Seasons greetings - 'Merdeka' FREE on Kindle

The 'Merdeka' eBook is FREE for Kindle download from 26th to 29th December 2013. 

UK readers can download it from Amazon.co.uk and for links to other Amazon sites see the How To Get The Book page on this blog.

A Merry Xmas and a very happy New Year to all!

The beginning of the end for British Malaya

On this day in 1941 Force Z of the Royal Navy (commanded by Admiral Tom Phillips) was attacked by 88 Japanese aircraft from the First Air Force. Force Z consisted of the battleship HMS Prince of Wales, the battlecruiser HMS Repulse, and four destroyers.  Force Z arrived at Singapore on 2nd December 1941 and was sent to intercept Japanese landings in Malaya. Prince of Wales and Repulse were sunk on 10th December 1941 about 50 miles from the coast of Kuantan in Malaya.

Read 'Merdeka' on iPad, iPhone and iPod touch

The 'Merdeka' eBook is exclusive to Kindle.  It can be read on iPads, iPhones and the iPod touch through the Kindle App .  Information on the Kindle App can also be found on Amazon.

Somebody told me today that they looked for the book in the iTunes Store but could not find it.  I explained that, after looking at various options, it was decided to keep the book exclusive to Kindle, as the Kinde App is free and widely available for most smartphones, tablets, laptops etc.  For more see 'How to get the Book'.  The Amazon store links have just been updated.

Thinking about getting the book?  Why not check out some reviews ?

Read 'Merdeka' on Android

The 'Merdeka' eBook is exclusive to Kindle.  It can be read through the Kindle App on all android devices.  If you also have a Kindle device, your place in the book can be synced so that whichever device you open, you can start reading where you left off.  Isn't technology wonderful!

The Kindle App is also available for other devices.  For more see 'How to get the Book'.  The Amazon store links have just been updated.

Thinking about getting the book?  Why not check out some reviews ?

The story of the Malayan Emergency in a few clicks

Picture courtesy of the National Army Museum

Did you know that the campaign in Malaya was one of the few successful counter-insurgency operations undertaken by the Western powers in the 20th Century?

Still studied today, the Malayan Emergency provides many important lessons on how such campaigns should be conducted.

The National Army Museum has a great online exhibition on the Malayan Emergency and in a few clicks you can get through an outline of what happened there from 1948 to 1960. 

Units from the British Army's Brigade of Gurkhas played a key role in the campaign, and a Gurkha fighting patrol features in the plot of  'Merdeka' the novel.  The picture shows a Gurkha patrol having a briefing and a 'brew up' in the Malayan Jungle in 1959.

Massacre in Malaya - Exposing Britains My Lai?

I have just pre-ordered this book.  To me the title appears 'sensationalist', although the publisher can't be blamed for trying to sell their book.

The My Lai massacre took place in several hamlets of Son My village in in Vietnam where American forces (1st Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment) indiscriminately massacred between 347 and 504 unarmed civilians.  Victims included women, men, children, and infants. Some of the women were gang-raped and their bodies mutilated.  By contrast in the Batang Kali massacre 24 unarmed male villagers were killed (executed?) by elements of the Scots Guards, after they had been separated from their women and children and interrogated.  Comparable? 

In both massacres the troops involved believed that the villagers were aiding their enemy.  The killing of unarmed civilians by soldiers is never acceptable unless, in the heat of war, a genuine mistake is made.

Read the latest customer review for 'Merdeka' on Amazon

Many thanks to "Linda Bahnan" for a 5 star review recently posted on Amazon.co.uk.  Extracts from this review, other customer reviews and professional reviews can be seen on the Review page of this blog, or you can visit 'Merdeka's' customer review page on Amazon.co.uk.

National Service - Malaya

National service for British males started on the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 and call-up officially ended on 31st December, 1960.   Most of the remaining National Servicemen were demobbed in 1962, with the last one finishing on 16th May 1963.

For a significant number of young national servicemen called up after the end of the Second World War, the Malayan Emergency (1948-1960) became their war - and many spent the bulk of their service time there.

Summer promotion: For 5 days only 'Merdeka' free on Kindle

Following the success of the Easter promotion, there will now be a Summer one.

If you want to download 'Merdeka' for FREE from the Kindle Store [from 12:00 AM (PST) on Friday 5th July 2013 until 11:59 PM (PST) on Tuesday 9th July 2013], click on one of the links below:

UK Readers,
Canadian Readers,
German Readers,
French Readers,
Spanish Readers,
Brazilian Readers,
Italian Readers,
Japanese Readers,
US Readers (and rest of world),

Please share this information with anyone you think may have an interest in reading 'Merdeka'.

The Situation In Malaya - Secret Cabinet Briefing Paper

Two weeks after the murders of the first three European's in Malaya a secret briefing paper was produced by the Colonial Office of the British Government for the British Cabinet.  Dated 1st July 1948, the paper covers the following:

• Background to Recent Events
• Present Situation
• Measures to Meet the Situation
• Plan of Future Operations

It is now in the public domain on the National Archives website of the UK Government. To read it click here. 

Has the World forgotten the Malayan Emergency?

Source: Wikipedia

Malaya was the 'domino that didn't fall' to Communism, and most people who were not there (or who do not know of someone who was there), do not seem to know about it.  Yet most people have heard of what happened in Vietnam in the following decades.  During the Malayan Emergency the casualty statistics (according to Wikipedia) were:

16 June 1948 - 3 murders start the Malayan Emergency

Image copyright Roll-of-Honour.com

Just after 8'o'clock in the morning on Saturday 16th June 1948, Arthur Walker, Edinburgh-born manager of the isolated Elphil rubber estate near Sungei Siput, arrived back at his office.   He had just finished his morning inspection of the estate. 

