{"product_id":"2940152040678","title":"Northern Ireland: Tragedy, Grief and Humour","description":"\u003cp\u003eHaydn Davies was a regular soldier of twenty-six years. He served in the Far East, the Middle East and North West Europe, and from being among the first troops to be deployed onto the streets of Belfast in 1969, he spent more than seven years in Northern Ireland to 1983, during what has become known as 'The Troubles.' The infantry were always placed into 'the hard areas' of the emergency, and he says they would not have wanted it any other way. He served in most areas in the Prince of Wales's Division, and The Ulster Defence Regiment. Over the period of the conflict eighteen of his friends or colleagues lost their lives. This is his story of how he dealt with some of the very difficult and dangerous incidents in which he was involved during that long and arduous period.\u003cbr\u003eThe work has no political agenda and he has no particular views on the conflict he was involved in. He was a soldier before the violence erupted in Northern Ireland and he simply went there to do the job he was told to do, and if it had not been him it would just have been another man in the same uniform doing what he did, although certainly not with any more sympathy or humanitarian thought for the genuine Irish people than he had, and still has. He saw much tragedy and grief, but like any fighting unit it was necessary to keep up morale and he and his colleagues sometimes did this with humour and song, and they even used these powerful methods to defuse volatile situations.\u003cbr\u003eThe Troubles in Ireland are part of the history of the British Isles and the story of this difficult time must not only be told by politicians and Media people, but also by the men in the middle, including the ordinary British soldiers, who had no bias towards anyone, and this is a valuable addition to the literature of the subject.\u003cbr\u003eHe did a great deal of soul-searching before deciding to go ahead with publication, and he has tried to tell of his experiences with as much consideration for his colleagues and the people of Ireland as is possible with such a delicate subject. His service during the emergency has left him with a greater value for life than most of us could possibly realise.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Haydn Davies","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47069523476720,"sku":"2940152040678","price":2.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940152040678_p0.jpg?v=1764018135","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940152040678","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}