In this, his second book in the Soldier Of The 60s series, Nev Ryton continues telling of his time as a soldier in the British Army of the late sixties.
Now as an Air Observer in army fixed wing aircraft and helicopters, he leaves West Germany and its ever present 'Warsaw Pact' threat on a posting to Aden and then to Sharjah, in what was then The 'Trucial States' in the Persian Gulf, before returning to the UK.
All the various 'goings on', and not all of them, by any means, concerning the flying side, are described, together with a fine selection of photographs of the time, with the irreverent humour of a soldier at a time when, unlike today, the Army were at best seemingly just about tolerated but mostly forgotten or ignored. This is, as the author points out, not too surprising when you learn of some of their 'antics' whilst serving 'Queen and Country', both in and out of uniform.
In fact you might wonder how he wasn't arrested, although coming very close to it on one occasion, never mind his surviving more than a few 'incidents' to ‘carry on flying'. The 'Cold War' provides a fascinating backdrop to these tales which describe, with great verve and a somewhat laconic sense of humour, what has become an 'ionic' period in the history of the British Army. With self-deprecating wit that typifies the lower army ranks these 'goings on' will be readily identifiable to all those with similar experiences and open up a fascinating and highly interesting vista to all those who enjoy personal anecdotes well told.
Read also, Nev Ryton’s first book in the series, Soldier of the Sixties – From Tank Crewman to Air Observer which tells, with characteristic self-deprecating wit, his time in the British Army as a Tank Crewman in Germany when the ‘Cold War’ was at its height.
Now as an Air Observer in army fixed wing aircraft and helicopters, he leaves West Germany and its ever present 'Warsaw Pact' threat on a posting to Aden and then to Sharjah, in what was then The 'Trucial States' in the Persian Gulf, before returning to the UK.
All the various 'goings on', and not all of them, by any means, concerning the flying side, are described, together with a fine selection of photographs of the time, with the irreverent humour of a soldier at a time when, unlike today, the Army were at best seemingly just about tolerated but mostly forgotten or ignored. This is, as the author points out, not too surprising when you learn of some of their 'antics' whilst serving 'Queen and Country', both in and out of uniform.
In fact you might wonder how he wasn't arrested, although coming very close to it on one occasion, never mind his surviving more than a few 'incidents' to ‘carry on flying'. The 'Cold War' provides a fascinating backdrop to these tales which describe, with great verve and a somewhat laconic sense of humour, what has become an 'ionic' period in the history of the British Army. With self-deprecating wit that typifies the lower army ranks these 'goings on' will be readily identifiable to all those with similar experiences and open up a fascinating and highly interesting vista to all those who enjoy personal anecdotes well told.
Read also, Nev Ryton’s first book in the series, Soldier of the Sixties – From Tank Crewman to Air Observer which tells, with characteristic self-deprecating wit, his time in the British Army as a Tank Crewman in Germany when the ‘Cold War’ was at its height.