Twenty minutes later three young Chinese rode up to the office on bicycles.  One was heard to say 'Tabek Tuan' (Greetings Sir) and Walker cheerfully replied.  A few seconds later two shots rang out and he was dead, shot through the heart and chest.  The Chinese calmly left.

Malayan Volunteers Group

Work on the second novel is now well underway.  It is set in Malaya during the Second World War.  Detailed research is essential when writing historical fiction and one really great resource is the website of the Malayan Volunteers Group (MVG). 

The MVG developed from an informal gathering of a few British Malayans who were Volunteer Veterans. They used to meet for an annual lunch-time get-together, to talk about times past and to enjoy each other's company. As their numbers gradually decreased over the years, the tradition was carried on by their children and families. The MVG was formed in 2005.  Its aims are:

Read the latest customer review for 'Merdeka' on Amazon

Many thanks to "ted9658" for a 4 star review recently posted on Amazon.co.uk.  Extracts from this review, other customer reviews and professional reviews can be seen on the Review page of this blog, or you can visit 'Merdeka's' customer review page on Amazon.co.uk.

Another customer review for 'Merdeka' on Amazon

Many thanks to "diebus" for a 5 star review recently posted on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.   Extracts from this review, other customer reviews and professional reviews can be seen on the Review page of this blog.

Easter promotion: For 2 days only 'Merdeka' free on Kindle

Amazon have kept suggesting a Free Promotion, which is part of the Kindle Select package, so here goes.......

If you want to download 'Merdeka' for FREE (until Monday 1st April), click on one of the links below:

UK Readers,
Canadian Readers,
German Readers,
French Readers,
Spanish Readers,
Brazilian Readers,
Italian Readers,
Japanese Readers,
US Readers (and rest of world),

The old send the young to die

"Older men declare war.  But it is the youth that must fight and die"  is a quote from Herbert Hoover the 31st US President.  That fact has been reality since humans first organised themselves for combat.  As young men (and increasingly woman) continue to die for their countries, it is also a fact that in each army (as anyone who has served on a front line knows) there are also staff officers who sit behind the lines, taking decisions that affect those risking their lives at the 'sharp end'.  These can be good or bad, and it is the bad ones that rankle young soldiers.  Siegfried Sassoon won the Military Cross in trench warfare in WW1 but increasingly became disillusioned with many aspects of military life.  His poem 'Base Details' sums up the view of many young soldiers, even today.

Bringing Ghosts to life

Researching history means entering a world of Ghosts.  The presence of people from by-gone ages can be felt as one moves around places and buildings trying to imagine the past, and piece together a mental jigsaw from (often) limited snippets of information.  As an amateur historian with a military interest (and background) I have wandered around many ex-British army locations around the globe. 

Most recently I visited some sites in Singapore.  The big picture, the top down view of the campaign is clear, yet it is very hard to get a perspective from ordinary people who were not at the top of the tree - and it is their stories and memories that are vital to truly understand how life must have been.

World Book Day

Today, 7th March, is World Book Day 2013.  What is  World Book Day?  It is an attempt to get more people, particularly young people, engaged with books and reading in this digital age.  World Book Day was designated by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration of books and reading, and is marked in over 100 countries around the globe.

The origins of the day now celebrated in the UK and Ireland come from Catalonia, where roses and books were given as gifts to loved ones on St George's Day – a tradition started over 90 years ago.  World Book Day is a partnership of publishers, booksellers and interested parties who work together to promote books and reading for the personal enrichment and enjoyment of all.

'Merdeka' eBook now available for free borrowing

Image © Amazon

Amazon Prime customers in the UK and US can now borrow the 'Merdeka' eBook for free.  Available to read on Kindles, or by using Kindle Apps, this is the first time that the eBook has been in a lending scheme.  To borrow (or purchase) the eBook visit :

UK Customers: Merdeka in the Amazon UK Store
US Customers: Merdeka in the Amazon.com Store

Not sure?  Visit the Review Page on this blog


'Merdeka' eBook to be exclusive to Kindle

Image © Amazon

The eBook of 'Merdeka' is  going to be exclusive to Kindle for at least 3 months.  This will allow it to be included in the Kindle Owner’s Lending Library  (KDP Select).  How does it work? 

Kindle device owners with an Amazon Prime membership can borrow popular Kindle books at no extra cost, as frequently as one book per month and with no due dates.

Does this mean you can read it on other portable devices?  Yes, you will be able to read it on any device that can run a Kindle App (such as the iPad). For more information see 'How to get the Book'.

Why I am doing this?  Despite efforts to promote the eBook through other channels, the vast majority of sales remain with Amazon.  As a new author, visibility is key, and the Amazon listings give the best visibility.  Other authors have recommended taking this step.  I'll review it after 3 months.

The call of the East

The magic of the East has fascinated westerners for centuries, no doubt to the bafflement of some local people struggling to make their living in often arduous circumstances.  In Merdeka Martin Robson states:

 "You know that there are days and nights when I have to pinch myself to remind me that I am being paid to live in such a lovely place.  They say, you know, that that you don't choose the East, rather the East chooses you.  The climate, the smells, the people, the land......... something catches you and then you have it forever.'

In his evocative book The Soul of Malaya (first published in English in 1931) Henri Fauconnier writes:

'These Malays are interesting.  So is the jungle.  Trees, nothing but trees.  A monotonous country.  One enters it... and finds the enchanted forest.'

If you don't live there, there is only one way to find out how you feel about it..... get on a plane!