This is a fantastic story but because it was being told in Brian Blessed’s particular way, there is absolutely no reason to doubt his belief in the authenticity of the tale.

You can easily get sidetracked too, one minute your playing a game, then up pops an ad and off you go, just now one popped up for ‘Mohammed- An Arab Rug Trader’, apparently he’s having a closing down sale somewhere in Perth and you can buy one, get one free! Before you know it you are measuring your hallway and looking at colours to blend in with your existing decor.

Then there is all the ‘chat’, one friend always likes to use a lot of those ‘emoticons’, little symbols like smiley faces to express how she is feeling, sometimes it’s a sad face but lately she’s been using a lot of ’squint’ symbols or is it a ‘wink’? With my eyesight I ‘should have gone to specsavers’!

Now I am looking online for a Christmas gift for my Mother-in-law, she’s 80 but said she “would like one of those gold ankle bracelets “of all things! She said she didn’t want me sending flowers by interflora to the UK as usual but says that an ankle bracelet will be nice and light to post. I am not sure if she is aware of the connotations of an ankle bracelet? But at 80 I am sure she must be but still I think she will be safe enough!

I detect a whiff of ‘Old Spice’ aftershave…my husband is entering the room, I must remember to buy him something more alluring for Christmas, ‘Au Savauge’ or ‘  Hugo Boss’. I glance up from the keyboard guiltily. Once again I am back online shopping and before I know it I have ordered and paid for:

3 Aah Bras, extra large.

1 Bottle of ‘Hugo Boss”

1 Bottle of ‘Paris,’ for myself!

1 Gold ankle bracelet.

1 Pink wheelbarrow, for one of my granddaughters.

1 Rocking Horse, for another.

1 Metal detector for my Son in Law.

I look at the time, 3 o’clock and I haven’t even been to the shops yet to get something for dinner.

I’ll just finish this game of Words then I’ll close down and go out. But what’s this? My friend in Canada has sent me a message. She can’t sleep, so would I like a game of “Texas Hold- em Poker!’ I’ve never played before but hey I can learn!

The following article in a slightly revised form was written for The Mover – the independent voice of the global moving industry

Although British truck drivers are regarded to be amongst the safest on the road there have been several fatal accidents involving heavy goods vehicles that have been attributed to drivers falling asleep at the wheel . In July 2006 a family of four were killed on the A34 near Bicester when a 30-tonne truck ran into a line of stationary traffic during the afternoon rush hour. The driver of the truck had been awake since 0430 and had started driving at 0700. He was found guilty of four counts of causing death by dangerous driving and sent to prison for three years and nine months. During his trial he told the court “something catastrophic” had occurred but he did not know what. Without knowing it, this driver had momentarily fallen asleep.

A few months later, a young car driver was killed on the M62 near Liverpool caused by another HGV driver who had fallen asleep. The victim’s family discovered a year later that there had been four other similar accidents in a period of four months from October 2007 involving HGV drivers that had resulted in the deaths of nine people.  After coming to terms with the dreadful events that had left the young man dead, during August 2008 the driver responsible, Colin Wrighton, began campaigning to raise awareness of the condition that had caused him to fall asleep.  On 25 July 2011 Mr Wrighton bravely spoke of his concern on the BBC Radio 2 ‘Jeremy Vine Show’.

The causes of these two major accidents could easily have been avoided had they been diagnosed correctly and were attributed to a condition known as obstructive sleep apnoea. This is a significant disorder that affects more than one in 50 adults, but is more prevalent in middle-aged men who are obese. In 2005 the BBC Real Story programme suggested that 41 per cent of HGV drivers have a sleep disorder of some form with one in six of them requiring urgent treatment for sleep apnoea, although most are unaware of that they are sufferers. The condition is characterised by heavy snoring that leads to acute sleep disturbances that causes fatigue and sleepiness during the day. The British Sleep Foundation (BSF) considers lorry drivers to be particularly at risk because they are often overweight because of the their sedentary working conditions, have unhealthy high-fat diets and work unsocial hours.  One survey showed that 38 per cent of lorry drivers had a body mass index of between 25 and 30 and more than 50 per cent were regarded as obese with a body mass index over 30. Experts estimated that 80,000 of a workforce of half a million truck drivers may be suffering from sleep apnoea without knowing it. This is a frightening thought but HGV drivers are not alone and sleep apnoea also affects train drivers, airline pilots and motorists who are equally putting their lives and the lives of others at serious risk.

