Formed in 1881 through the amalgamation of two line infantry regiments, 72nd Regiment and 78th (Highland) Regiment, the Seaforth Highlanders fought in various late colonial wars in Africa (invasion of Egypt, Mahdist War, 2nd Boer War) and India (Hazara Campaigns and Chitral Expedition, Northwest Frontier) as well as serving in the Far East. In the First World War its battalions saw service in the Middle East (Mesopotamia, Kut, Baghdad, Palestine) as well as most of the major battles of the Western Front, from Le Cateau in 1914 to the breaking of the Hindenberg Line in 1918 (and including Aubers Ridge, Messines, 2nd Ypres, The Somme and Passchendaele in between). Between the wars they were involved in ‘colonial policing’ again on the Northwest Frontier, Palestine and elsewhere. During the Second World War, 1st Battalion fought in the East throughout (Malaya, Burma, India) while 2nd Battalionsaw action in the Battle of France and was forced to surrender to Rommel’s troops at St. Valery-en-Caux.A particular strength of this book is the personal story of one of the regiment’s soldiers - his time on the North West Frontier and coverage of his four years of captivity and forced labour in PoW camps as suffered by many 2nd Battalion veterans during World War 2. This comes courtesy of exclusive access to this PoW’s correspondence home. Meanwhile, the reconstituted 2nd Battalion redeemed itself through its participation in the Second Battle of El Alamein, the invasions of Tunisia, Sicily and Italy, D-Day and the Normandy Battles, and the invasion of Germany (operations Veritable and Plunder). Overall, this is an excellent and overdue account of the loyal service and many campaigns and battles of the Seaforth Highlanders Regiment across eighty years, from its raising to its amalgamation into the Queen’s Own Highlanders in 1961.

Paul Chrystal is the author of a number of books on conflict and military history, including the best-selling British Army of the Rhine: The BAOR 1945-1993 (2018); Northern Ireland - The Troubles from the Provos to the Det 1968-1998 (2018); Women at War in the Ancient World (2016); Roman Military Disasters (2015); War in Greek Mythology (2020) and Rome: Republic into Empire – The Civil Wars (2019) all published by Pen & Sword. He is also author of A History of Britain in 100 Objects (2022); Wars and Battles of the Roman Republic (2015) and Wars and Battles of Ancient Greece (2018). His Biowarfare and Bioterrorism: Disease as a Weapon of War was published in 2023. His books have been translated into Chinese and Japanese. See his full list at www.paulchrystal.com