In this enjoyable memoir, Ian Williams looks back on his experiences during Operation Telic ~ the liberation of Iraq in 2003, as a member of the Territorial Army serving with the TIGER (Theatre Information General Equipment Register) team in Kuwait and Iraq.

In the sweltering heat of the desert, he and his TIGER team colleagues carried out their appointed duties, playing their part in the eventual victory, and his account of their experiences gives a good impression of what conditions were like for Allied troops on the ground during the campaign, who had to contend with an alien environment, a hostile climate, an unknown enemy and the constant threat of biological or chemical weapons being used against them.

Anyone who served with the British forces in ‘Op Telic’ will find this to be an accurate representation of events as they happened, and for those who were not there, it may prove to be a real eye-opener.

Ian Williams was born in Liverpool into a family with military connections stretching back over many generations. From an early age he took an interest in all things military and, despite never having served in the Regular Army, joined the Territorial Army in later life. Following in his father’s footsteps, he enlisted into the 5th/8th King’s Regiment (TAVR) in 1988 and completed 12 years’ service before transferring to 103 Regiment Royal Artillery (V) in 2000. He has served in a peacekeeping role with the UN in Cyprus, seen war service in Kuwait and Iraq and carried out NATO duties in Bosnia and Kosovo.