Go behind the scenes on the Covid wards of one of Britain's busiest hospitals, Bradford Royal Infirmary2020 will forever be remembered as the year of coronavirus, but it's easy to forget the shock, fear and confusion that pervaded Britain as the pandemic first hit. In this exceptional radio series, senior NHS doctor and epidemiologist Professor John Wright takes us back to those crucial early days, giving us a first-hand account of one hospital's fight against COVI...

Since antiquity, war surgery has been a profession demanding a special kind of human: one able to face seemingly insurmountable problems; one able to keep a lucid mind and steady hands in extraordinary circumstances; one able to shoulder tremendous burdens; and one able to harden himself or herself, time and again, to failure and self-doubt. It is, and always has been, a harrowing business, and only for the brave. Dr John Wright charts the evolution of war surgery from ancient times to the...

Chris Masters, the country's foremost investigative journalist, turns his penetrating gaze on the modern Australian soldier. Moving away from our ongoing fascination with Anzac story, he looks at the rich and illuminating present to write a character study of the modern Australian soldier - war fighter, peacekeeper, street-level diplomat and aid worker.Having been taken into their ranks in a way rarely before afforded an outsider, Masters gives heart and shape to the contemporary d...

This is Mike Sadler’s story, one of five true-life recollections from the Second World War in Tales From The Special Forces Club.The Special Forces Club is a fabled gentlemen’s club, based in the heart of London. It has a closely guarded secret: you have to be a genuine hero to be a member.Mike Sadler was in Rhodesia working on a farm when he decided to join up and fight Hitler. He would become one of the legendary men in the Long Range Desert Group, roaming behind Erwin Ro...

In 200708, Dr. Ray Wiss, a former infantry officer, served with the Canadian Forces at forward operating bases in Khandahar's Panjwayi valley, the area experiencing the most intense combat in Afghanistan. He spent more time in the combat area than any other Canadian physician, and his successful first book, FOB Doc, was the diary of his time outside the wire” during that tour of duty.Captain Wiss's experience in Afghanistan convinced him...

The true story of Australia's SAS and the soldier who was there from the start.Clint Palmer has spent much of his adult life in the SAS and has fought in this elite military unit as it developed from its fledgling beginnings into the highly trained, specialised fighting force it is today. He is an insider with the long view and this is his unique story of life in the SAS.As a bush kid in the Northern Territory of Australia, growing up in a one dog mining to...

This extraordinary first-hand account of Sir Edward 'Weary' Dunlop's experiences as senior medical officer in the infamous prisoner-of-war camps in Java and on the Burma-Thailand Railway, is not only an account of great historical significance but also a testament to the ability of the human spirit to overcome the most unbearably cruel conditions.'I have the testimony of hundreds of Australians who had served with me and who accompanied Weary to Burma and Siam that he was both their...

This is a story of idealism and heroism; of romance and terrifying drama.In 2006, while part of an un-armed UN peacekeeping team at the border junction of Lebanon, Israel and Syria, Australian Major Matina Jewell and her colleagues were caught in a full-scale war with tragic consequences. In the days that followed she and her team-mates reported hundreds of violations of the peace agreement as Israeli artillery, tank fire and aerial bombs, as well as rockets fired ...

There have been many books written on the SAS, most telling of individual events in the Regiment's history. This book tells the full story, from formation in the sand dunes of Africa in World War II to present action in the Middle East. You'll get an inside look at modern selection and training and the combat engagements that have made the SAS one of the most feared and respected special forces units.

Since their foundation during the Second World War, the Parachute Regiment has acquired a formidable reputation as tough, fearless soldiers. 'The Red Devils' have played a key role in many of the battles of the past sixty years - the capture of Sicily, the D-Day landing, the heroic but doomed attempt to capture the bridge at Arnhem. In the savage wars of 'peace' since the Second World War, the Paras have seen action all over the world - from Cyprus, Palestine, Egypt, Borneo and the Falklan...

A memoir of how a small number of British officers led Muslim soldiers in the hard-fought anti-insurgency war that has shaped today's Gulf.While the Americans were fighting in Vietnam, a struggle of even greater strategic significance was taking place in the Middle East: The Sultanate of Oman stood guard at the entrance to the Arabian Gulf, and thus controlled the movement of oil from that region. In the 1960s and 70s, the Communists tried to seize this artery and,...

After working in more than 40 countries and having served with the British SAS, Richard Villar knows a thing or two about the world. Join him as he tells the story of his 25-day journey from Arica in Chile's north, through Bolivia, to Chile once more, and San Pedro de Atacama. He will have you laughing, he will have you thinking, he will have you wondering. Read how holding a horse's testicles brings good luck, the danger of being attacked with burundanga, the delight of coca tea, chance e...