« Hunger Striker Profile 5: Joe McDonnell | From Troops Out to Colonial Despot » |
Now Reading: Faith And Duty
Having purchased Faith And Duty from a Belfast bookshop some time back, I broguht it to Botanic Gardens with me last time I ventured out to enjoy the sunshine here (about a month ago then) but didn't open it. Today when I returned to Botanic it was still in the bag and I decided now was as good a time as any to start into it.
I'm now through the prologue and into chapter 3. Faith and Duty recounts the experience of one Nick Curtis MM, who arrived in Northern Ireland at the beginning of the troubles as a corporal in the army.
So far it's been a very interesting read, and I've been gripped to Curtis's recounting of those early days when he arrived in Belfast sympathetic to the plight of the Catholics who, as far as he could tell, only wanted civil rights. He also explains the thoughts that go through a soldiers head when an angry mob attacks, the basic tactics of street-combat and the stupidity of some of the commanding officers (when confronted with an obviously agitated youth jumping up and down on a Union Jack flag, a bemused Curtis radios for advice to be told to speak to the guy and explain that he is showing "bad manners").
Follow up:
This is the first book I've read on the troubles since Ten-thirty-three: The Inside Story of Britain's Secret Killing Machine in Northern Ireland a book about Force Research Unit informer Brian Nelson (the title of the book was his code name), which I read in Canada 2 years ago, but which was also a good read, if a bit scary at times.
Anyway, so far so good, I can see me reading through this very quickly - it's hard to put down (in either sense of the word).