Article: War is not a game for gentlemen... with one exception

Daily Express, November 2023

As featured in the article: BBC's SAS rogue heroes causes divide with watchers over historical accuracy

Read the full article at: https://www.express.co.uk/news/history/1695657/bbc-sas-rogue-heroes-drama-world-war-two-historical-accuracy-debate

Daily Express

There has been a lot of books written about the SAS however none have been as fully sourced or direct from the eyes of it's creator than this book. Gentleman Jim is the account of one of the men responsible for the creation of the Special Air Service, Jim Almonds and highlights the true energy and promise of the young soldiers in this new military organisation. The book describes everything from the formation of the 'L' Detachment which would become the SAS to it's leading of the advance into Germany during the second world war. With fluent and exciting prose backed up by personal photographs of Almonds himself, the book will keep the reader gripped page after page. As it is written by Almonds' daughter, Lorna who has her own experience in the Royal Corps of Signals, the book ultimately provides an air of authenticity and personal touch arguably missing from other biographies.

John (Customer Review)

The value of this biography lies as much in the alchemy between author Lorna Almonds-Windmill and her father, the aptly-named Gentleman Jim, as in how the tenets of unconventional warfare were first established. Her scrupulous determination to tell the story of one of the SAS originals through his voice – drawn from a wartime diary and interviews – gives us a rare insight into the men who laid the foundation for a unit that continues to awe and inspire more than seventy years later. Anyone with a passing knowledge of today’s SAS will be astonished by the grim determination of David Stirling’s recruits to succeed despite early setbacks and the inertia of unimaginative staff officers. Equally impressive is just how innovative and successful they were with (by 21st century standards) the most primitive of equipment. The kit and tactics may have evolved, but the spirit of those first special operations warriors is unchanged.

Special Forces Club (J Hooper) - April 2011

Jim Almonds, a Sergeant in the Guards Commandos, sailed for the Middle East as part of Layforce in 1941, along with David Stirling and others destined to become 'L' Detachment "originals". Based on Almonds' own diaries, primary sources and interviews, the author captures the spirit of the men of the newly-emerging SAS.

Britain at War - March 2011

This book covers the life of Jim Almonds, his career in England, the western desert, Italy, and France, and his formative role in the birth of the SAS.

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