'We were a legalised death squad, pure and simple. The Special Forces were not a peacetime Army. They were they soldiers who had never stopped fighting Britain s secret wars.' This long-denied unit was tasked with seeking out and shooting IRA gunmen. Gillespie, the unit s commander, gives a vivid account of the frantic nature of the unit s undercover work, records their drinking and dark humou, and conveys the incredible tension of under-cover missions in enemy territory. Assisted by IRA men who had been turned by the unit and disguised as a press photog- rapher Gillespie and his team would spend their time seeking their targets deep in enemy territory. This is the story of a man trying to stay alive a deadly game, day by day, hour by hour. British readers will scarcely believe Gillespie s account as it contradicts over a generation of British propaganda in Northern Ireland.
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Jack Gillespie was the youngest ever recruit to the SAS and was associated with the Regiment for more than 30 years, serving all over the world. From the jungles of Malaysia, to the deserts of Aden, to the mean streets of Belfast, he saw it all. Due to his fearless reputation he became known as the hardest man in the regiment . His second book, covering his overall career, is published in 2012. Tom Seigrest is a Journalist.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Mark Barker
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
If you want a tale of lads on a glorified night out but with guns and immunity from prosecution this tale is for you, if you want a more informed account of that time will be disappointed.
The title indicates a story about a single man, the story focusses on a group of men most of whom were not SAS, it is just the central character; therefore I find the title misleading.
I would like to have known how these people were recruited. In the book they merely turn up at the offices of the unit. The dismissive way army officers are described is purely from the mouth of the ranks and makes one wonder what is the point in having them, or perhaps the author has assumed the jaded view of the men he is writing about.
The author claims it is not a history, in that case what is it? Only in the last chapter are we given some background. The book claims to be one thing, aims to do something else and actually ends up neither of these things.
By half way through I was increasingly frustrated and couldn't wait to finish it, only in the last chapter did it become more informative and tell a proper story. It could have been a much better book than it is.
The title indicates a story about a single man, the story focusses on a group of men most of whom were not SAS, it is just the central character; therefore I find the title misleading.
I would like to have known how these people were recruited. In the book they merely turn up at the offices of the unit. The dismissive way army officers are described is purely from the mouth of the ranks and makes one wonder what is the point in having them, or perhaps the author has assumed the jaded view of the men he is writing about.
The author claims it is not a history, in that case what is it? Only in the last chapter are we given some background. The book claims to be one thing, aims to do something else and actually ends up neither of these things.
By half way through I was increasingly frustrated and couldn't wait to finish it, only in the last chapter did it become more informative and tell a proper story. It could have been a much better book than it is.
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a fascinating book with some interesting and intriguing insights into the troubles of Northern Ireland. The trouble is, it is still not the whole picture. This is a snapshot of the MRF who carried out non-attributable actions against the IRA. It's certainly nothing new as we have seen many times in the past, and more currently. The most obvious actions are from those security companies operating in Iraq and Afghanistan who are still being tasked but are able to carry out missions without embarrassing governments if they got wrong. After reading many books of a similar ilk like "50 Dead Men Walking" I have still yet to find one that tells the complete and total story of the actions played by those on both sides of the fence in Northern Ireland. The problem is there are still too many people who are looking to settle a score either with a court or a gun. I can only hope all the bits of the puzzle are finally put together. What I do know for certain is many of these books corroborate a set of stories re-told to me many years ago about some very unorthodox anti-terrorist actions within Northern Ireland. I'm under no illusions that both sides committed atrocities and neither will ever want to be painted with that brush but books like this lift the veil a little more each time. I should think by now both sides must have read a lot of these books and someone somewhere must have nearly all the picture of what was really going on. I look forward to reading more. Excellent read and historically quite accurate. DON'T be dissuaded by the Gung-Ho title. The title is the only misleading part of the book in fact !
8 of 13 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
an absoloute must read for those who want to know what really happened
19 July 2010
By scrimpop
Format:Paperback
an absoloute must read for those who want to know what really happened.
need i say more you have to buy this one, its true and lets you know what really happened in Ireland in the early days of the conflict.
need i say more you have to buy this one, its true and lets you know what really happened in Ireland in the early days of the conflict.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good read but dated.
As some names, facts and places have had name changes for obvious reasons one does wonder just what is fact and what is fiction. Read more
Published 20 months ago by P. Waller
5.0 out of 5 stars
Real hero
The book tells of SAS operative Jack Gillespie and his brave actions in fighting the scum that are the IRA in West Belfast. Read more
Published on 24 Aug 2010 by Blue Dragon
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