Double Crossed
A Code of Honour, A Complete Betrayal
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- 9,49 €
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- 9,49 €
Publisher Description
The Sunday Times Bestseller that inspired BBC drama Danny Boy
At the age of 23, Brian Wood was thrust into the front line in Iraq, in the infamous Battle of Danny Boy. Ambushed, he led a charge across open ground with insurgents firing at just five soldiers. On his return, he was awarded the Military Cross.
But Brian's story had only just begun. Struggling to re-integrate into family life, he suffered from PTSD. Then, five years later, a letter arrived: it summoned him to give evidence at the Al-Sweady Inquiry into allegations of war crimes by British soldiers during the Iraq invasion of 2003.
After years of public shame, Brian took the stand and delivered a powerful testimony, and following the tense inquiry room scenes, justice was finally served. Phil Shiner, the lawyer who made the false accusations, was struck off and stripped of an honorary doctorate.
In this compelling memoir, Brian speaks powerfully and movingly about the three battles in his life, from being ambushed with no cover, to the mental battle to adjust at home, to being falsely accused of hideous war crimes. It's a remarkable and dark curve which ends with his honour restored but, as he says, it was too little, too late.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
British soldier Brian Wood’s supreme courage at the Battle of Danny Boy in Iraq in 2004 earned him the Military Cross. His account of that afternoon alone would make this a breathtaking memoir, but the ramifications of the day resonated agonisingly through his life for the next decade. In 2009, as he continued to suffer from PTSD, he was accused of terrible war crimes and human rights abuses. Given the astonishing deceit and misinformation that Cross faced while trying to clear his name, his own honesty and self-reflection here are remarkable. This compelling, unvarnished portrait of a war hero offers fascinating insight into life on the frontline and harrowing battles fought at home.