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Escorting the Monarch
Escorting the Monarch is as close to an official history of the Metropolitan Police's 'Special Escort Group' (SEG) as one could hope for.
You may have seen the team at work; as the combination of motorcycles and cars pass you by, they glide elegantly and seemingly effortlessly through busy traffic. Developing a dedicated and diligent team culture, they are masters of their trade. They hold a well-earned reputation for excellence amongst their peers; delivering their passengers (and cargo) on time, safely, in a great deal of style, and without fuss or mishap. Professional and precise in the execution of their operations, they are neither shaken nor stirred.
Although the work of the SEG demands exquisitely high levels of presentation there is little room for gloss or glitter. The individuals and property they are charged to protect are assessed by government to need the highest possible levels of protection. From queens, kings, presidents, and emperors, to priceless works of art, terrorists, and high risk prisoners, the group escort them all.
Written by the son of a retired SEG officer who himself served in the British Government's security and intelligence community, Escorting the Monarch is told, in part, through first hand stories and anecdotes gleaned from former officers of the group. The insights offered are unique, privileged, and first of their kind. Chris Jagger unfolds a collection of fascinating and never before told stories built on high profile events, such as the funeral of Sir Winston Churchill, and the visit of Nelson Mandela.
Now the SEG have honed their skills for over 6 decades. Through a carefully constructed description of a changing security and political environment across the decades, and an insightful analysis of the ingenuity of those who have served with the SEG, Escorting the Monarch explains the events that made the group who they are today.
You may have seen the team at work; as the combination of motorcycles and cars pass you by, they glide elegantly and seemingly effortlessly through busy traffic. Developing a dedicated and diligent team culture, they are masters of their trade. They hold a well-earned reputation for excellence amongst their peers; delivering their passengers (and cargo) on time, safely, in a great deal of style, and without fuss or mishap. Professional and precise in the execution of their operations, they are neither shaken nor stirred.
Although the work of the SEG demands exquisitely high levels of presentation there is little room for gloss or glitter. The individuals and property they are charged to protect are assessed by government to need the highest possible levels of protection. From queens, kings, presidents, and emperors, to priceless works of art, terrorists, and high risk prisoners, the group escort them all.
Written by the son of a retired SEG officer who himself served in the British Government's security and intelligence community, Escorting the Monarch is told, in part, through first hand stories and anecdotes gleaned from former officers of the group. The insights offered are unique, privileged, and first of their kind. Chris Jagger unfolds a collection of fascinating and never before told stories built on high profile events, such as the funeral of Sir Winston Churchill, and the visit of Nelson Mandela.
Now the SEG have honed their skills for over 6 decades. Through a carefully constructed description of a changing security and political environment across the decades, and an insightful analysis of the ingenuity of those who have served with the SEG, Escorting the Monarch explains the events that made the group who they are today.
184 pages, ebook
Published October 30, 2017
13 people are currently reading
23 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 14, 2021
An easy and interesting read. Some of the quotes felt a bit stilted though. The best part of the book was the interesting stories of what happened on the job. All in all an interesting book
November 27, 2017
I read this book not having ever heard about the SEG unit and I found it absoulutly inthrilling. To get such an inside look into historic moments, told from a perspective that is rarely viseble to the general public was amazing.
The anectdotes about some of the incidents are truly unbelivable, too hear that the first women to go into space orderd the SEG unit to stop because she wanted to make sure that a member of the unit who had been in an accident was not badly injured is something you dont read about in the history books and that consecuently she became friends with some of the members in the unit, and this is a Russian women befriending Britsh officers at the hight of the Cold War.
Those kinds of stories are what makes this book so much more then just a historybook about a British motorcycle patrol.
A very fasinating book, one that I would truly reccomend.
The anectdotes about some of the incidents are truly unbelivable, too hear that the first women to go into space orderd the SEG unit to stop because she wanted to make sure that a member of the unit who had been in an accident was not badly injured is something you dont read about in the history books and that consecuently she became friends with some of the members in the unit, and this is a Russian women befriending Britsh officers at the hight of the Cold War.
Those kinds of stories are what makes this book so much more then just a historybook about a British motorcycle patrol.
A very fasinating book, one that I would truly reccomend.
December 10, 2017
I really liked this book! It offers a fascinating, behind the scenes view into one of the worlds most elite police units. Loved the personal stories and the authors analysis. Lots of previously unseen historical information. Highly recommend. A great Xmas present!
November 14, 2021
An interesting look at the SEG team, the team that provides the motorcycle protection and escorts to all sorts of people, especially the royals, and dignitaries from all over the world.
Being Australian, this display of precision riding etc is not exactly something I see every day and not something I had really given much thought, to be honest, so to read about how the team prepare for an escort was truly fascinating. From rehearsing the different roles of each team member, to practising the route (if known in advance) and making sure both the bike and every aspect of their appearance is just right, there is a lot that goes into this role. I am sure that with even more threats coming from all sorts of directions, it is hard to keep on top of every possible scenario but it seems to me that these men and women do everything humanly possible to keep their person safe and to seamlessly make sure they get to where they are going, on time, every time.
I have great admiration for the SEG team members after reading this book. And due to growing up with a dad who was motorbike mad (and who had a lovely BMW bike himself), I got a bit nostalgic too!
4.5 stars from me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Pen & Sword.
Being Australian, this display of precision riding etc is not exactly something I see every day and not something I had really given much thought, to be honest, so to read about how the team prepare for an escort was truly fascinating. From rehearsing the different roles of each team member, to practising the route (if known in advance) and making sure both the bike and every aspect of their appearance is just right, there is a lot that goes into this role. I am sure that with even more threats coming from all sorts of directions, it is hard to keep on top of every possible scenario but it seems to me that these men and women do everything humanly possible to keep their person safe and to seamlessly make sure they get to where they are going, on time, every time.
I have great admiration for the SEG team members after reading this book. And due to growing up with a dad who was motorbike mad (and who had a lovely BMW bike himself), I got a bit nostalgic too!
4.5 stars from me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Pen & Sword.
January 26, 2022
4 stars. As a now retired police escort rider myself I found this a very interesting book, and great for the people that have always wondered about the "behind the scenes" as they see police motorcycles whip up, shut down an intersection and the VIP package whiz by.
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
October 30, 2021
Really enjoyed this book. It was a great insight into the job and all it involves! Some great historical moments were featured and the stories were fascinating!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews