Bøker av David Fletcher

Life is full of trivia. More and more, it seems, every waking minute of our lives is spoken for - by the inconsequential, the irrelevant, the incidental, the positively wasteful, and by a whole host of other 'stuff' that serves no purpose whatsoever other than to distract us from what is really important.

Absolutely Galapagos provides an insight into every feature of that famous archipelago - warts and all - and a further insight into the unique and confused mind of Brian. And, of course, he is more 'at sea' in this book than in any of those that have gone before...

A mauling of mankind and a travel diary make rather odd bedfellows. However, in The Country-cides of Namibia and Botswana, these unlikely playmates not only share the same pages, but they also enfold each other in a somewhat intimate embrace.

Marmite, Bites and Noisy Nights (in Zambia) is another day-by-day account of an expedition made by Brian and his wife, Sandra, this time around the South Luangwa and Lower Zambezi national parks in, unsurprisingly, Zambia.

The first Rolls-Royce armoured car was a privately owned vehicle fitted with a machine-gun and a limited amount of armour plate, used by the Royal Naval Air Service in Flanders in 1914. By 1915, nearly 100 had been built and turned over to the Army. From then on, as Sir Albert Stern said 'They searched the world for war', operating as far apart as the northwest frontier of India, the Middle East and southern Africa. The cars were fast, quiet and reliable but above all powerful. 'A Rolls in the desert is above rubies,' said Lawrence of Arabia. After World War I, the War Office continued to produce the Rolls-Royce while tinkering with the design. These further cars served all across the Empire, including in Ireland and even later Shanghai, returning for a final brief appearance in the early stages of World War II.This book tells the complete story of the Rolls-Royce Armoured Car, following its design and development as it fought from theatre to theatre during World War I and the turbulent inter-war years.

The vivid accounts in this book are taken from the early days of tank warfare and give an idea of the crucial role that tanks played in breaking the murderous stalemate on the Western Front. His linking narrative guides us through the war, battle-by-battle, from 15 September 1916 to the Armistice, using first hand accounts of the tank actions.

The Matilda was the principal British infantry tank in the early years of World War II. It served with the BEF in France and later in North Africa, where it earned the title ''Queen of the Desert''. Outclassed by increasingly powerful German anti-tank weapons, it still remained a power in the South-East Pacific, and was kept in service until the end of the war by Australian forces. In this title, David Fletcher deals with Marks I to V. Development and operational history are discussed, along with service in other countries, including Germany and Russia. Numerous variants are also covered, including the prototype ''Hedgehog'' bunker-busting weapon.