It is believed that one in five motorway and trunk road accidents have been caused by drivers falling asleep. Any driver who feels sleepy during the day obviously poses an extreme risk and drivers should seek urgent medical attention if they suspect they may have sleep apnoea before it leads to an accident.  Research suggests that up to 20 per cent of UK road accidents have been caused as a result of sleepiness. But many drivers who may already be aware that they have a sleeping disorder are often deterred from seeking help because obstructive sleep apnoea is a condition that they are required by law to declare to the DVLA. Although this does not necessarily lead to a temporary ban until the authority is satisfied that the condition is being treated satisfactorily, there is a risk of this happening. Professional drivers are naturally worried that their jobs will be put at risk, although once treatment is being received it is normally successful within a week or so and driving can resume. Nevertheless a temporary ban is a better option than running the risk of a prison sentence for killing someone and employers need to be sympathetic if they suspect any of their drivers have the condition.

One of the more obvious symptoms of sleep apnoea is heavy snoring caused when the muscles in the throat relax during sleep causing insufficient air to pass through the airway. This wakes the sufferer for up to ten seconds while they gasp for air. If this occurs more than five times an hour the patient is considered to have sleep apnoea but in many cases air deprivation can happen 50 or more times an hour. In more serious cases breathing can stop up to 400 times a night and if left untreated can increase the risk of a stroke or heart attack and will aggravate existing health conditions such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart and brain diseases. Some with the condition have also reported morning headaches, irritability, memory and concentration problems but the condition is more commonly associated with falling asleep during the daytime. In its worst form some sufferers are even falling asleep while talking or eating.

The most concerning thing is that obstructive sleep apnoea is not always recognised by the medical profession. In the case of the M62 accident, the truck driver, Colin Wrighton, had been to his GP five months earlier complaining of tiredness but his doctor had checked him for diabetes without even considering his patient had serious sleep disorder. The diabetes test came back clear and the doctor told the driver that he was probably suffering from stress. Had the GP been more aware of sleep apnoea and had diagnosed this as a cause of his tiredness, then Mr Wrighton could have been referred to a sleep consultant. This would normally involve spending the night in a sleep clinic where he would have been monitored and his sleep patterns would have been electronically recorded. It proves there is a symptomatic failure of the system when  GPs frequently miss obvious signs and fail to associate tiredness with sleep apnoea even though it is a common condition with serious implications. This could be causing scores of needless deaths every year. One study calculated that drivers suffering from sleep apnoea are 6-15 times more likely to become involved in a road accident; a mind-numbing statistic.

Obstructive sleep apnoea is usually very simple to treat. Sometimes it may require little more than a reduction in weight, stopping smoking or a reduction in alcohol intake. Most  sufferers who have been diagnosed with the condition will be prescribed a positive airway pressure machine (CPAP) that is attached to a face mask that is worn over the nose (or nose and mouth) during sleep. This quietly blows filtered room air at a slight pressure into the wearer’s airway during sleep that is sufficient to widen the throat cavity to assist normal breathing. Within a very short period of using a CPAP machine normal sleep is restored and the user is able to enjoy a much improved lifestyle without the risks of dosing off during the time they would normally be awake. Their partners and families also benefit by not being kept awake by constant loud snoring.  Although vanity prevents a few from considering wearing a mask while they are in bed, because they are hardly sexy, the long term benefits of using a CPAP device far outweigh the disadvantages.  There are other treatments that may be suggested.  Dental devices, similar to gum shields, worn during sleep are proving to be successful by reducing snoring in some sufferers, whereby throat sprays are less so. A tonsillectomy or a surgical procedure to cut away excess skin to widen the airway can be a last resort option if other treatments fail to work.

At the inquest of Toby Tweddell, the victim in the M62 crash, the Coroner issued a Rule 43 report to the Lord Chancellor’s Department that called for a toughening of the licensing of commercial drivers. He called for medical screening of all lorry drivers with view to amending the DVLA medical examinations report form to improve the identification of sleep apnoea sufferers. He also highlighted the necessity for a fast-track medical examination of commercial drivers involved in road traffic collisions, and for better education to make drivers aware that diagnosis of sleep apnoea is almost certainly not the end of a driver’s career. In November 2008 the Department of Transport responded by stating that current arrangements for the control of sleep apnoea are adequate. The Department also said no changes would be made to the medical examination report form completed by doctors with applicants for vocational driving licenses and he saw no need to change the frequency with which goods vehicle drivers should undergo routine medical examinations. The DVLA document INF4D notes that accompany the medical report clearly states: ‘at least three in every thousand men’  have sleep apnoea, although Dr Irshaad Ebrahim, Medical Director of the London Sleep Centre, believes six to eight per cent of male population over the age of 50 suffer from the condition, so why are the authorities not giving the condition more prominence? Sleep scientist Melanie Marshall has said that “untreated, undiagnosed sleep apnoea individuals are more lethal on our roads than individuals who have been drink-driving.”

This leaves drivers to bear the brunt of responsibility by notifying the authorities if they feel that they have a sleep disorder, but employers should also play their part by ensuring they adopt a sensible and mature approach by being sympathetic towards any of their drivers they may suspect of having the condition.

Useful web sites:

The Sleep Apnoea Trust:

NHS Choices: 

Private Healthcare UK:

The British Sleep Society (regulations on sleep apnoea and driving) : 

Bob Bluffield meets the inventor Trevor Baylis

The most obscure things can often shape our futures and for Trevor Baylis it was the fortuitous discovery of a deluxe box of Meccano on a rubbish tip while foraging for scrap metal as a young boy in wartime west London. By adding the wide range of pieces to the cherished basic set his father had bought him presented him with the opportunity to extend his creativity. By his own admission, Trevor was not in the least bit academic. He considers that “achievement is more important than qualifications” – a policy he has adhered to throughout his long career without causing himself any undue harm, even though he couldn’t have thought this when he and his mates took every opportunity to bunk off junior school. Instead of class work they preferred to pursue more boyish adventures and during the Blitz there was plenty of opportunity to do just that. They collected shrapnel from the enemy raids of the previous night and bits of scrap that could be sold for smelting to aid the war effort. When they weren’t scavenging, Trevor and his friends were preoccupied with swimming even though this was in the foul smelling effluent water of the nearby Grand Union Canal. After discovering he had a natural ability to float, Trevor became a first class swimmer and by the age of fifteen represented Great Britain, but became disappointed when he missed out on a place in the 1958 Olympics.  When the time came to leave school, Trevor claims he could barely read and write but was offered a job at a soil mechanics laboratory where he had the opportunity to study mechanical and structural engineering on part-time day release.

