RETIRED Army officer, Paul Oldfield has launched a second career as an author and military historian and has just brought out the first of four books chronicling the deeds of the holders of Victoria Crosses awarded on the Western Front during the First World War.

I visited him at his Amesbury home to learn more about the man and the book.

“We weren’t a military family,” said Oldfield. “But being at school in Jersey just 25 years after the occupation, with the German defences still in evidence and teachers who had lived through the occupation, gave me an interest in military history.

“One of my COs did not like the junior officer annual essay competition and he formed us up into mixed rank teams to go and study a battle and present the next day.

“My team covered the first day of the Battle of the Somme and that really got me going. On all the times I have visited battle sites, I have often wondered where so and so won his VC and that was the genesis of the book, to fill that gap.

“I want people to see the whole sweep of the battle and see why they were there, what was their part in it. It is a guide book more than anything else, although you can just sit in your armchair and read it as well.”

Oldfield has included biographies of all the recipients to give a real insight into the lives and characters of the men. They came from every strata of British life from labourer to lord so the story is a little bit wider than just the VC.

His book, Victoria Crosses on the Western Front August 1914- April 1915, Mons to Hill 60, is a must for anyone interested in the history of this battlefront.

While Mr Oldfield has included modern maps with all of the important locations clearly marked to allow visitors to find them easily, there are well drawn battle maps which show the dispositions of forces and the flow of the battle.

These are accompanied by many clear photographs of the ground today with excellent captions which allow the reader to picture the battlefield.

The descriptions of the actions are well written, clear and easy to follow and bring the battle to life. The book unashamedly concentrates on the VC winners and their part in the battle while giving a clear account of the background to the incident.

The book has a clear list of sources, a very good index and a useful set of information for anyone planning to visit the battlefields. Victoria Crosses on the Western Front August 1914- April 1915, Mons to Hill 60 is published by Pen & Sword books, priced £25 and can be ordered online at www.pen-and-sword.co.uk.