Customer Reviews
More regimental history than reality - By: P. Andrews, 17 Sep 2008 
23 reviews allin praise of the master; lets be different, shall we?
If you want something approaching an official regimental history of the Prince of Wales Royal Regiment (PWRR)in this conflictin this partof Iraq than 'Dusty Soldiers' is probably perfect.
If you want un-MoD vetted reality, then look elsewhere (I would recommend 'Condor Blues'; same region of Iraq, Maysan Province, Holmes Regiment the PWRR was actually deployed alongside the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders of Camp Condorin Maysan, so interesting contrast).
Richard Holmes is a respected & respectable military historian; he does this well. He is also an officer of the battalion so he is loyal, biased & partisan. Good on him.
The reality outside of 'the regiment' can best be found elsewhere.
Can't see the desert for the sand at times - By: happyreviewer, 07 Aug 2008 Richard Holmes hits the nail on the headin his preface when he discusses the challengein striking the right balance between journalism & history. I think he failedin that respect, erring too far & too often into sensationalist copy, but the book as a whole isn't a failure. It's very readable & exciting & succeedsin introducing the reader to a fighting battle group. Holmes keeps to his tried-and-tested formula of including generous quotes from many individuals so the account isn't too skewed to any one soldier's experiences.
In this way this book will differ from the many memoirs currently flooding the market. Also, this is one respectin which it feels more like a history book than a piece of journalism. However, I've awarded Dusty Warriors a paltry three stars because at times it is just so hard going. You really need to concentrate to read a book like this. There are so many names, unit numbers, dates, code numbers, map references, etc. Overall I am glad I read it, not least to complete my Holmes collection! He is a fine historian & I suppose he just HAD to write about contemporary conflicts sooner or later.
Enthralling book from soldiers' first hand accounts - By: Richard Butlin, 03 Apr 2008 
As both an eminent historian & the Colonel of PWRR, Richard Holmes had unique access to the first hand accounts of the soldiers across the battalion featuredin this story & the skills to turn them into a readable & insightful study of the modern British Army at war. This account of an Iraq deployment during 2004, as the rise of tension & specifically the activities of the mahdi army turned what should have been a transition to peace into the fiercest British Army conflict since Korea, is a very honest & at times raw description of operational life - told by the soldiers themselves. Despite the modern media perception of the army flipping between the extremes of down to earth heroes or out of control louts, the soldiers come across as ordinary people finding extraordinary qualities within themselves when faced with extreme situations. The complexity of a soldier's job under fire, the high levels of expertise & professionalism & the absolute commitment to look after each other are the most profound themes within the book - but lightened throughout by a strong sense of humourin adversity. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wishes to know what it means when our society takes the decision to send troops to fightin what Holmes calls today's post-modern conflicts, where high intensity war fighting takes place among the civilian population.
Cap Badge at its best - By: Charles Vasey, 08 Mar 2008 Richard Holmes was the Colonel of the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, a new regiment assembled out of the historical regiments of South East England. This book is his account (via the personal accounts of the men & women of 1PWRR) of their tourin Iraq. The book starts out with a handy dandy summary of what an Army battalion is like, how it functions, & of the Ministry of Defence reorganisations that produced some of its present manifestations. The book covers everyonein the unit from admin clerk to Warrior driver & its grist is accounts of the "contacts"in which various factions ambush the Army going about its daily business. One of these contacts gave rise to the award of a VC, a good indication of the intensity of combat.
Readers should be warned that this book is writtenin the grand tradition of the British Armyin which the writer's regiment is the finest regiment ever, all its men are brave, nobody argues, & no-one casts blame except at the benighted Rear Echelon & the horrid RAF. This style can be very difficult to relate to for those of us who workin close proximity to retards, narcissists, incompetents & the greedy. Surely, we wonder, things cannot really be this merryin the Army? I am sure that there is a degree of "Spectacles, Rose-Tinted, Readers of Memoirs, for the use of" but the essence of a combat unit is strong bonding since a combat unit intends to sailin harm's way. It is hardly surprising that pridein corps & regard for colleagues leaches into the very paper of this book.
It is also not surprising that the book benefits from the sardonic humour of the Army. Amongst the mud & the blood & the beer are some very funny moments.
Good but slightly bias. - By: A. J. Grogan, 04 Oct 2007 A cracking book if you want to understand the mentality & courage of the average soldier responding to a difficult situation. However Richard Holmes, as Regt Col of PWRR, does write this from a bias point of view & message throughout the book is almost one of the rear echelon troops provided no value bar gettingin the way & the PWRR saved the day.
Don't get me wrong - this book records the deeds of some very brave soldiers but it lacked that wider picture for my liking & I expected more.