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By the time he was 20 National Service interrupted his progress and he became a physical training officer in the Royal Sussex Regiment and took a sales job after being was demobbed with a swimming pool company. He became actively involved in research and development and gave swimming demonstrations to prospective clients that eventually led to the formation of his own aquatic business that he called Shotline Displays. After turning professional as a swimmer he gave visual demonstrations of equipment by swimming underwater in a glass-sided tank and developed a daredevil act that involved diving into the tank from a considerable height. This evolved into a parallel career as a stunt man and entertainer with an act that included escapology. Bookings rolled in from television companies and he worked with Peter Cook and Dudley Moore on several underwater sketches. During one such performance he was discovered by an agent who signed him to perform stunts for a Berlin circus troop. Despite his blond hair, Trevor masqueraded as Rameses II, an Egyptian pharaoh who performed an escapology act that was next on the bill to the performing elephants in the Mensch, Tiere and Aufsehen (Men, Animals and Sensation) three-ring circus. The act he devised was meant to represent the Egyptian king’s trial by water. This involved his old school pal, Bernard Mules, sealing him in a jewel encrusted coffin (with rubies made from bicycle reflectors) that was suspended in 14-feet of water that Trevor had to escape from in four minutes. Over the Christmas period of 1970 he performed this feat twice a day; 36 times in all, and was paid enough money to buy a plot of land on a residential island on the River Thames where he built his current home and studio. He started another company, Shotline Steel Swimming Pools that installed more than 280 learner pools in schools that is still flourishing today. But the applause and limelight his act received was also a further inducement that appealed to Trevor’s ego and helped to fuel his popularity as a slightly wacky participant in TV shows and as a popular after dinner speaker.  “I have always been a showman and I love being the centre of attention and like to make people laugh” he said.

As time progressed, the water borne activities of Trevor Baylis were overtaken by his amazing gift to invent problem solving gadgets, especially gizmos that can make tiresome tasks easier for the disabled. He is best known for his Wind Up Radio he followed this by inventing the Eco-pro torch and mobile phone charger, electric shoes and more recently the ECO media player. The radio evolved after he had watched a television programme about the spread of AIDS in Africa and realised that radio provided the only means to communicate with remote regions. Trevor became concerned when he discovered that most Africans were denied the opportunity of listening to important broadcasts because if they had access to a radio they were unable to afford batteries to power it. “Most inventions result from a need to solve a particular problem and there was certainly a need for people living in Third World countries to have access to radio” Trevor explained. “I developed this idea of using a wind-up mechanism that would operate the radio for 14-minutes on a single wind without the need to use any other power source.” The radio relied on a fairly simple mechanism that Trevor initially developed using Meccano. But after developing a prototype radio, he was naively surprised when companies were not queuing at his door to fight for the rights to manufacture his invention. His views were further shattered by the establishment’s refusal to even acknowledge the feasibility of the design. He had approached the government supported Design Council with his idea but in March 1992 he received an arrogant response that was nothing short of an official snub: ‘The general consensus was that the clockwork radio was a well thought out product which would certainly benefit its target market. … its low tech design would be ideally suited to meeting particular communication needs in the third world. The issue is not so much the quality of the innovation, but the mechanics of launching it as a commercially viable product.’  The letter went on to express doubts that a profitable licensing agreement could ever be entered in the UK and that the debts of third world countries would prevent the idea from being developed elsewhere. As the quintessential Englishman, Trevor Baylis was deeply hurt by this attitude, but he has never been a man to give up easily and fortunately he had the resolve to prove the bureaucrats completely wrong.

His determination paid off when the prototype of his radio was featured on the BBC World Service. The programme presenters were so enthralled by Trevor’s invention,   that they lobbied their colleagues at Tomorrow’s World to include the radio on their programme. As so frequently happens, the folly of British bureaucracy was exposed when the programme unleashed a flood of interest from foreign investors willing to back his product. This led to a factory being set up in Cape Town to produce the radios but on the understanding that the facility would employ disabled workers. “This was agreed by the sponsors who financed the production; but they later reneged and failed to keep to the agreement.” In his enthusiasm to have his radios produced, Trevor admits that he was naive at first over how devious and manipulative large organisations can be when it comes to lining their pockets and those of their greedy lawyers. “I came to the quick conclusion that there is no such thing as a contract made by a hand-shake” he said, “the inventor really has very little influence once big businesses become involved.”

