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Picking Up the Brass
It's 1985, The Smiths are in the charts and Maggie Thatcher is in No10. Eddy Nugent's in Manchester, he's 16 and he's slowly going out of his mind with boredom. So what does he do? He joins the British Army.
Overnight, he leaves the relative sanity of civvie street and falls headlong into the lunatic parallel universe of basic a life of press ups, boot polish and drill.
Gradually, he finds his feet and settles down to life as a soldier. There's still plenty of press ups, boot polish and drill to occupy him, but he finds time for beer, girls and other bad behaviour.
Andy McNab he isn't.
Picking Up The Brass is a hilarious, riotous and FHM-approved look at life as a young recruit.
About the
'Eddy Nugent' is the nom de plume of two soldiers, Ian Deacon and Charlie Bell. Closely based on their own experiences, it's a must-read for anyone who has served, anyone who is planning to join up or anyone who's ever thought, 'Surely not every soldier in the Army is trained to kill people with a toothpick?'
Overnight, he leaves the relative sanity of civvie street and falls headlong into the lunatic parallel universe of basic a life of press ups, boot polish and drill.
Gradually, he finds his feet and settles down to life as a soldier. There's still plenty of press ups, boot polish and drill to occupy him, but he finds time for beer, girls and other bad behaviour.
Andy McNab he isn't.
Picking Up The Brass is a hilarious, riotous and FHM-approved look at life as a young recruit.
About the
'Eddy Nugent' is the nom de plume of two soldiers, Ian Deacon and Charlie Bell. Closely based on their own experiences, it's a must-read for anyone who has served, anyone who is planning to join up or anyone who's ever thought, 'Surely not every soldier in the Army is trained to kill people with a toothpick?'
288 pages, Paperback
First published August 15, 2006
18 people are currently reading
49 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
January 3, 2025
Day 1, I reported to the Guards Depot, Pirbright in August 1983 and this book took me right back…not all of it was great but would I change a thing? not on your life! The camaraderie, the tears, the laughs and 40+ years later, the mates who I’m still in touch with.
To a man, we may older, fatter, myopic* with thinning hair but we’ll forever be those 16yr old lads who saw themselves as the epitome of cool and super-hard!
A funny book whether you served or not that captures the essence of the youth at the time.
*the rose-tinted glasses issued to all old soldiers are always 20/20 especially when remembering those halcyon days.
To a man, we may older, fatter, myopic* with thinning hair but we’ll forever be those 16yr old lads who saw themselves as the epitome of cool and super-hard!
A funny book whether you served or not that captures the essence of the youth at the time.
*the rose-tinted glasses issued to all old soldiers are always 20/20 especially when remembering those halcyon days.
May 7, 2019
I have never been in the army but I still found this book really funny, basically it the story of a young lad from Manchester that decides to join up. It’s the story of how he goes about it, the trials and tribulations of basic training and the guys he meets as he goes through life in the army
I love the characters her meets and his descriptions of army life, it had me chuckling all the way through
I love the characters her meets and his descriptions of army life, it had me chuckling all the way through
September 6, 2019
I loved this book but it might not be quite as enjoyable if you're not ex-Forces.
So much stuff resonated with me, from the "compulsory-voluntary" activities to the checking out of the boss's daughters in church to always trying to spot the guy who's more unfit than you. Even the descriptions of Catterick brought back good memories.
So much stuff resonated with me, from the "compulsory-voluntary" activities to the checking out of the boss's daughters in church to always trying to spot the guy who's more unfit than you. Even the descriptions of Catterick brought back good memories.
November 18, 2021
Brilliant for any british soldier that understands the jokes and humour
February 16, 2024
funny and relateable
Will induce waves of nostalgia for anyone who remembers Clansman, wooly shirts, and elderly FFR ‘rovers.
Definitely worth a look
Will induce waves of nostalgia for anyone who remembers Clansman, wooly shirts, and elderly FFR ‘rovers.
Definitely worth a look
May 8, 2020
Fucking Ace
Despite being written by a couple of Scaley wankers, that couldn't pass P Company (fucking craphats) probably gives the most factual view of the Cold War British Army since "Don't Make Me Laugh, Sergeant Major".
Despite being written by a couple of Scaley wankers, that couldn't pass P Company (fucking craphats) probably gives the most factual view of the Cold War British Army since "Don't Make Me Laugh, Sergeant Major".
