The Balkans

They barely paid him any attention because nobody wears their cloaks of invisibility as effectively as London’s homeless. Edge was at his OP on the south-east corner of Lincoln’s Inn Fields where he could watch [more…]

It had been Morrison’s idea to set up the “Inkspots Self-preservation Society” to give it its full title. The name came from an old record they found in the Sergeants’ Mess storeroom and the Hermann [more…]

The Puma flared into the base at Al Amarah and four passengers were waiting. It was the same four that the crew had dropped off on the outskirts of the city, less than forty-eight hours [more…]

The four “Pinkies” were stretched out in finger-four formation, like a Schwarm of German fighter aircraft. With this formation, corresponding to the tips of four fingers of the left hand, the Land Rovers could provide [more…]

They were lying in a hide under the trees, about halfway up the steeply sloping valley. From this vantage point they could see the Pristina road and the River Iber winding through the valley below. [more…]

On an evening in October 1998, a C130 Hercules of RAF No 47 Squadron, Special Forces Flight, took off from RAF Leuchars, north of St Andrews in Fife. To the residents on Meteor Avenue, behind [more…]

Don’t—don’t—don’t—don’t—look at what’s in front of you. (Boots—boots—boots—boots—movin’ up an’ down again); Men—men—men—men—men go mad with watchin’ ’em, An’ there’s no discharge in the war ! Much meaningful business within the Armed Forces is conducted [more…]

The life could have been idyllic except for Jozica Marić and her irritating ability to get under Edge’s skin. Whenever she was around, cropping up at the other dig sites or talking to Captain Gardner, [more…]

  Edge hated Banja Luka Metal Factory. He hated the cold, draughty accommodation tents that had been erected inside the factory’s precincts, he hated the boredom, and he hated the dull and monotonous food. But [more…]