A listing of the published books of Paul McCue - military historian
A listing of the published books of Paul McCue - military historian
DUNSFOLD - SURREY'S MOST SECRET AIRFIELD
Since its construction in 1942, Dunsfold aerodrome has always been cloaked in secrecy. Screened from public gaze by woodland, and much of its work long-protected by the Official Secrets Act, the full story of Dunsfold has remained a mystery. Only with the declassification of records and the cooperation of many who have served and worked on the airfield, has the story of Surrey’s Most Secret Airfield and that of its units, been told.
Currently in print and available from bookshops and online at:
http://www.crecy.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=70
SAS OPERATION BULBASKET
SAS OPERATION BULBASKET
On D-Day, 6th June 1944, two SAS officers were dropped by parachute deep behind the lines in enemy-occupied central France. Shortly to be followed by others, amounting in all to fifty-five men, their task was to disrupt, by all possible means, the nothward movement of German troops to repel the Allied invasion of Normandy.
With the release of hitherto classified documents, the full story of SAS Operation Bulbasket can only now be told. The author has traced the surviving main participants and has pieced together what really happened in those eight weeks after D-Day. Only after publication of the first edition of this book did the survivors learn the full story, and the tragic fate of their comrades, that had been hidden from them for over fifty years.
First edition hardback occasionally available second-hand on Amazon at around £80. First edition softback also occasionally available on Amazon at around £30:
Second edition softback currently in print and available through bookshops and online at:
http://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/?product_id=2028
BEHIND ENEMY LINES WITH THE SAS
Amédée Maingard was a young Mauritian studying in London in 1939 who volunteered for the British Army.
After a frustrating spell in the infantry, Maingard joined the Special Operations Executive (SOE), He parachuted into occupied France in 1943 to join the 'Stationer' circuit, initially as radio operator but soon was second-in-command in the circuit, arranging the delivery of weapons, supplies and personnel to the Résistance.
After a year's clandestine work, he narrowly escaped the fate of his organiser who was, captured by the Germans in May 1944. Undeterred, Maingard developed his own 'Shipwright' circuit in time to support the Forces Françaises de l'Intérieure (FFI) and the arrival of fifty-five men of 1st SAS Regiment for the ill-fated 'Operation Bulbasket' shortly after D-Day. Somehow managing to keep the peace among the Gaullists, communists, British and Americans fighting for the French common cause, Maingard continued his vital work until the liberation of central France, earning recognition from both the British and French governments.
But Behind Enemy Lines With the SAS is more than a story of great bravery and dedication to duty in wartime. Maingard returned to Mauritius and was instrumental in developing the island's tourism and hotel industry. Founder and first Chairman of Air Mauritius, he became one of his country's most successful post-war businessmen before illness cut short his ambition and he died in 1981 at the age of 62.
First edition hardback currently in print and available from bookshops and on-line at:
http://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/?product_id=1483
WANDSWORTH AND BATTERSEA PALS IN THE GREAT WAR
WANDSWORTH AND BATTERSEA PALS IN THE GREAT WAR
In 1915 Lord Kitchener extended his famous “Your Country Needs You” recruitment campaign by appealing to the Mayors of the London Metropolitan Boroughs, urging each Mayor to raise a unit of local men for active service overseas.
In south-west London, the response from two neighbouring boroughs, Wandsworth and Battersea, could not have been more different. In Wandsworth, Mayor Dawnay personally took up the challenge and soon recruited, for the East Surrey Regiment, double the number of men needed for an infantry battalion. In Battersea, however, there was initially no more than lukewarm interest, partly due to the local Territorial Force unit, the 23rd London Regiment, having expanded from one to three battalions thanks to thousands of earlier volunteers.
But as Wandsworth’s efforts bore fruit, Battersea too pledged to raise a full infantry battalion. Mirroring the different political leanings of the two boroughs, Mayor Simmons pledged Battersea’s battalion to the Queen’s (Royal West Surrey) Regiment.
Wandsworth’s 13th East Surreys and Battersea’s 10th Queen’s both served with honour and distinction. But they, and the communities from which they came, also suffered thousands of men wounded and killed. This sacrifice cemented links with France, Belgium and Italy that continue today. From the early tragic death of an adventurous boy of just 15, to the heroic deeds of a dustman who won the Victoria Cross, this book describes the pain and the glory of the volunteers of Wandsworth and Battersea on the Western Front.
First edition hardback published May 2010, available from bookshops and at on-line at:
http://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/?product_id=2269
BRIGHTON'S SECRET AGENTS
