Highlights
- Details the career of a highly experienced officer and commander in the Royal Marines, Britain’s elite amphibious and special force – from joining the Corps in 1952, through to his command of 3 Commando Brigade in the Falklands War and his retirement as Major General in 1986.
- Provides a fascinating background to his family history, both military and otherwise, including his early life in India, and his direct descent from a convicted witch in Salem, Massachusetts and a long-serving missionary in the South Pacific.
- Highlights how he witnessed and played a role in specific key historical and military events, both domestic and global, in the latter half of the 20th century, putting his service in the Royal Marines in context with those events.Updates and reveals further information on the events surrounding the Falklands War, initially covered in his Sunday Times Bestseller: No Picnic: 3 Commando Brigade in the Falklands War.
- Recounts details of his civilian career, following his retirement from the Royal Marines; including his consultancy work in security matters, counter maritime piracy, his television and film work and his time as a Visiting Research Fellow and Visiting Professor of the Department of War Studies, Kings College, London.
Description
These are the memoirs of a Royal Marines officer and commander who witnessed and took part in many key historical and military events in the second half of the 20th Century.
Offering a unique perspective from a decorated commander who was not only right at the heart of many operations but also planned and led those operations, A Bootneck Remembers chronicles the life and career of a Royal Marines officer, who joined the Corps one month after his 18th birthday through to his retirement as a Major General and his subsequent civilian career. Throughout the memoirs, Julian Thompson describes many of the individuals with whom he served and who helped to form him as a successful commander with genuine empathy for those who served with or for him.
Covering his family roots, including a witch, a missionary and a highly decorated father who served in World War One, the first part of the book also includes his early life in India and his first few years as a young officer in the Royal Marines, when he served in Egypt, Libya, Malta, Cyprus and Aden. He describes his involvement in overseas operations, such as the withdrawal of troops from the Suez Canal Zone, the EOKA (anti-terrorist) campaign in Cyprus, a series of exercises in support of King Idris in Libya and his tour in Aden during a time of political unrest in the region. His time in the Far East led to his involvement in high security issues surrounding the political upheaval between Malaysia and Indonesia in the mid 1960s and also in planning for and participation in the British withdrawal from Aden.
As an Assistant Secretary to the Chief of Staff Committee in the early 1970s, Julian Thompson witnessed and took part in meetings that formed the policy instructions relating to the British instigated coup in Oman and the hijacking activities of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). After a two year posting as a member of the Directing Staff at the Army Staff College, Camberley, Julian Thompson became Commanding Officer of 40 Commando, taking part in a tour in South Armagh, Northern Ireland, a high-risk area known as ‘Bandit Country’, due to its regular IRA activities and for which he was awarded the OBE.
Best known for his role as Brigade Commander of 3 Commando Brigade in the Falklands War in 1982, Julian Thompson played a leading role in planning the amphibious campaign and then directing his brigade through operations that eventually led to the retaking of the islands. In these memoirs he is able to provide new insights and perspective on the campaign – a campaign for which he was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB). His final role in the Corps was as Major General in charge of all Royal Marine training establishments and the RM Reserves. The Special Boat Service (SBS) also came under his remit – during which time he further developed them as a UK Maritime counter terrorism force to respond to hijacking of UK flagged ships world-wide and offshore installations (including oil rigs) in UK waters.
Retiring from the Royal Marines in 1986 – and in the final part of these memoirs – Julian Thompson describes his varied and fascinating civilian career as an author, a Visiting Senior Research Fellow and Visiting Professor at Kings College, London. He also acted as a consultant in global security matters – including the issues of ‘conflict diamonds’, counter maritime piracy, and the security of people and property in remote or high-risk areas. In addition to taking part in various media-related projects, he has lectured extensively, both in the UK and overseas.
Author Details
Major General Julian Thompson served in the Royal Marines for 34 years. His service took him around the world, including as Brigade Commander of 3 Commando Brigade during the Falklands War. After retiring he became a Visiting Senior Research Fellow and a Visiting Professor of the Department of War Studies, King’s College, London and also undertook work as a consultant advising on security matters for high risk areas and on counter maritime piracy operations. In addition to writing and up dating his Sunday Times Bestseller No Picnic, he wrote Ready for Anything, The Parachute Regiment at War 1940 – 82, War Behind Enemy Lines, The Lifeblood of War; Logistics and Armed Conflict and numerous other works.
Henrietta Lilley is Julian Thompson’s daughter and co-writer. She has had an international career in marketing, public relations and also as a copywriter, and now lives on Dartmoor.
Publisher: Pen & Sword Military
ISBN: 9781036117856