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A wonderfully evocative illustrated memoir that gives the reader a rare account in close-up of what life was truly like for World War II Wrens, as they were catapulted into the drudgery and deprivation, mayhem and maelstrom, and the tribulations and triumphs of war. In 1939, the young Christian Lamb felt she had to 'do her bit' for the war effort. Her comfortable life was about to be turned upside down. With a Naval background, the Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS) was the obvious choice, besides it had by far the most attractive uniform - topped by the splendid tricorne hat. On joining as a lowly Wren rating she found that this crowning glory was not for her but strictly for officers only. It was to be the first of many nasty surprises. In "I Only Joined For The Hat", the author wittily describes how class and snobbery had no place in a world of girls from all social backgrounds, suddenly plunged into life together. From scrubbing floors and squad drill to coding and catering, Christian peppers her pages with amusing observations. Here is her own story, starting on the bottom rung, progressing to becoming an officer in charge of the operations room plot that followed the desperate twists and turns of the Battle of the Atlantic - and eventually finding she was tracking her fiancé's destroyer as he battled with the deadly German U-boat wolf packs. Here, too, are many as yet untold stories from fellow Wrens and Naval officers which embellish Christian's own extraordinary experiences.

JOINT FORCE HARRIER

‘Joint Force Harrier describes operations by a Fleet Air Arm squadron deployed far from its normal oceanic stamping grounds to the hostile environment of Afghanistan … and it’s a great read.’ Captain Eric ‘Winkle’ Brown RN

Afghanistan, October 2006: British soldiers and marines were engaged in the most intense, sustained fighting they’d faced since the hell of the Korean War. Their lives too often depended on the success of danger-close, pin-point attacks pressed home from the air. During that violent winter, those crucial missions were flown by the pilots of 800 Naval Air Squadron. The unit’s CO was Commander Ade Orchard RN. The first book written by a serving British fast jet pilot since the 1991 Gulf War, Joint Force Harrier offers an unprecedented, heart-stopping insight into the realities of modern air warfare.

Commander Ade Orchard RN is one of the most experienced fighter pilots in the Fleet Air Arm. After joining the Royal Navy in 1986 he qualified as a frontline Sea Harrier pilot in 1990. A qualified Air Warfare Instructor, he completed two tours in the former Yugoslavia while flying from HMS Illustrious before taking up an exchange posting with the US Navy and Marine Corps in 1999. Four years later, he flew extensively during the combat phase of Operation TELIC in Iraq before deploying to Afghanistan as CO of 800 Naval Air Squadron in 2006. He is currently Deputy Force Commander of Joint Force Harrier, based at RAF Cottesmore in Rutland and displays the Hawker Sea Fury for the Royal Navy Historic Flight.

All Cdr Orchard’s earnings from the book will be donated to charity

JOINT FORCE HARRIER is published in hardback by Michael Joseph-Penguin on September 4^th 2008 priced at £16.99

For more information please contact Natalie Higgins on 0207 010 3599 or Natalie.Higgins@uk.penguingroup.com

BOOKS BY JOHN BLAKE

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