Welcome

Thanks for looking in. England’s Last War Against France - Fighting Vichy 1940-42,  my latest  military history, was published  by Weidenfeld in July 2009 and has been  widely praised. I don’t use that phrase lightly. There can’t be  all that many books that are favourably reviewed by both The Guardian and Soldier magazine.

It has been largely forgotten that, within living memory, Britain was involved in a two year conflict with the  France governed by Maréchal Petain, the hero of Verdun. It took place on land, sea and air and there were times when the casualties on both sides were heavy starting with almost 1298 French sailors killed in 10 minutes when the British fleet attacked French ships at Mers el-Kebir.  If you want to read my full author’s introduction, reviews  or look at  extracts please go to the box to the right of this message and click on the title.
      
The same applies to Singapore Burning  and any of my other books including the two  I wrote with the former BBC reporter and biographer  John Bierman who died in January 2006: Alamein: War Without  Hate, described by the historian Sir John Keegan as “a remarkable achievement” and  Fire in the Night our biography of  Orde Wingate, the most eccentric soldier Britain has produced since Clive of India. “The best book on the subject yet available” wrote Philip Ziegler in The Spectator. All the books listed  can be bought through the  Amazon link.
    
In recent years I have  been giving  radio and live audience  talks, sometimes illustrated, at the Cheltenham Literary  Festival. Subjects  have ranged from  ‘War Without Hate - the North African campaign and the Empire’s Last Victory’ ; Singapore - its myths and heroism.’ ‘Orde Wingate  and the guerrillas he led in Burma, Ethiopia and Zion”; ‘The Last Crusade - Allenby’s  cavalry campaign in Palestine and his capture of Jerusalem from the Ottoman Turks in 1917’. ‘

Talks can be arranged by contacting richardforeman.chalke@hotmail.co.uk or writing to me at POB 20827, Nicosia 1664,Cyprus.