NEWS

Excellence in Action: A Portrait of The Guards launched during London Book Fair week

2 April 2008

On the eve of the 2008 London Book Fair, Third Millennium Publishing is delighted to announce the launch of their latest military title, Excellence in Action: A Portrait of The Guards. Edited by Rupert Uloth, Deputy Editor of Country Life magazine and a former officer in The Life Guards, this richly illustrated hardback volume tells the story of the seven famous regiments of the British Army, which comprise the Household Division, known collectively as the Guards.

To the world at large the image of the Guards has been brought to life by their ceremonial duties as the regiments dedicated to the protection of the Sovereign – whether on duty at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and Horse Guards, or at great national occasions such as The Queen’s Birthday Parade, which the public know as the ‘Trooping of the Colour’. Yet in the 21st century we are reminded that the five regiments of Foot Guards – namely Grenadier, Coldstream, Scots, Irish and Welsh – along with the two regiments of Household Cavalry – The Life Guards and The Blues and Royals – are in the forefront of combat operations.

They have a long tradition of excellence in action going back to the 17th century, having taken part in all the major campaigns of the British Army, were instrumental in the formation of the Special Air Service (SAS), provided one of the first battalions of the Parachute Regiment and fought in both World Wars, in Aden, Borneo and the Falkland Islands. Over a period of nearly four decades the Guards were also involved in counter-terrorism in Northern Ireland, on the front line in Bosnia and Kosovo and today are deployed in both Iraq and in Afghanistan.

A major feature of the book are the first-hand accounts and contributions by former members and those serving today, along with specially-commissioned photography by Julian Andrews, one of the UK’s leading action photographers.

Captain David Basson who recently served with the Welsh Guards in Iraq, comments in the book: “The guys were remarkable. It was real Guards traditional discipline that you need to survive in a place like that and if we couldn’t have trusted our Guardsmen and had that sort of discipline we wouldn’t have been as safe as we were.”

“You only need to look at the young lads that are winning medals now and the things they are doing under fire. Without a shadow of a doubt, we’ve got some of the hardest-working boys in the Army at the moment and some of the bravest ... you could ask these boys to put their lives on the line,” adds Sergeant Major John McCallum, Scots Guards.

Excellence in Action undoubtedly captures in words and pictures the pride, professionalism, courage, commitment and tremendous loyalty shown by Guardsmen and women both to the British Army and the Crown.

The book includes a preface from Her Majesty the Queen, which states: “‘Excellence in Action’ is the standard applied by the Household Division whether to operations, training or ceremonial duties. As Colonel-in-Chief of the seven regiments of the Household Division, I am therefore pleased to acknowledge this tribute to its former and current soldiers and, especially, to those who have perished or been wounded in the service of our nation.”

In his introduction to the book, Bill Cubitt CBE, Major General commanding the Household Division, concludes: “Excellence in Action is a superb encapsulation of everything the Guards stands for.”

-ENDS-

NOTES TO EDITORS

Imprint: Third Millennium Publishing, London

General Editor: Rupert Uloth

Special Photography: Julian Andrews

Publication date: 15th April 2008 / RRP: £45 / ISBN: 978 1 903 942 68 0

Specification: Hardback, 208 pages, 305 x 254 mm, over 250 illustrations

The Publisher: Third Millennium Publishing specialises in publishing and design for the art, heritage and military markets and is currently working on a number of book projects with leading schools, Oxbridge colleges, universities (including a celebratory volume on the 800th anniversary of Cambridge University), cathedrals, regiments, and museums and galleries in the UK and USA. Recent and forthcoming military titles include Sandhurst: A Tradition of Leadership, The Royal Hospital Chelsea: The Place and the People, Swift and Bold: A Portrait of the Royal Green Jackets, The Royal Artillery Woolwich: A Celebration, Cavalry & Guards: A London Home and the AMOT guidebook entitled Military Museums in the UK.

Visit TMI Group at The London Book Fair on stand S535 Heritage section, Earls Court 14-16 April 2008

For further information contact Michael D Jackson, Marketing Manager, Third Millennium Information Ltd, 2-5 Benjamin St, EC1M 5QL. Tel: +44 (0)207 336 0144. Email: mj@tmiltd.com. Website: www.tmiltd.com