Books about the Army and Navy

The books in this section include British Army and Royal Navy history
plus autobiographical accounts written by former Army or Navy personnel

2297 - A POW's Story

by John Lawrence

A former POW tells of his five long years as a captive in Eastern Europe in WW2
World War II memoir

A Boy from Soho

by Frank Gianotti
A London boy's wartime experiences at home and abroad, in the London Blitz and in Italy with the RASC
Naval memoir

A Corkhead's Chronicle

by David J. Lott
Experiences of a Royal Navy Clearance Diver 1955-76
military memoir

A Diver in the Dark

by Sydney Knowles BEM
Entertaining memoir of a pioneer Royal Navy Clearance Diver and diving partner of Commander Lionel 'Buster' Crabb

A Long Way from Blandford

by BA Jones

Wartime adventures of a motorcycle dispatch rider and truck driver

World War II memoir

A Passage to Peshawar

by Bill Precey

Misadventures of a young officer in the Indian Army during WW2
World War II memoir

A Tankie's Travels

by Jock Watt
Experiences of a WW2 tank commander of the 3rd Royal Tank Regiment (3RTR) including Dunkirk, Greece, El Alemein and more...
WW2 memoir

Achtung Minen! Guernsey

by Henry Beckingham
The history of the German minefields on Guernsey 1940-45, told by the man in charge of removing them
Aviation memoir

Adventures of a Flying Dutchman

by Rudolf J Idzerda
Autobiography of a WW2 pilot in the Netherlands Naval Air Service who went on to become a Rear Admiral and later a Director of the World Wildlife Fund
Army history

Armoured Farmer - A Tankie's Tales

by Malcolm Cleverley
Amusing recollections of a tankie with 3rd Royal Tank Regiment (3RTR) during the Cold War years
World War II memoir

Espionage Behind the Wire

by Howard Greville

The secret history of intelligence gathering by Allied prisoners of war during World War II
Military memoir

From Horses to Chieftains

by Richard Napier

From boy soldier to battle-hardened veteran with the 8th Hussars 1935-1959
military memoir

Harry Was a Crap Hat

by Brian Clacy
A soldier's varied experiences in the British Army during the 1970s, 80s and 90s ~ from driving armoured cars to medical corps duties
Army memoir

Hotspots in the Falklands (and Elsewhere)

by Major Philip Thompson MBE 
A British Soldier's experiences 1965-2003 include Aden, Malaya, Northern Ireland and the Falklands War
WW2 memoir

I Married a Princess

by Thomas Soars
Remarkable tale of an English RNVR officer who met and married a Persian princess during World War II
military/civilian memoir

Inside and Out

by Robert Cosh
Entertaining memoir featuring the author's experiences in the wartime Royal Navy (1939-46) and postwar in HM Prison Service (1946-81)