Mark Byford was born in Castleford, West Yorkshire in 1958. He was the BBC Deputy Director General and Head of BBC Journalism from 2004 to 2011. An award-winning journalist and editor, he worked at the BBC for 32 years. This is his first book.

"This tale should be compulsory reading for MPs and military leaders and anyone else who might lead us into armed conflict. It raises questions about the morality of war and duty to serve that need constant and rigorous attention. It is also an absorbing and meticulously researched work. I wish I had written anything half as good." Julian Pettifer "A Name On A Wall - part biography, part chronicle, part history - movingly connects past and present and reconciles the differences that seemingly separate them." The Telegraph and Argus "One of the finest and most moving books I have read in a long time. It is calm and understated, and yet written with great emotional intensity. I found it hard to think about anything else for days after reading it" -- John Simpson, BBC world affairs editor "We gaze at the names on war memorials and wonder, and now I know the reason why. This book is meticulous in its research, compelling in its structure. A marvellous book" -- Sir Michael Parkinson, broadcaster "An extraordinary experience like nothing ever done before in America that I know of. It's important. It matters" -- Jan Scruggs, founder and president of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund

Mark Byford was born in Castleford, West Yorkshire in 1958. He was the BBC Deputy Director General and Head of BBC Journalism from 2004 to 2011. An award-winning journalist and editor, he worked at the BBC for 32 years. This is his first book.

"This tale should be compulsory reading for MPs and military leaders and anyone else who might lead us into armed conflict. It raises questions about the morality of war and duty to serve that need constant and rigorous attention. It is also an absorbing and meticulously researched work. I wish I had written anything half as good." Julian Pettifer "A Name On A Wall - part biography, part chronicle, part history - movingly connects past and present and reconciles the differences that seemingly separate them." The Telegraph and Argus "One of the finest and most moving books I have read in a long time. It is calm and understated, and yet written with great emotional intensity. I found it hard to think about anything else for days after reading it" -- John Simpson, BBC world affairs editor "We gaze at the names on war memorials and wonder, and now I know the reason why. This book is meticulous in its research, compelling in its structure. A marvellous book" -- Sir Michael Parkinson, broadcaster "An extraordinary experience like nothing ever done before in America that I know of. It's important. It matters" -- Jan Scruggs, founder and president of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund

Mark Byford was born in Castleford, West Yorkshire in 1958. He was the BBC Deputy Director General and Head of BBC Journalism from 2004 to 2011. An award-winning journalist and editor, he worked at the BBC for 32 years. This is his first book.

"This tale should be compulsory reading for MPs and military leaders and anyone else who might lead us into armed conflict. It raises questions about the morality of war and duty to serve that need constant and rigorous attention. It is also an absorbing and meticulously researched work. I wish I had written anything half as good." Julian Pettifer "A Name On A Wall - part biography, part chronicle, part history - movingly connects past and present and reconciles the differences that seemingly separate them." The Telegraph and Argus "One of the finest and most moving books I have read in a long time. It is calm and understated, and yet written with great emotional intensity. I found it hard to think about anything else for days after reading it" -- John Simpson, BBC world affairs editor "We gaze at the names on war memorials and wonder, and now I know the reason why. This book is meticulous in its research, compelling in its structure. A marvellous book" -- Sir Michael Parkinson, broadcaster "An extraordinary experience like nothing ever done before in America that I know of. It's important. It matters" -- Jan Scruggs, founder and president of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund