Nick Metcalfe

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The United Kingdom
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April 2013


Nick Metcalfe was born in Northern Ireland into a family that for generations had worked in the linen mills of County Armagh and County Antrim. He was commissioned from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1982. In a successful military career over the course of 27 years he served all over the world; he spent just short of eleven years on operations in Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Sierra Leone and Iraq. He was awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal in 1989 and appointed an MBE in 1997. He retired in 2009. His first book, Blacker’s Boys , tells the First World War history of the 9th (Service) Battalion, Princess Victoria's (Royal Irish Fusiliers) (County Armagh), one of 13 infantry battalions in 36th (Ulster) Division. His second book, For ...more

Average rating: 4.25 · 4 ratings · 0 reviews · 3 distinct works
Blacker's Boys

4.25 avg rating — 4 ratings — published 2012
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For Exemplary Bravery

0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — published 2014 — 2 editions
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Honours, Decorations and Me...

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* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

Commemorating Royal Signals War Dead – New Page, ‘D’

The Royal Signals casualties whose surnames begin with ‘D’ have now been included on the War Dead page on this website (completed letters are hyperlinked; the documents open as pdfs). They amount to 255 all ranks who died on operations in the inter-war years, in the Second World War and in the campaigns of the post-Second World War period. Included on this list are three members of the Auxiliary T

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Published on May 22, 2025 07:58

Nick’s Recent Updates

Nick Metcalfe wrote a new blog post

Commemorating Royal Signals War Dead – New Page, ‘D’

The Royal Signals casualties whose surnames begin with ‘D’ have now been included on the War Dead page on this website (completed letters are hyperlin Read more of this blog post »
Nick Metcalfe has read
Vick's Vultures by Scott   Warren
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" Excellent. Thanks very much for the swift response.
Nick
"
Nick Metcalfe has read
Honours, Decorations and Medals to the Royal Corps of Signals... by Nick Metcalfe
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Nick Metcalfe rated a book it was amazing
Passage to Destiny by Brian James Crabb
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Passage to Destiny (2015 edition) is highly recommended. It is one of the best accounts of a single wartime event that I have read—a masterpiece of research and superbly written. The sinking of the troopship Khedive Ismail in the Indian Ocean by ...more
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“The story told here is pre-Partition and I have tried to use the terminology of the time but in such a way that it does not confuse the reader. Ulster, one of the four provinces that make up Ireland, comprises nine counties, three of which—Cavan, Donegal and Monaghan—are now part of the Republic of Ireland. At that time, however, anyone from the island of Ireland was Irish, and Ulster Protestants had no difficulty in calling Londonderry ‘Derry’, although the sensitivities over Home Rule were beginning to force changes.”
Nick Metcalfe, Blacker's Boys

“It is impossible to convey adequately the long-term mental and physical consequences to many of those who have acted so gallantly.”
Nick Metcalfe, For Exemplary Bravery

“Imagine in vibrant detail your heart’s desire—a reality only you can envision, an adventure only you can direct.
Then cradle your creation. Caress it. Mold it. Coddle it until it comes to life.
And when your precious treasure grows so grand as to steal your breath away, set it free for all the world to experience. For that is how you live your dreams.”
Richelle Goodrich, Eena, The Curse of Wanyaka Cave

“The story told here is pre-Partition and I have tried to use the terminology of the time but in such a way that it does not confuse the reader. Ulster, one of the four provinces that make up Ireland, comprises nine counties, three of which—Cavan, Donegal and Monaghan—are now part of the Republic of Ireland. At that time, however, anyone from the island of Ireland was Irish, and Ulster Protestants had no difficulty in calling Londonderry ‘Derry’, although the sensitivities over Home Rule were beginning to force changes.”
Nick Metcalfe, Blacker's Boys

“It is impossible to convey adequately the long-term mental and physical consequences to many of those who have acted so gallantly.”
Nick Metcalfe, For Exemplary Bravery

220 Goodreads Librarians Group — 297301 members — last activity 0 minutes ago
Goodreads Librarians are volunteers who help ensure the accuracy of information about books and authors in the Goodreads' catalog. The Goodreads Libra ...more
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A place to discuss the cultural milieu of the Great War (also referred to as the First World War, World War I, WWI, World War One). The intent of this ...more
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Hi there! SFFBC is a welcoming place for readers to share their love of speculative fiction through group reads, buddy reads, challenges, ...more
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