March 27, 2013
I rated this book 5 stars simply for the memories it brought back. I went through the same apprentices' college as the authors and did my basic training in the same squadron three years later. Not much, if anything at all, had changed in the three years that separated us. I'd forgotten all about lining up under the glass shelter outside the cookhouse. I guess there were no squadron track suits in 85 though, awful blue nylon jobs that made recruits stand out even more than misshapen berets and white flashes on one epaulette. The authors seemed to cotton on quick to the fact that room inspections were unpassable. Figuring that our early must've made things a bit easier! The most enjoyable thing about the book was hearing some of the jargon again; the bit where the sergeant says he could make more noise banging his bell end on the armoury door had me spraying coffee. Words that seemed absent to me were:
Jiff, i.e. to be 'volunteered' to do some crappy job for someone with seniority, e.g. I've been jiffed to do a Naafi run
Areas: to be jiffed to go out and pick up litter before or after breakfast, generally fag butts
Utes. I guess these were called eating irons in 85
Jack: to let your mates down or get one over on them, causing them or everyone to be punished, e.g. he's a jack bastard for using any of the sinks marked out of bounds by toilet paper before a room inspection.
From the right, NUMBER! Just after CORRIDOR! is called in recruit troop to make sure everyone is there.
The pace of the book is just right, not dwelling too much on any aspect. It felt quite tightly edited and, thankfully, the profanity was allowed to stay just as it was. Well it wouldn't have been much of an army book without it!
The authors get across the sense of pride and camaraderie that develops in a short space of time and are to be commended for that.
Jiff, i.e. to be 'volunteered' to do some crappy job for someone with seniority, e.g. I've been jiffed to do a Naafi run
Areas: to be jiffed to go out and pick up litter before or after breakfast, generally fag butts
Utes. I guess these were called eating irons in 85
Jack: to let your mates down or get one over on them, causing them or everyone to be punished, e.g. he's a jack bastard for using any of the sinks marked out of bounds by toilet paper before a room inspection.
From the right, NUMBER! Just after CORRIDOR! is called in recruit troop to make sure everyone is there.
The pace of the book is just right, not dwelling too much on any aspect. It felt quite tightly edited and, thankfully, the profanity was allowed to stay just as it was. Well it wouldn't have been much of an army book without it!
The authors get across the sense of pride and camaraderie that develops in a short space of time and are to be commended for that.
December 10, 2013
It's a little bit coarse in parts, but it's laugh-out-loud funny, even if you've read it previously.
As always with funny books, don't read it while you are flying solo on public transport, or whilst eating or drinking, especially soup.
So, what happens? It's the 'based on real life' stories of two former signals, combined into the fictional auto-biography of the often hapless, occasionally helpless (usually from drink), Eddy Nugent. Born and raised in Manchester, Eddy leaves school after his o'levels and joins the army in the 1980's, this first book details his time at the army training college and his first few years in a squadron based at Aldershot... What follows has not been designed to paint him in only a good light, although he clearly isn't the worst, it is (I am assured by people in the armed forces) a true to life, fairly typical tale, well told.
As always with funny books, don't read it while you are flying solo on public transport, or whilst eating or drinking, especially soup.
So, what happens? It's the 'based on real life' stories of two former signals, combined into the fictional auto-biography of the often hapless, occasionally helpless (usually from drink), Eddy Nugent. Born and raised in Manchester, Eddy leaves school after his o'levels and joins the army in the 1980's, this first book details his time at the army training college and his first few years in a squadron based at Aldershot... What follows has not been designed to paint him in only a good light, although he clearly isn't the worst, it is (I am assured by people in the armed forces) a true to life, fairly typical tale, well told.
December 21, 2016
It's a little bit coarse in parts, but it's laugh-out-loud funny, even if you've read it previously.
As always with funny books, don't read it while you are flying solo on public transport, or whilst eating or drinking, especially soup.
So, what happens? It's the 'based on real life' stories of two former signals, combined into the fictional auto-biography of the often hapless, occasionally helpless (usually from drink), Eddy Nugent. Born and raised in Manchester, Eddy leaves school after his o'levels and joins the army in the 1980's, this first book details his time at the army training college and his first few years in a squadron based at Aldershot... What follows has not been designed to paint him in only a good light, although he clearly isn't the worst, it is (I am assured by people in the armed forces) a true to life, fairly typical tale, well told.
As always with funny books, don't read it while you are flying solo on public transport, or whilst eating or drinking, especially soup.
So, what happens? It's the 'based on real life' stories of two former signals, combined into the fictional auto-biography of the often hapless, occasionally helpless (usually from drink), Eddy Nugent. Born and raised in Manchester, Eddy leaves school after his o'levels and joins the army in the 1980's, this first book details his time at the army training college and his first few years in a squadron based at Aldershot... What follows has not been designed to paint him in only a good light, although he clearly isn't the worst, it is (I am assured by people in the armed forces) a true to life, fairly typical tale, well told.
November 6, 2016
My first book read on Kindle!
