Synopsis
Stuart Crawford’s personal memoir traces a military career of 20 years in the 4th Royal Tank Regiment (Scotland’s Own). The narrative records his experiences between joining his Regiment as a young troop leader in West Germany though to his eventual resignation of his commission to stand for the Scottish Parliament when it was reinstated in 1999.
In between times he attended two staff colleges, served under the UN banner in Cyprus, was a staff officer in HQ British Forces Middle East during the first Gulf War, and undertook a research fellowship at Glasgow University investigating and reporting on race relations within the British army. Although regarded in some circles as an iconoclast and maverick, he was destined for higher things when he took the decision to leave the army.
Written in a humorous and occasional whimsical style, there are also many instances of criticism of army practices and discussion on the morality of war. As a keen amateur photographer at the time, the book is illustrated mainly by the author’s own photographs, many of which have not been published previously.
About the Author
Stuart Crawford was born in Glasgow and educated at Cambridge University. After qualifying as a chartered surveyor he entered the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst and was commissioned into the 4th Royal Tank Regiment (Scotland’s Own). He joined his Regiment in West Germany where he was initially a troop leader.
During his twenty-year career he also served in the UK, Cyprus, and in Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War 1991 as part of HQ British Forces Middle East. He attended both the British and US army staff colleges and undertook a defense Fellowship at Glasgow University, where he researched and reported on race relations within the British army at the time. He resigned his commission in 1999 in the rank of Lieutenant Colonel to stand in the Scottish Parliamentary elections that year.
Crawford failed to win a seat in parliament and set himself up as a political lobbyist, journalist, and commentator, based in Edinburgh. He has written for most of the UK print media on military and social topics and has appeared frequently on radio and television. He has always had an interest in, and has written on, how an independent Scotland might set up its armed forces, and has appeared as an expert witness on three occasions before Westminster select committees to give evidence on the subject.
He continues to write and publish extensively on a variety of topics for multiple outlets. His previously published work includes a book on his experiences of the Gulf War 1991 entitled Sending My Laundry Forward: A Staff Officers’ Account of the First Gulf War (Matador, 2014) which is currently out of print.
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