Another young paratrooper told Woollacott: Although you moan about Ireland, you know at least you are going to have a chance to shoot some bastard through the head… you are walking around with live rounds, you are there to kill people and see guys get killed, and you are going to get the shit scared out of you. Not all soldiers had ‘the shit’ scared out of them. Armies being armies, some of them seemed to enjoy the experience. Another officer claimed that: ‘Skiing or mountain climbing has got nothing on a cordon and search when you get old Snodgrass out of bed at four in the morning and go
...more

