In September 1950, at the tender age of 23, Corporal John Pluck found himself on the cusp of a new chapter, one that would forever alter the course of his life. As a soldier in the British Army, he had been meticulously trained in the aftermath of World War II, a conflict that had ended before he had a chance to test his mettle. Thus, he was a soldier untouched by the fury of battle, unacquainted with the cacophony of gunfire and the chaos of combat.

But destiny had other plans, for John was soon to be dispatched to the Korean War with the Middlesex Regiment. The experiences that awaited him in Korea would carve indelible marks upon his memory.

It was there, amidst the rugged hills and unforgiving landscapes of Korea, that John discovered the stark inadequacy of his training. Neither he nor his fellow non-commissioned officers, nor even the commanding officers, were truly prepared for the nature of the warfare that engulfed them. The conditions were relentless, the terrain perilous, the enemy an enigma, and the fighting unyielding. The morale among British troops swiftly waned under the weight of these challenges.

John's evocative recollections from the front lines lay bare the grim reality of British involvement in this conflict, a reality that the UK government later sought to obscure, leaving it largely unspoken. Alongside his comrades from the Korean campaign, John felt profoundly aggrieved by the disregard for their sacrifices. This sense of injustice kindled in him a determination to pen this book, a testament to the experiences of the front-line troops in a war that history seemed content to forget.