Tells the story of life under training when Eddie joins the Army. It's written entirely as a comedy and is very funny - mainly because it is so possible to see how close to reality it is. Recruits under training may well not get jailed for being rubbish at drill, but the locks and other contents of billet blocks going airborne on the whim of the instructors is so very true!
It was a good, gripping but light read which I greatly enjoyed. A very insightful but tongue in cheek look at the Army. I've already downloaded the sequel.
What it did make me think about was how the Army has changed since the eighties when this was set to today - how it's all got rather serious a lot of the time.
Tells the story of life under training when Eddie joins the Army. It's written entirely as a comedy and is very funny - mainly because it is so possible to see how close to reality it is. Recruits under training may well not get jailed for being rubbish at drill, but the locks and other contents of billet blocks going airborne on the whim of the instructors is so very true!
It was a good, gripping but light read which I greatly enjoyed. A very insightful but tongue in cheek look at the Army. I've already downloaded the sequel.
What it did make me think about was how the Army has changed since the eighties when this was set to today - how it's all got rather serious a lot of the time.
April 16, 2012
This is in many respects a picture of army life I can recognise from my own experience, but unfortunately the book tends to capture too well the boring repetitiveness of training under boorish bullies. The authors extract humour from the situation but that too lacks variety.
Crucially, there is the question of language, and here is a problem of realism which may be insoluble. Much of army life is peppered from minute to minute with the f-word and the c-word. I am not squeamish but when the same two words, adapted as noun, verb or adjective, recur a dozen times on a single page I feel the same about the book as I did about service life - get me out of here.
Crucially, there is the question of language, and here is a problem of realism which may be insoluble. Much of army life is peppered from minute to minute with the f-word and the c-word. I am not squeamish but when the same two words, adapted as noun, verb or adjective, recur a dozen times on a single page I feel the same about the book as I did about service life - get me out of here.
September 27, 2012
First off, this book wasn't written for me. I'm not the target audience here, so please take my comments with that in mind. in brief, "Picking Up The Brass" mostly focuses on the training experiences of young Eddy Nugent, and then briefly follows him into the first years of his military service. If you've served in the military, there's probably a lot here for you to commiserate over- as a civilian though, I found the pace to be a little slow at first. However, the authors of this book are good writers- and that's what kept me going. This book is characterized by wry humor, and left me wanting more. There's a lot of potential here. Looking forward to the next one.
July 24, 2010
Could not put this down. I loved it from cover to cover. It was a great reminiscent trip back to my time in the military. The adventures mishaps, language and sense of humour come flooding out of this book. Those considering joining the forces should read this to give you some insight as to what military life is like. Those who have served should make a bee line for the nearest book shop, you will not regret it.
Although set in the 80s most of what the book contains are as true today as it ever was.
Enjoy.
Although set in the 80s most of what the book contains are as true today as it ever was.
Enjoy.
August 26, 2011
An excellent read and so true to army life it had me laughing out loud.
Highly recommended for anyone in the army or anyone who served in the army.
If you like this sort of read then you might like to try my book:
Once Upon a Time in the Army
Highly recommended for anyone in the army or anyone who served in the army.
If you like this sort of read then you might like to try my book:
Once Upon a Time in the Army
January 25, 2010
Eddy Nugent is the nom de plume of 2 former serving soldiers who recreate their experiences in the army as well as those of their friends to produce a kind of memoir. Incredibly funny but not for those easily offended.
May 8, 2013
all ex squaddies will relate to this book and have a good laugh at the misfortunes of Eddy and his basic training, and remember their own punishment at the hands of the training staff, and laugh along.
June 10, 2013
A real laugh out loud book which shows great insight into the madness of mundanity that occurs daily within the life of a solider. As a serving solider I can tell you that not a lot has changed since.
May 17, 2009
Felt a little flawed in terms of narrative pace, nonetheless an interesting and funny look at workaday life in the British army. Not for anyone sensitive to bad language!
Read
December 26, 2009How can you resist a book with a cover that promises
"The 80s! The Army! The Madness!"?
"The 80s! The Army! The Madness!"?
August 25, 2012
Co written by one of my friends, this is a light hearted heart warming and at times hilarious look at a soldiers life through basic training to posting to first unit. A must read!
August 27, 2012
What a great boot a must for all ex solders who served in the 80s and in Aldershot , brought back so many memory's ..
August 3, 2013
A great read although I'm not ex-army but my son is currently serving and, as it happens, is Royal Signals and has completed P Company.
A great read with regular chuckles :>)
A great read with regular chuckles :>)
March 12, 2015
Bloody funny.
January 12, 2016
Cover to cover laughter
This book is such a great story of one mans journey in the Corps. Recommend it to all who want non stop laughter.
This book is such a great story of one mans journey in the Corps. Recommend it to all who want non stop laughter.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews