigotry, hate and political design - as a result oftentimes, the true nature of both is softened through national zeal, general disinterest, political manipulation and the passage of time. 

This should never happen.

Such testaments must also guide those who would propose violence (for whatever purpose) - or are ambivalent about its use - and help them realize that it should always be the last thing to be considered.

Well posted.

[Auto Addict]

In the 'Good old days' the King used to lead his army into battle.

I would have liked to see Blair & Bush lead the armies into Iraq & Afganistan.

[Chris_H]

In the 'Good old days' the King used to lead his army into battle.

I would have liked to see Blair & Bush lead the armies into Iraq & Afganistan.

They'd have had to walk backwards!

I may get to read the book H21.  Lots in the queue.