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Tales from the Special Forces Club: The Untold Stories of Britain's Elite WWII Warriors
Stories of real-life bravery and courage-under-fire contribute to a unique and poignant record of a club created for heroes. There are just a handful of men and women alive today who served and fought with the Special Forces during the Second World War. They are a dwindling bunch of veterans in their twilight years whose tales of heroism and daring-do will soon be lost in time forever - yet they still regularly get together in a gentleman's club, right in the heart of London - The Special Forces Club. In ten separate and astonishing accounts of ingenuity and heroism, former Sunday Telegraph defence correspondent Sean Rayment visits this unique group of people, and through their vivid memories, transports the reader back in time to the dark days of the Second World War when Britain was again fighting on multiple fronts across the globe.
320 pages, Paperback
First published February 27, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 13, 2017
Sometimes the truth is far more exhilarating than fiction and this is certainly the case with war books. As much as many readers don’t want to admit it, we read about World War 2 not only for the historic knowledge, but also the action. The best historic fiction novels blend the two so that you feel you are getting a slice of intelligence mixed in with your pulp. However, unlike genres such as science fiction or fantasy, wars did occur and had real consequences for people. Sometimes an author loses sight of that and produces something uncomfortably disrespectful. Better to get your information about the war from primary sources whilst you can. These tales will have the hair standing up on the back of your neck, not only because they are exciting, but because they actually happened.
‘Tales from the Special Forces Club’ by Sean Rayment is a collection of interviews between the author and real member of the Special Forces Club. This was set up after WW2 as a place that people who partook in covert operations during the war could actually talk to someone else about it. Fast forward 70 years and many original members are no longer alive and those that are, are more happy to talk about it. Enter Rayment, himself ex-forces and now an author, he was able to glean some interesting and exciting stories that paint a picture of the time.
What is nice about ‘Tales’ is that is runs the gambit of what Special Forces did from the home front to behind enemy lines. Both sexes are involved and the introductory story is actually that of a women who worked to train operatives to go behind enemy lines. This was a very interesting story, but also a great introduction to what to expect. A lot of people who joined the Special Forces did it as a way of seeing some action. As long as they could think on their feet, they may get in. The first tale shows the amount of work needed behind the scenes to try and get them ready.
Rayment interviewed a good spread of heroes that covered many of the war fronts. Those stories set in Africa give the best indication of life was like, but those in the Pacific are the most harrowing. In all the stories there is a sense of everyday bravery, but what the soldiers had to see when fighting against the Japanese is particularly spine-chilling. This is not a book for the voyeuristic and you get the impression of real dread.
Throughout proceedings it is clear that Rayment has a great respect for his subjects, but at times this effects the writing. Imagine that you are given privileged access to interview a group of veterans. You would want to give each person’s story the same level of importance. Unfortunately, this means that there are several repetitive moments, especially in the training sections. It is hard to discount the start of someone’s journey, just because you talked to someone earlier who had a similar tale. This is a small detail and overall the true tales are fascinating and a little bit scary. The type of thing that makes you respect veterans, but also hope that another World War does not start.
‘Tales from the Special Forces Club’ by Sean Rayment is a collection of interviews between the author and real member of the Special Forces Club. This was set up after WW2 as a place that people who partook in covert operations during the war could actually talk to someone else about it. Fast forward 70 years and many original members are no longer alive and those that are, are more happy to talk about it. Enter Rayment, himself ex-forces and now an author, he was able to glean some interesting and exciting stories that paint a picture of the time.
What is nice about ‘Tales’ is that is runs the gambit of what Special Forces did from the home front to behind enemy lines. Both sexes are involved and the introductory story is actually that of a women who worked to train operatives to go behind enemy lines. This was a very interesting story, but also a great introduction to what to expect. A lot of people who joined the Special Forces did it as a way of seeing some action. As long as they could think on their feet, they may get in. The first tale shows the amount of work needed behind the scenes to try and get them ready.
Rayment interviewed a good spread of heroes that covered many of the war fronts. Those stories set in Africa give the best indication of life was like, but those in the Pacific are the most harrowing. In all the stories there is a sense of everyday bravery, but what the soldiers had to see when fighting against the Japanese is particularly spine-chilling. This is not a book for the voyeuristic and you get the impression of real dread.
Throughout proceedings it is clear that Rayment has a great respect for his subjects, but at times this effects the writing. Imagine that you are given privileged access to interview a group of veterans. You would want to give each person’s story the same level of importance. Unfortunately, this means that there are several repetitive moments, especially in the training sections. It is hard to discount the start of someone’s journey, just because you talked to someone earlier who had a similar tale. This is a small detail and overall the true tales are fascinating and a little bit scary. The type of thing that makes you respect veterans, but also hope that another World War does not start.
March 10, 2016
A very detailed book. The author interviewed veterans and has written an excellent book. Anyone who has an interest in WWII and the missions of the British Special Forces should read this book.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews