Donal MacCarron – författare

This is the story of an early pioneer aviator who took to the air just a few years after the Wright Brothers proved that man was capable of controlled powered flight. Corbett Wilson (CW) was the only son of a wealthy family and was educated at Eaton from 1896 to 1899. He was commissioned into the Dorset Regiment and served in the South African War, by the end of which he had transferred to the Royal Artillery and became a Lieutenant in 1908. CW enrolled at the Bleriot Flying School at Pau in southern France and upon gaining his wings purchased a Bleriot XI aeroplane. Later he flew from Hendon Aerodrome and from there he made the first flight across the Irish Sea. When World War I loomed CW joined the military division of the newly formed Royal Flying Corps and in August 1914 he took off from Dover for France with No. 3 Squadron. It is this point that the vividly written letters sent to his mother give an enthralling insight into the developing war and the early military use of aircraft in battle. He lasted just ten months before being shot down by enemy flack on 15 May 1915.

Born in the Civil War of 1922–23, the army of the Republic of Ireland occupied a sensitive place in the national culture for many years.In World War II, it faced the challenge of maintaining Ireland''s integrity as a neutral. Post-war, it found a new role in 1960, providing troops for the United Nations intervention in the war-torn Congo; and since then has supported UN missions in the Middle East and elsewhere. More recently the border with troubled Ulster obliged the Republic to invest in reform and modernisation.Ireland''s freedom to seek examples and equipment worldwide has created an interesting progression of uniforms, illustrated in this study of Ireland''s forces over 80 years.

Born in the Civil War of 1922–23, the army of the Republic of Ireland occupied a sensitive place in the national culture for many years.In World War II, it faced the challenge of maintaining Ireland''s integrity as a neutral. Post-war, it found a new role in 1960, providing troops for the United Nations intervention in the war-torn Congo; and since then has supported UN missions in the Middle East and elsewhere. More recently the border with troubled Ulster obliged the Republic to invest in reform and modernisation.Ireland''s freedom to seek examples and equipment worldwide has created an interesting progression of uniforms, illustrated in this study of Ireland''s forces over 80 years.