- ARRSE Rating
- 3.00 star(s)
The book is slightly mis-titled in that this not only deals with the VC winners but also two men who were awarded the George Cross for actions while PoWs.
There were four VCs awarded for the Korean War, 2 to Glosters, 1 to A&SH and one to KOSB. The George Crosses went to Lt Terence Waters, Glosters and Fusilier Derek Kinne, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers.
The book starts off with an explanation of the reasons for the war and the run up to it, and then covering the countries that took part, although the main effort was by the USA. All of this was done under the auspices of the newly formed United Nations.
We then have a chapter each for the winners of the award giving not only the circumstances of the award but also the background and life of the people involved. Interestingly, the author was able to interview Bill Speakman, the last living recipient at that time. Bill was an In-Pensioner at the Royal Hospital Chelsea at the time. These chapters are the meat of the book and very interesting. This war is not well known and was somewhat in the shadow of WW2 so it is good to get a book detailing these actions.
The author then has a couple of chapters going more in to the war itself, outcomes and how it was received and perceived in the UK, especially in local newspapers. Again interesting and considering the way the armed forces are perceived today by the media, very refreshing.
The book then goes on to list all the units from the Commonwealth Brigade who served in Korea, which yet again is interesting, amazing just how many UK and Commonwealth troops were actually involved in the Korean War.
The one thing I have about the book is minor but a tad niggly. It is obvious that the author has not served in the armed forces as there are a couple of schoolboy errors which would probably not have occurred had he done so. However, these are minor and don’t really detract from the book.
This book gives one a background into the War plus, obviously, the worthy winners of the VC or GC, not all of whom came home, but in no way is a definitive account, which to be fair, the author does not claim..
3/5 Mr MRHs
Amazon product
There were four VCs awarded for the Korean War, 2 to Glosters, 1 to A&SH and one to KOSB. The George Crosses went to Lt Terence Waters, Glosters and Fusilier Derek Kinne, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers.
The book starts off with an explanation of the reasons for the war and the run up to it, and then covering the countries that took part, although the main effort was by the USA. All of this was done under the auspices of the newly formed United Nations.
We then have a chapter each for the winners of the award giving not only the circumstances of the award but also the background and life of the people involved. Interestingly, the author was able to interview Bill Speakman, the last living recipient at that time. Bill was an In-Pensioner at the Royal Hospital Chelsea at the time. These chapters are the meat of the book and very interesting. This war is not well known and was somewhat in the shadow of WW2 so it is good to get a book detailing these actions.
The author then has a couple of chapters going more in to the war itself, outcomes and how it was received and perceived in the UK, especially in local newspapers. Again interesting and considering the way the armed forces are perceived today by the media, very refreshing.
The book then goes on to list all the units from the Commonwealth Brigade who served in Korea, which yet again is interesting, amazing just how many UK and Commonwealth troops were actually involved in the Korean War.
The one thing I have about the book is minor but a tad niggly. It is obvious that the author has not served in the armed forces as there are a couple of schoolboy errors which would probably not have occurred had he done so. However, these are minor and don’t really detract from the book.
This book gives one a background into the War plus, obviously, the worthy winners of the VC or GC, not all of whom came home, but in no way is a definitive account, which to be fair, the author does not claim..
3/5 Mr MRHs
Amazon product