In Sights: The Story of a Welsh Guardsman

by Tim Rees

The journey from boyhood to manhood has rarely included such diverse experience. From military training in the Guards Depot to Trooping the Colour, from academic failure to intelligence work in Northern Ireland. From helping Rudolf Hess out of an ambulance to being tasked with taking the Queen's portrait. He even trod on Lady Diana's toe! Tim Rees colors every experience with profound and often idiosyncratic observations that offer the reader a taste of the sometimes humorous, often arduous, and, on too many occasions, brutal reality. Most importantly, Tim's stories are about shared experiences. Many of the men who shared Tim's experiences died aboard the Sir Galahad on June 8 1982. Along the way, this synthesis of evidence and interpretation debunks myths that have arisen in recent years, particularly about the Falklands. The fact that Tim was Battalion photographer means that the visual record included is unique, unpublished, and memorable.

224 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2013

About the author

I live in Pembrokeshire, Wales, where I write novels from my car, which has become my office, parked at Freshwater West.

I have written six standalone novels and the Original Earth science fiction adventure series that so far consists of three published novels. I am currently writing the fourth.

I most recently published the second edition of Delphian and it's proving very popular among readers who seek Ludlum-sized doorstop thrillers. The story is set in Wales, UK.

I'm happy to discuss all my novels and my memoir, which was published by The History Press (UK).

I write a variety of genre and am pleased that I am having people walk up to me in the street to tell me they love my novels. Original Earth especially appears to appeal to a very wide audience. I have had a nine year-old girl ask me when she can read another novel with Anu and I've had twenty, thirty and even sixty year-olds asking the same question. That is all the reward I seek.

You can follow me on Goodreads and also on Amazon either by the link on the book page or author page.

Please also follow me on these popular social media communities...

Instagram: @timrees888
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Reviews

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say? I am in awe of the incredibly brave soldiers who serve our country and am filled with boundless gratitude to them.
Rees is an entertaining writer, balancing the humour and hardship of army life perfectly with amusing anecdotes and well-judged pace.
One thing is for sure is that he is deeply grateful to the army for turning his life around - he has certainly made the most of the opportunities afforded him!
The atmosphere of army life and the deep connections forged with fellow soldiers are written about with obvious love and there were even times when reading that I felt a pang of jealousy and admit to a tinge of regret that I never enlisted.
However as I read on I knew all too well about the black cloud on the horizon that was the Falklands Conflict.
I have to admit that I was very slightly disappointed with the brevity of this chapter when you consider that most readers will be more interested in this part of the authors career than everything that came before. I would have liked to read more stories of the soldiers characters on departure to and during the war but, apart from a scattering of anecdotes the author seems to have 'glossed over' this period. I can certainly understand why that may be however and respect his limits of recall or wanting to.
I read with mixed emotions the paragraph the author wrote about my uncle L/Cpl Christopher ' Bowser ' Thomas 03 - full of pride and sorrow but again wishing to have read more of him, particularly as the author classes him as a friend, although I am grateful to see him mentioned and with obvious affection. It was lovely (if that's the right word) to see the photo of his grave included too.
The tragic deaths and injuries of so many guardsmen and the nature of them is a harrowing point both during and after the war and the inclusion of the Falklands War Roll of Honour to close the book is both fitting and moving.

[Wendy Davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great read! Heard about it through a friend as they knew an ex-boyfriend was in the Welsh Guards about the same time as the author. I remember him talking about some of the things written about here and the author really brings it all alive again. There were many laugh out loud bits and some very emotional and eloquent when friends were killed in the Falklands. Loved all the bits about the ceremonial duties in London and anecdotes about being around the Royal family. Tim writes with great passion and he evidently made the most of the opportunities he was offered. This book would make a good PR/marketing tool for the army I think as he changed from a boy to a man during the years he was a soldier. I've already loaned it to my 16 year old nephew who has thought about a career in the army.

[JM · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book I asked Tim to write... to put down all of the stories he would share with me about his time in the Welsh Guards. It's taken me months after reading the book to sit down and write this review. I think it's a bit more difficult to review a book when you've gone through all the highs and lows of an emotional roller coaster with the author.

The year it took Tim to put his military memories into words for this book was quite an emotional one. When Tim would share the stories with me they were often the happier memories shared with laughter. The dark memories were the ones he usually kept to himself. I knew there would be some of those dark memories in the book as the book covers his years in the Welsh Guards. Part of me hoped it could have been all the fun stories about military bonding, training and traveling the world. But military life isn't supposed to be fun. Tim does share some of his dark memories and they were difficult for me to read. This book will take you through a range of emotions. I did laugh, but I got angry as well as cried.

If you're interested in military life and want a glimpse of what life is like during war, this is a very good read.