The Life and Times of Lieutenant General Adrian Carton de Wiart: Soldier and Diplomat

About the Author Alan Ogden is currently the archivist of the Grenadier Guards and a lecturer for Martin Randall Travel. His work has focused on the S.O.E in Burma and has been received to critical acclaim. Product Description In this ground-breaking new book, Alan Ogden brings to life Lt Gen sir Adrian Carton de Wiart, soldier, statesman and an often-overlooked figure in British Military and Diplomatic History. Framed through the life of Carton de Wiart this book also offers an exploration of important topics and developments in the first half of the 20th-century, including the Boer War, World War I, World War II and Anglo-Sino relations. This biography ranges from de Wiart's early life, his wartime experiences and role as Churchill's personal representative to Chiang Kai-shek. Ogden draws from an extensive array of primary sources including previously unseen private family papers to examine, in exquisite detail, the life and times of a man who experienced the horrors of war to rise up the ranks and become a personal representative of Winston Churchill and then Clement Attlee.This book will be of interest to undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as scholars studying British Military and Diplomatic history in the first half of the twentieth century. Review “This is a splendid biography of a quite extraordinary soldier and diplomat whoseastonishing bravery in both world wars led to two VCs and not a few wounds.Readers will need to remind themselves that this is not a work of fiction!” ―General Sir Mike Jackson, Chief of the General Staff 2003-2006, UK“Only one arm, only one eye and somewhat surprisingly only one VC, Ogden captures the spirit of one of the last great paladins. Written with seemingly effortless panache, he conjures up an heroic buccaneering figure from a different age; a model of chivalry and an inspiration to all beaux sabreurs of the future.” ―General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith KCB CBE ADC Gen, Chief of the General Staff, UK“A masterly portrait of a military legend. Alan Ogden`s meticulously-researched account of the extraordinary life of Adrian Carton de Wiart makes fascinating reading and will appeal to a wide readership.” ―Lt Gen (retd) Sir John Kiszely, author of Anatomy of a Campaign. The British Fiasco in Norway, 1940, UK“Alan Ogden fills a glaring biographical void with an extensively-researched and vivid biography of this much-wounded, astonishingly brave but intensely private warrior, described by Winston Churchill as `a model of chivalry and honour', from his intriguing Belgian origins and the Boer War, through numerous international conflicts, to the atomic age.” ―Dr Donal Lowry, Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, Regent's Park College, University of Oxford, UK; Biographer of Lieutenant-General Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart VC DSO for the Nationaal Biografisch Woordenboek, Brussels, Belgium“Alan Ogden has done a spectacular job in shedding light on the private persona behind the celebrity image of Britain's most admired World War soldier. He has conjured up a captivating image of courageous leadership, military diplomacy and the art of speaking truth to power. I commend it to you.” ―Lieutenant General Sir George Norton, Former UK Military Representative to NATO, UK

Biographies & Memoirs

Ogden, Alan

Historical

Bloomsbury Academic

In this ground-breaking new book, Alan Ogden brings to life Lt Gen sir Adrian Carton de Wiart, soldier, statesman and an often-overlooked figure in British Military and Diplomatic History. Framed through the life of Carton de Wiart this book also offers an exploration of important topics and developments in the first half of the 20th-century, including the Boer War, World War I, World War II and Anglo-Sino relations. This biography ranges from de Wiart’s early life, his wartime experiences and role as Churchill’s personal representative to Chiang Kai-shek. Ogden draws from an extensive array of primary sources including previously unseen private family papers to examine, in exquisite detail, the life and times of a man who experienced the horrors of war to rise up the ranks and become a personal representative of Winston Churchill and then Clement Attlee. This book will be of interest to undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as scholars studying British Military and Diplomatic history in the first half of the twentieth century.

Master of Deception: The Wartime Adventures of Peter Fleming

Master of Deception is a biography of Peter Fleming, elder brother of Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond. Peter Fleming worked as a travel writer and journalist, serving with distinction throughout World War II and played a crucial role in British intelligence operations in the Far East. This biography ranges from the personal life of Fleming such as his marriage to Celia Johnson, a famous actor of the time, to his extensive military intelligence career which took him from Norway and Greece to the Far East. Framed through the life of Peter Fleming this book offers an in-depth study of British intelligence operations in the Far East during World War II.

