This book has the immediate opportunity to be utterly fascinating to anyone who is interested in Northern Ireland’s “Troubles”. Ken Wharton, as an ex-soldier himself, has painstakingly brought together an impressive array of first hand accounts from soldiers who served during the bloody thirty years of war in the province. The perspective of the men on the ground, fighting for Queen and Country in a war they barely understood, is one that has never received sufficient coverage.

This reviewer studied Northern Irish history in some depth previously, and as such was anticipating something special when I opened the cover of this 300 page volume.

I was not disappointed. Unsurprisingly the first hand stories of the men on the ground are often shocking, frequently poignant and always remarkable. Wharton has managed to pull together members of numerous regiments for the work, from the “teeth” infantry and artillery to the “tail” logistical units. Though, as he is rightly quick to point out, no one, especially during the escalated violence of the 1970s, had a “safe” job in Northern Ireland.

The various accounts describe in vivid detail not only the aftermath of bombs and running gunfights on the streets of Ulster, but also the more human side of the conflict. The attitudes of the people who lived there, the atmosphere over Belfast, Londonderry and beyond, and the emotional turmoil that the soldiers underwent during a war that was hardly even acknowledged on the mainland.

The beauty of this kind of collection of first hand accounts is that the humour of each author is retained, which is especially relevant when viewing anything from the perspective of a squaddie! Some of the most memorable excerpts are those that bring back into focus that these were human beings, many younger than 21, who were trying to make the best of it in horrendous conditions. With no concept of the political realities, on streets that looked very much like home, but with bombs and bullets making even a stroll to the local pub impossible. But in the finest traditions of the British Army, they made the best of it.

A personal humorous highlight was the strike team all loaded into a helicopter en route to an IRA position when the “war dog” Bear decided to attack everyone in range, forcing them to land and abort the attack. The passage closes with “the last thing I saw was Bear chasing a cow and his handler, with pistol drawn, chasing Bear.”

If I had to level a criticism at what is after all a collection of stories rather than one narrative, it is that the passages are not always dated and are not in chronological order. Though this is not a massive problem when each tale stands alone, it can be a little jarring when jumping from a fire fight at the height of 1972 to a car bombing twenty years later all on the same page.

Bloody Belfast gives a unique perspective on the Troubles, or more precisely a collection of perspectives. Even after previous extensive study I was still amazed and saddened by the stories held within this well edited collection. It is all carefully held together by Wharton’s inserts.

Given the media attention that has recently swung the spotlight back onto Northern Ireland with the Bloody Sunday Inquiry, and the pressure and criticism the British Army has been and will continue to receive, it is essential to a well balanced argument that the perspective of those on the ground does not go unheard. This Wharton undoubtedly achieves. A humbling and captivating read.

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