In 1996 there was a change for the better when the BBC programme QED featured Trevor’s development of the radio and he was subsequently awarded the BBC Design Award for Best Product and Best Design. Further broadcasts resulted and Trevor met Nelson Mandela and HM The Queen at a State banquet and was invited to visit Africa. A more practical, smaller, lighter, radio was developed in 1997 for the western market capable of running for an hour on a single 20-seconds wind and later a solar panel was  incorporated that allows the radio to run un-assisted while the sun shines.

In June that year Trevor’s efforts were rewarded when he received the OBE from HRH The Princess Royal and this was immediately followed by Michael Aspel confronting him with the famous red book as he was whisked to the studio of This Is Your Life. Awards and honorary doctorates began arriving in abundance including the Presidential Medal by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Speaking engagements followed and he was invited to address the Conference of Commonwealth Ministers in Botswana by the British Council where he demonstrated how the radio could be used to power a computer. In May 1998 Trevor lectured for The British Council on a tour of Africa, Singapore, Malta and Crete, followed by a successful tour of Australia, Cyprus, Slovenia and India and in 2000 visits were organised to Palestine, Israel and Bahrain.

Other inventions were being developed and in 2001 Trevor completed a 100 mile walk in searing temperatures across the Namib Desert to demonstrate his latest invention;  electric shoes that prove how walking power can harnessed to re-charge a mobile telephone. The walk also helped to raise money for the Mines Advisory Group.

After an extremely active and productive life, for someone in their seventies Trevor Baylis could be forgiven for enjoying a little relaxation; but he continues to work as hard as ever. Some of his later inventions include the ECO media player, a hand-held device that can play movie clips, music, and radio and be used as a photo-album that will run for 45-minutes on a 60-second wind with no need for batteries or external power. Between working in his cluttered workshop he spends the remainder of his time speaking to universities and corporate gatherings and by continuing his love of showmanship by appearing on radio and television broadcasts at every opportunity. But importantly he is also actively involved as a director of Trevor Baylis Brands a company set up to assist aspiring inventors to overcome objections to enable them to bring their ideas to fruition and to market their creations.

Trevor Baylis epitomises how an inventor’s life is never straightforward. He remains enthusiastic, keen to pass his vast knowledge and experience on to aspiring inventors who believe they have a worthwhile idea they believe can be developed. But he warns they must be prepared for a rocky path ahead of them.  “There will always be someone who is intent on ripping-off your idea. If you have an invention that you believe has the potential for success, then the most important piece of advice is to keep it close to your chest. What you must never do is go talking about your idea in the pub; or to your friends; keep it quiet, tell nobody. Today you can find a lot of information to fuel your ideas on the internet, but you won’t be alone and it can also be your biggest enemy if you use it to reveal your plans. The best thing is to find yourself a good patent lawyer or register your invention as a trade mark, or consult my organisation if you want genuine help with developing your idea. You will also need to have a huge ego and a strong belief in yourself in order to succeed.”

Trevor Baylis Brands has developed an Inventors Pack containing useful guidance to progress your ideas and the company also employs a team of lawyers and marketing experts to assist new inventors. “One of the problems many inventors find is that they may think they have a good idea but it has either been done before or it creates too little interest to ever become a worthwhile proposition. We are contacted by four or five inventors every single day and unfortunately as many as 95% of their ideas have already been done before”. This is an amazing percentage but despite this, Trevor’s organisation has managed to assist more than 5400 inventors since it was founded in September 2003.

Trevor is critical of the education system and staunchly advocates that students should be taught the fundamentals of intellectual property in schools. “The Government should encourage creativity and invention and reward it with academic qualifications based on a student’s ability to solve problems through invention, by patenting their idea and by successfully bringing their invention to market.” He also feels that women are still frequently unfairly prejudiced against. “I frequently ask audiences at my speaking engagements to name three female inventors; three female scientists and three female engineers. It no longer surprises me when nobody can provide answers to these questions. It is astonishing that the establishment needs reminding that women exist and their creativity should be encouraged, not overlooked. After all, you can have brains as well as beauty”.