The monasteries and painted churches of Moldavia stand today as a testament to the rich cultural and spiritual heritage of the Romanian people. As the Romanians living in the historical provinces of Wallachia, Moldavia, and Transylvania, which today form modern Romania, struggled to maintain their autonomy against Ottoman expansion, their relative freedom allowed them to express themselves both artistically and culturally. Among their most remarkable creations are the monasteries and painted churches of Moldavia, in northeastern Romania, the subjects of this book. These monuments, unique in the world, reflect a cultural legacy inherited from Byzantium and the Roman Empire. After the fall of Byzantium and the expansion of Ottoman rule throughout the Balkan Peninsula, the Romanian principalities became the most important depository of the Byzantine heritage. It was here that this tradition was preserved, having been passed on to the Romanians of the Middle Ages by their ancestors. From here, this heritage continued to spread throughout Europe and influence European society and culture, creating the historical phenomenon that the great Romanian historian Nicolae Iorga would refer to as "Byzantium after Byzantium." The monasteries and painted churches of Northern Moldavia stand today as true revelations of Byzantium. This full-color album is written and photographed by Alan Ogden, the author of Romania Revisited: On the Trail of English Travellers, 1602-1941 and Fortresses of Faith: A Pictorial History of the Fortified Saxon Churches of Romania, both published by the Center for Romanian Studies. The author provides a comprehensive introduction discussing the art and architecture of the monasteries and painted churches of Northern Moldavia. Each church is then presented separately in words and pictures to reveal its own unique history and artistic beauty. Also included is an introduction to the history of Moldavia and Romanian lands during the Middle Ages by Kurt W. Treptow, a noted specialist on Romanian history and original illustrations by renowned artist, Octavian Ion Penda.

Revelations of Byzantium: The Monasteries and Painted Churches of Northern Moldavia

Arts & Photography

History & Criticism

Center for Romanian Studies

For nearly a thousand years, the Saxon settlers from the Rhine valley played a vital role in the history of Transylvania until their diaspora in the second half of the twentieth century. Fortresses of Faith focuses on their magnificent architectural legacy - the fortress-churches or kirchenburgen of the Seibenburgen. After an introduction covering history, architecture, and decor, the author takes us on an enthralling photographic tour, helpfully arranged for travelers into the areas surrounding Sibiu, Media&#537;, Sighi&#537;oara, and Bra&#537;ov. Alan Ogden's black and white photographs poignantly capture the moody images of these "stone war-horses of Christendom," many of which are now without congregations and prey to the dilapidation of time. It is a superb photographic record with a broad appeal to overseas descendants of Transylvanian Saxons, tourists, and students of Romanian history. Alan Ogden, received enthusiastic support from historians in Germany and Romania, who shared his vision of sounding the alarm about the uncertain future of this forgotten heritage of Christian Europe. He is the author of Romania Revisited: On the Trail of English Travellers, 1602-1941, published by the Center for Romanian Studies.

Fortresses of Faith: A Pictorial History of the Fortified Saxon Churches of Romania

Religion & Spirituality

Romania Revisited: On the Trail of English Travellers, 1602-1941

Romania Revisited is the definitive story of the journeys made by English travellers to Romania between 1602 and 1941. The author, Alan Ogden, interweaves the impressions of previous generations into the witty account of his own journeys made in the summer and winter of 1998. Although the chapters are arranged to follow his own route, the author successfully integrates earlier writers into his narrative by linking them to towns and places. Starting with the Transylvanian adventures of Captain John Smith in 1602, the bibliography is the most detailed inventory yet published of English travel writing on Romania. Ogden, with his unerring sense of human nature, has selected those passages which throw light on the attitudes of earlier travellers and highlight some of their more amusing antics. He entertainingly arranges his sources into ‘The Gentlemen’ and ‘The Ladies’ and includes them in a useful general English-language bibliography. 
Both for those familiar with this subject and for the first time reader, the classification of writers is most helpful: The ‘passers through’ en route to and from Moscow, India, or Constantinople, like Lady Craven who was on extended holiday in the 1780s after being divorced by her husband; the ‘adventurers,’ like the swashbuckling Hungarian mercenary Captain John Smith, later of Pocahontas fame; the ‘first tourists’ — James Skene, Andrew Crosse, James Samuelson among them — and his personal favorite, the intrepid Mrs. Walker; first, from the 1890s, Ogden identifies the interest in Princess Marie at the court, who went on to become queen and played a leading role in the First World War; then, with the advent of the motorcar and aeroplane, came ‘the motorists,’ the most famous of which was Sacherverell Sitwell; he reserves a special category for the ‘Romantics’ like Patrick Leigh Fermor and Walter Starkie. 
The author’s own journey is a comprehensive and perspicacious review of today’s Romania. Ogden focuses on the heritage and art of the country, while providing a delightful account of his own experiences en route. The book is illustrated with the author’s own photographs, based on the work of Karl Hielscher in 1933, and with helpful maps also drawn by the author. Romania Revisited makes a valuable contribution to the study of the external perception of Romania over the centuries and, at the same time, is the perfect travel companion for today’s visitor.

