An Cosantóir

www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 37 Author: Fergus Barrett published: Amazon Digital Services LLC (January 2017) AsIN: B01MR7YT0D pages: 113 price: €8.50 eBook 'Success doesn't choose you, you choose success. Everybody should live a life where they love themselves and life itself. your daily action plan is broken down into six parts: the wake up, the mind, the body, action, re- action and reflection.' Sgt Fergus Barrett joined the Defence Forces in 1994 and currently serves in 12 Inf Bn, Limerick. He has numerous military courses completed including: Sniper Instructor, SERE Instructor and Physical Training Instructor. He has served overseas on seven tours of duty to Lebanon, Kosovo and Chad. Fergus availed of a career break in 2007 and took the opportunity to travel. He qualified as an outdoor instructor whilst in Australia and these travels were the main source of his inspiration in writing this book. The people he met, the places he travelled to and the overall experience was life changing for him. He qualified as a life coach in 2013 and now assists other people achieve their own personal goals. The Defence Forces was also very influential when it came to writing his book. In the time he spent away from home on his numerous tours of duty gave him the space to think, gather his thoughts and put life into perspective. "The roller coaster ride that life in the Defence Forces provides, the people you meet and the varied experiences of daily life in uniform gave me great inspiration for writing the book." RK I Am RESPoNSIbLE FoR my owN LIFE Author: Ian Cobain publisher: Portobello Books Ltd (September 2016) http://portobellobooks.com IsBN: 978-1846275838 pages: 368 price: €19.50 H/B This excellent work draws on previously unseen material and rigorous research, with the author revealing how a complex and bureaucratic machine has grown up around the British state allowing successive governments to escape accountability and hide their secrets. The first Official Secrets Act was passed in England in 1889 creating offences of 'disclosure of information' and 'breach of official trust'. It limited and monitored what the public could, and should be told. From the vast paper archives amassed during Britain's colonial era to the electronic data captured and stored today, the British state has been meticulous in recording its own activities and those of its citizens, and equally meticulous in ensuring that many of these records remain hidden. Of particular interest are the files missing from Britain's former colonies such as Kenya. Before independence the British waged a vicious counter-insurgency war against the Mau Mau. Little is known of these clandestine operations and archives seem to be devoid of much information dealing with this turbulent period in Kenya's history. Boxes and boxes of files were transported out of the country before independence and taken to top secret and secure locations in Britain. These same files were buried in the hope that no one would come looking but in recent years, claims of abuse by former Kenyan Prisoners against the British government have unearthed the facts that papers do exist but are being withheld. While some have been handed over to those pursuing the case, others have not, which gives the reader the impression that a conspiracy is afoot to hide or dispose of documentation that may be damaging to the government, even now, decades after the British withdrawal. For those researchers and historians that have trawled through archives and public record offices in England looking for that vital piece of information that you know should be there, but seems to have vanished into thin air, this book is definitely for you. A must read. Pob THE HISToRy THIEvES: Secrets, Lies and the Shaping of a Modern Nation Author: David Pentland publisher: Art of War Books (May 2016) IsBN: 978-0995482500 pages: 112 price: €45 H/B On September the 15th 1916, the first tanks trundled across the Somme battlefield on the Western Front. Thirty-five British tanks attempted to break through the German defences. Though the attack failed, the potential of this machine was recognised and over the next 100 years, the tank would become the cornerstone of military forces throughout the world. This book is the first collection of paintings and drawings by David Pentland and consists of over 90 images to mark the 100th anniversary of the tank and those that served in tank regiments. Magnificently illustrated throughout, the book takes the reader from initial designs and ideas from chariots and war wagons to modern day fighting machines. The art work is superb and captures in brilliant colour every rivet and weld line that one might see on the body of these magnificent machines. From World War one through the intervening years to World War two the artist paints these machines as they develop through the decades and how the military adapt the use of these new weapons into their battle tactics. The Author also examines the tanks during the post World War Two period, looking at the Korean War, Indochina, and Vietnam conflicts. He also illustrates European tanks and takes in modern conflicts such as Lebanon, Iraq and Afghanistan. This book, as well as being beautifully illustrated, is also a great read, and comes highly recommended. Pob CENTURy oF TANKS 1916-2016: The Art of David Pentland Vol. 1

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