Full advice and information for aspiring inventors can be found on the Trevor Baylis Brands website:

The two airports are like chalk and cheese; one futuristic, the other was long past its sell by date; but there are still plenty who mourn the demise of the old place. Many are pilots who readily recall the adrenalin rush as they guided their aircraft along the instrument guidance system (IGS) just a few hundred feet above densely populated Kowloon tenements towards the infamous orange and white-painted chequer board. When this was in view and the aircraft correctly aligned at a height of just 675 feet (206 metres), a sharp 47 degree turn was required that took the aircraft through a sweeping curve before leveling out 150 feet (46 metres) from the runway threshold.

The Slug Bell was designed as a safe, environmentally friendly and efficient way of keeping toxic slug pellets out of reach of animals and children and was devised after Mike Messina had become ill after eating part of a slug pellet that had remained on a lettuce that had been thoroughly washed several times.

With prices ranging from £8.49 to £9.99 the all-metal Slug Bell represents excellent value for money. The product consists of a simple spike that is placed into the ground that contains a small mesh feeder partway up the spike that is used to bait the slugs. Pellets are placed in the bowl and the hungry slugs, attracted by the odour given off from the pellets, have no trouble climbing the spike to devour the bait. A small bell-shaped hood, available in an array of patterns and colours to blend in with your garden, is then placed on top of the spike to hide the slug pellets from prying pets and children and to provide protection from the rain.

Slug Bells are already in use in the gardens at Highgrove and Mike Messina proudly showed me a letter sent to him by a member of HRH Prince Charles’s staff praising the value of the products. Mike has also been interviewed by researchers from the ‘Dragon’s Den‘ programme.

The Slug Bell is available on line at the company’s official website.

Many young photographers, according to Steven Brierley, sales manager at Harman, see using film as ‘something cool’. He said ‘they want to do something different than point their mobile camera and take a picture’.

The London firm West End Cameras has also reported an increase in film processing and printing of between 10 and 15 per cent over the last year. What is more encouraging is that the business has said that prints from traditional film are outstripping prints from digital by 25 to one.

I have my own fond memories of Seve. From 1986-1994 I was the official photographer for Dunhill at the British Masters Golf tournament held at Woburn Golf & Country Club. I met him for the first time in 1986 in the tent  assigned to my team on the 1st tee at the ProAm event that preceded the main tournament. Seve had been teamed with a rather nervous Tim Brooke-Taylor, the former Goodie, who was concerned about how his golf might stand up to scrutiny playing in the same foursome as the great master. Tim had cut his hand while searching for a ball while warming up on the practice ground, and as my wife applied first-aid to his injury, they were filmed by TV cameras which only caused Tim further trepidation. Seve won the Masters that year and returned to play in the tournament several times more, winning again in 1991.

Tim Brooke-Taylor need not have worried; accordingly he told me later that Seve had been amazing and had been a calm influence on him and the other team members throughout the 18 holes by giving them all a great deal of encouragement that boosted their confidence.

I had taken a photograph of Tim with Seve (seen here) before they teed-off and I was privileged when Tim asked if he could use this to illustrate the back cover of his book Tim Brooke-Taylor’s Golf Bag. When the book was published in 1989, to mark the occasion I invited Tim to my studio after the ProAm event where I presented him with a framed canvas bonded print of the photograph. I was thrilled when he took the trouble to write to say the photograph took pride of place above the fireplace at his Berkshire home.

Over the years Seve’s command of English that seemed at first limited appeared to improve – sufficiently in fact to tick me off on one occasion for unthinkingly placing myself in his eye line as he was about to make a putt. I got the rough end of his tongue but he was suitably gracious to exchange some pleasant banter about he had finished playing for the day. Despite a tiring round that had not completely gone his way he willingly gave his time before returning to his hotel to be photographed by me with various competition winners that had won tickets for the Masters. He didn’t have to do this; and while others on the golf circuit may have refused, Seve had time for his fans.