History

Europe

Master of Deception is a biography of Peter Fleming, elder brother of Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond. Peter Fleming worked as a travel writer and journalist, serving with distinction throughout World War II and played a crucial role in British intelligence operations in the Far East. This biography ranges from the personal life of Fleming such as his marriage to Celia Johnson, a famous actor of the time, to his extensive military intelligence career which took him from Norway and Greece to the Far East. Framed through the life of Peter Fleming this book offers an in-depth study of British intelligence operations in the Far East during World War II.

Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovakia were all German allies in the Second World War, unlike the other countries of Europe which had either been forcibly occupied by the Nazis or remained neutral. SOE Missions mounted within their borders were thus doubly hazardous for they were conducted in enemy-populated territory, heavily policed by military forces and gendarmerie. Furthermore all these states had well developed and experienced security services, usually supplemented by Gestapo and Abwehr units. A further complication to the activities of SOE in these countries was that they had all been effectively conceded by Western Allies to Russia; not surprisingly therefore, operations in the Soviet ‘sphere of influence’ were to prove diabolically difficult. This is a story about the courage of individuals in the face of overwhelming odds. Hunger, ill-health, exhaustion, cold and treachery all combined to make life for those members of SOE who parachuted into these Fascist outposts of Fortress Europe as insufferable as it was dangerous. For weeks on end, the SOE missions moved continually at night, chased by enemy troops, betrayed by local villagers, awaiting air drops that never came and listening out for orders that were rarely specific. Thus the picture that emerges of SOE activities in these countries is one of heroic proportions, with courage, dedication and daring displayed by every mission. Although nearly all SOE personnel were either killed or captured, the impact of their clandestine operations served as a persistent irritant, continuously undermining Germany’s strategic and political assumptions about the loyalty of her allies.

Through Hitler’s Back Door: SOE Operations in Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria 1939-1945

Leaders & Notable People

Pen and Sword Military

A vivid recount of the little known exploits of 17 courageous Special Operations Executive (SOE) officers in Italy during World War II In this inspiring new study of the SOE and Italian Resistance, 17 extraordinary stories of individual SOE officers illustrate the many and varied tasks of SOE missions throughout the different regions of Italy from 1943-1945. Through their gallantry, ingenuity, and determination, a small handful of SOE missions were able to arm and inspire thousands of Italians to fight the occupying German army after 1943 and in the process give invaluable support to the advancing Allied armies as they pushed north towards Austria.

A Spur Called Courage: SOE Heroes in Italy

Bene Factum Publishing

The Discontented: Betrayal, Love and War in Habsburg Hungary

Military

Nine Elms Books

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Ogden, Alan. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Ogden, Alan

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Ogden, Alan. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Life and Times of Lieutenant General Adrian Carton de Wiart: Soldier and Diplomat

The Life and Times of Lieutenant General Adrian Carton de Wiart: Soldier and Diplomat

Master of Deception: The Wartime Adventures of Peter Fleming

Revelations of Byzantium: The Monasteries and Painted Churches of Northern Moldavia

Fortresses of Faith: A Pictorial History of the Fortified Saxon Churches of Romania

Romania Revisited: On the Trail of English Travellers, 1602-1941

Master of Deception: The Wartime Adventures of Peter Fleming

Through Hitler’s Back Door: SOE Operations in Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria 1939-1945

A Spur Called Courage: SOE Heroes in Italy

The Discontented: Betrayal, Love and War in Habsburg Hungary