BULLETS, BOMBS AND CUPS OF TEA. FURTHER VOICES OF THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTHERN IRELAND 1969-98
This is Ken Wharton's second oral history of the Northern Ireland troubles told again from the perspective of the ordinary British soldier. This book looks deeper into the conflict, utilising stories from new contributors providing revealing and long-forgotten stories of the troubles from the back streets of the Ardoyne to the bandit country of South Armagh. Ken Wharton - himself a former soldier - is now known and trusted by those who served and they are keen for their part in Britain's forgotten war to now be made public.
For the first time, he tells the stories of the 'unseen victims' - the loved ones who sat and dreaded a knock at the door from the Army telling them that their loved one had been killed on the streets of Northern Ireland. There are more first hand accounts from the Rifleman, the Private, the Guardsman, the Driver, the Sapper, the Fusilier on the street as they recall the violence, the insults and the shock of seeing a comrade dying in the street in front of them.There is an explosive interview with a soldier who killed an IRA gunman who was fresh from the murder of two Royal Artillerymen.
Building on the huge success of Ken's first book, this second volume will provide plenty of new material for the reader to reconsider afresh the role of Britain's soldiers in Northern Ireland.
There are stories from some of the most seminal moments in the period of the Troubles in Northern 
Ireland - detailed accounts of firefights at Crossmaglen from the commanders on the ground at the time; an incredible story from a British Army sniper in Londonderry, 1973; an account from the first squaddie on the scene at Penny Lane after the 1988 funeral killings of the two corporals; the 1988 Ballygawley coach blast which killed 8 Light Infantrymen, with a first-hand account by one of the survivors; the case of the missing Christmas Club money in the Ardoyne; Gerry Adams' ‘birthday treat’ at a vehicle checkpoint, accounts by plain-clothes intelligence officers on the streets of Belfast … and many more. The brave men and women of the Ulster Defence Regiment, many of whom were murdered in their homes or at their places of work, occupy a prominent place in the book.
The author has also conducted a great deal of original research to produce a roll of honour for all service personnel killed in Northern Ireland. A major contribution to research, the list differs to its ‘official’ MoD counterpart to a surprising degree. It includes more than 20 names before the first official casualty, Gunner Robert Curtis (1971) and more than 10 after the last official casualty, L/Bombardier Stephen Restorick (1997).
Receiving a remarkable amount of cooperation from Northern Ireland veterans eager to tell their story, the author has compiled a vivid and unforgettable record. Their experiences - sad and poignant, fearful and violent, courageous in the face of adversity, even downright hilarious - make for compelling reading. Their voices need to be heard.
Read just a few of the tributes for the first book below
"In this excellent and wide-ranging selection of first-hand accounts from the British Army in Northern Ireland, Ken Wharton has assembled testimonies from men of all ranks that are invariably informative, sometimes humorous and often deeply moving. A fitting tribute to the British soldier in a campaign that lasted nearly three decades."
Adrian Gilbert, author of POW: Allied Prisoners in Europe 1939-1945 (The Sunday Times Best Military Books 2006)
"A compelling story, told in the refreshingly simple prose of a soldier-scribe. This is the tale of that other war on terror - one fought over several, bloody decades, and largely in the shadows. Lest we forget."
Damien Lewis, bestselling author of Operation Certain Death and Bloody Heroes
"Here at last is the authentic voice of the veterans of a gruelling and thankless campaign. Powerful, revealing and moving."
Patrick Bishop, bestselling author of 3 Para and Bomber Boys.
Ken Wharton - Ken Wharton was born and bred in Yorkshire, where he still lives. Leaving school at 15, he worked I variously as a clerk at the Yorkshire Copperworks in Leeds, a junior tailor, and selling Rington's tea door-to door, before joining the army at 17. He served for 5 years, including two tours of Northern Ireland. After the army he studied Politics at Warwick University, before a long career in sales.