As a photographer I worked with Seve on four or five occasions. I always found him to be easy going, polite and ready to share a joke when off the course – but during the tournament, when concentrating, he could sometimes be feisty. But Seve Ballesteros was always thoroughly professional and gained everybody’s respect and was extremely well liked.  His passing marks the end of a legend.

They have just announced the arrival of Shaun Dickens as Head Chef. Shaun’s sparkling career has taken him to a Who’s Who of Michelin starred restaurants; with three years at Oxfordshire’s Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons (two Michelin stars), two years at Per Se in New York (3 Michelin stars) and L’Ortolan (1 Michelin star) where he worked with Alan Murchison for the last two years. Additionally, he spent short periods with Gordon Ramsay in London and New York, Michelle Roux Junior at the Gavroche and Daniel Boulud at Restaurant Daniels. In 2009 Shaun was a finalist of the Young Chef of the Year Competition, and in 2010 won the title for the South West Region and came 3rd overall nationally.

The world of Michelin seems open for Shaun, almost wherever he has chosen to go. So, why did he choose Fallowfields? “I am at a point in my career where I needed a project”, says Shaun – “and Fallowfields, with its farm, orchards and kitchen garden, is a chef’s dream turned true. So when I saw Fallowfields was looking, I just knew this was the job for me”. There was a sense of passion about Fallowfields that struck me when I first came, that matched my own – you could feel it – and with the passion that I as chef will bring, the future of Fallowfields is unlimited. The journey starts here, today the 26th April.

Anthony Lloyd, owner of Fallowfields commented: “This is an unparalleled opportunity for a good business to become a great business. We are food led and Shaun’s arrival has been anticipated with much excitement in the last few weeks. Right from the days when my wife Peta cooked in the kitchen on an Aga and we planted our vegetable garden and orchards and then starting the farm three years ago, Fallowfields has almost been sitting waiting for a talent like Shaun to come along to make it come alive”.

Book Reviewed by: Robert Bluffield

This is essentially a picture book that documents the coalition’s involvement in Iraq from the US soldier’s viewpoint. It is certainly not for the faint hearted as it contains some extremely poignant, but necessary, images of dismembered bomb victims and those caught in street fighting and ambushes. The only text contained in the book is short and forms only the captions that explain each of the photographs, but there is little need for words because the images, in the main, speak volumes about the total barbarity of war. The book is hard hitting, harsh and concerning and clearly will shock but they show some of the real dangers the coalition troops were exposed to in Iraq and now in Afghanistan.

330 days (presumably the period one of the authors served in Iraq) sets out to put the viewer on the front line by attempting to show the realities of a country that will probably never recover from the devastation caused by a dreadful regime and a tyrant leader that was devised to release the Iraqi people. It has failed of course and while there are the infighting between the Ba’ath, Sunni and Shia continues there will never be peace. The images, taken by active soldiers with ordinary inexpensive cameras, as the co-authors state, are of a kind that any newspaper would never dare publish, and they are right. The nature of many of the photographs will, no doubt, also cause embarrassment for the US Government who dislikes the true horrors of the conflict being exposed to the electorate.
The authors are clearly making a statement by publishing this book but it does leave me wondering who will buy it? As a documentary of what US military personnel have experienced on the streets of Baghdad it works well but I am not quite sure where, because of the gruesome images contained in the book, will fit into most buyers’ bookcases. The cover should, in any event carry a public warning because some people who open the book will be disturbed by many of the photographs that show blown off body parts and entrails that are the result of a violent explosion of shooting. Nevertheless, there is bound to be an audience for a book that holds back no punches to reveal reasons why so many coalition troops have been psychologically damaged by their experiences in this war.