NEWS

Afghanistan: A Tour of Duty

21st October 2009

Fast growing specialist international publisher, Third Millennium Publishing, is pleased to announce that on 29 October 2009 it will be launching Afghanistan: A Tour of Duty, the very first book of its kind, which reveals a remarkable photographic portrait of the Afghanistan campaign, taken by a former Grenadier Guards officer operating from the front line in the Helmand province. All profits from the book will be donated by Third Millennium to BLESMA (British Limbless Ex Service Men’s Association).

During his six month tour of duty in 2007 Captain (Rtd) Alexander Allan, 28, captured a number of unforgettable images of ordinary British soldiers sweltering in the heat, liaising with the locals, training the Afghan Army, fighting off Taliban attacks and taking casualties. His feeling for his troops, the camaraderie, sacrifices and how they cope with what they have been sent to do, is evident from every image. The accompanying words are by the soldiers themselves.

Allan has dedicated the book to one particular colleague, Lance Sergeant Adam ‘Goolie’ Ball, who towards the end of their tour of duty lost his leg while trying to save two Afghan colleagues injured by landmines. In his introduction Allan says: “Some people write prose, some poems, others are raconteurs telling their stories as best they can to an eager audience. These pictures are my diary; take from them what you wish.”

Captain Patrick Hennessey, author of the Junior Officers’ Reading Club, says: “The Army is fond of saying that a picture paints a thousand words – Captain Allan’s do so with incredible eloquence. Stunning and poignant, nothing I have seen or read in the last few years captures the colour and humanity of the Afghan conflict as well as these brilliant images.”

Third Millennium Chairman, Julian Platt, commented: “Third Millennium is proud to publish such an unforgettable and poignant portfolio of images documenting the day-to-day life of the British soldier in Afghanistan and to have the opportunity to support such a worthwhile charity as BLESMA.” Platt added: “This new title complements our other recently published military titles for Sandhurst, the Household Division, the Royal Green Jackets, the Royal Artillery and also soon to be published, Britain’s Gurkhas. It underlines the debt we as publishers owe to the military.”

In his foreword, General Sir Richard Dannatt GCB, CBE, MC, former Head of the Army says: “…this wonderful book is a graphic record of British soldiers’ day-to-day experiences serving in Afghanistan.….along with service, sadly comes sacrifice, and this photographic record does not flinch from the issue. Readers will get an authentic insight into the realities of life for the British soldier on Afghanistan’s front line. However, they should also be reassured to know that all profits from the sale of this book will, at the wounded soldiers’ own request, go direct to the charity which supports and cares for those who have lost limbs in service. Such motivation and service is truly humbling.”

Copies of Afghanistan: A Tour of Duty can be ordered online from Third Millennium at a special direct price of £10.99 + p&p - click HERE for details. (RRP on publication is £12.99). Copies are available in the book trade from 29th October 2009.

Third Millennium has published books for a number of leading heritage, educational and military institutions. These include titles for Westminster Abbey, York Minster, Durham Cathedral and Lincoln’s Inn; the universities of Cambridge, Oxford, Durham, Manchester, Newcastle and SOAS; Harrow, Rugby School and Wellington College; the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, the Royal Artillery, the Household Division, the Royal Green Jackets, the Army Museum Ogilvy Trust and the Royal Hospital Chelsea.

-ENDS-

NOTES TO EDITORS

Title: Afghanistan: A Tour of Duty

Imprint: Third Millennium Publishing, London

Author: Captain Alexander Allan

Publication: 29th October 2009 / RRP: £12.99 / ISBN: 978-1-906507-39-8

Specification: Softback, 112 pages, 250 x 220 mm, portrait, over 100 illustrations

Images and Review Copies: Available on request.

Author's Biography: Alexander Allan, 29, was educated at Eton College and Exeter University, where he read Economic History. He joined the Army in September 2002 undertaking officer training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and commissioned into the Grenadier Guards. He served as a Platoon Commander and later a Company Operations Officer from the end of 2003 to early 2008 serving in the Balkans, Africa, Australia and Afghanistan. On leaving the Army Alexander held an exhibition of his Afghanistan pictures at the Royal Hospital Chelsea Museum, London, which received wide international press coverage. The Exhibition, Armed with Afghans, raised just over £20,000 for injured soldiers and the families of the bereaved. Alexander is currently finishing his studies for a Masters in Renewable Energies at Imperial College, London.

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