Sir, They're Taking the Kids Indoors: The British Army in Northern Ireland 1973-74

by Ken Wharton

Overview

The British Army veteran and oral historian presents vivid firsthand accounts of soldiers on the frontlines of the Troubles in the early 1970s.

This volume in Ken Wharton’s series of oral histories chronicling the conflict in Northern Ireland looks at the bloody period of 1973/4. As with all of Wharton’s books, it combines painstaking research with numerous contributions from British soldiers who were. The title refers to an IRA tactic of warning fellow Republicans when one of their gunmen was about to cause havoc. When British soldiers hear the words “Sir, they're taking the kids indoors”, they understood that violence was imminent.

On the streets of Belfast or Londonberry, British soldiers had to be ready to face a deadly threat at any moment. By focusing exclusively on the 1973–74 period, This volume provides greater detail than hitherto possible about the British Army and their experience during this bloody and important period of the Troubles.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781908916778
Publisher:	Helion & Company Ltd.
Publication date:	05/20/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	328
File size:	17 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Ken Wharton is 59 and is resident now in Australia with his partner Helen. Father of seven and grandfather to three with a fourth pending, he is a skydiver and former football referee. He is also a former soldier and now author of three oral histories on the Northern Ireland troubles. He writes from the perspective of the British soldier as he seeks to put across their story of a conflict, largely forgotten by both Government and public, which claimed the lives of around 1300 military lives. / He has only been writing since 2007 but is planning a further oral history of the troubles, a book on the Australians in Vietnam and a childrens' science fiction book over the next year or two. / There is a clamour from veterans of the Northern Ireland conflict to tell their story and ensure that the truth comes out and in Ken Wharton they have found a conduit for those stories and a man they can trust to ensure that the truth is finally told about the conflict which raged not only a short 30 minute flight from home but also on our own doorsteps.

Editorial Reviews

"In 1974 the MoD declared that Northern Ireland was not a war-zone and that none of the fallen soldiers would be honoured on war memorials. Four decades on Ken Wharton has put that right. Sir, They’re Taking the Kids Indoors stands as a memorial in its own right. With every word he writes, Ken honours these men.”"

Steven McLaughlin

As a soldier who served in Northern Ireland in Belfast in 1973 and in Crossmaglen in 1976, Ken Wharton’s book of soldiers’ true accounts brings back the emotion, the smells, the images, the grinding hours, the constant bombs and bullets and the squalor in which we lived and worked. Only through reading this book can anyone begin to realise what we experienced in the service of our country.

former Paratrooper and author of Contact Tony Clarke

A riveting and authentic account of a sobering and seminal period of British and Irish military history. These pages are redolent with random, chaotic and hate-fuelled violence – so epitomized by the chilling phrase “Sir, they’re taking the kids indoors” – but they also speak of the heroic sacrifice, patience, humility and self-restraint which were and remain the hallmarks of the British soldier when faced with terrorists hell bent on wreaking death and destruction, whether in 1970s Belfast, or in Helmand province today. Ken Wharton’s work is both a hugely important record and a highly readable account. Lest we forget.

Damien Lewis

In 1974 the MoD declared that Northern Ireland was not a war-zone and that none of the fallen soldiers would be honoured on war memorials. Four decades on Ken Wharton has put that right. Sir, They’re Taking the Kids Indoors stands as a memorial in its own right. With every word he writes, Ken honours these men.

bestselling author of Squaddie: A Soldier&rsqu Steven McLaughlin

"Ken Wharton’s most recent book, ‘Sir, They’re Taking the Kids Indoors’ chronicles the Northern Ireland troubles from the perspective of British soldiers. An incredible collection of photographs and copies of newspaper clippings supplements the extensively researched book. The result is a rich oral history that combines the author’s experience as a soldier on the streets of Belfast as well as contributions from others who served during these years of unceasing violence and mayhem."

Warfare Magazine

As a soldier who served in Northern Ireland in Belfast in 1973 and in Crossmaglen in 1976, Ken Wharton’s book of soldiers’ true accounts brings back the emotion, the smells, the images, the grinding hours, the constant bombs and bullets and the squalor in which we lived and worked. Only through reading this book can anyone begin to realise what we experienced in the service of our country.

Tony Clarke