There Was a Soldier:
First-hand Accounts of the Scottish Soldier at War from 1707 to the Present Day
Angus Konstam

Ever since the Union of 1707, Scottish soldiers have fought for King and Country in five continents, and in dozens of wars, both large and small. Scottish regiments have fought on battlefields from the Carolinas to the Hindu Kush, as well as a few closer to home. In the process they earned a formidable reputation for their toughness and professionalism as well as their ferocity and courage.

Many of these soldiers were also highly literate; a product of one of the best education systems in Europe. This book draws on the incredible wealth of material these soldiers left behind - telling the story of the Scottish soldier in his own words.

Using letters, diaries, reports, poems and ballads, Angus Konstam weaves together an extraordinary account of soldiers at war. This is a story which deals with heroism, camaraderie and courage under fire, but also touches on the other side of soldering - boredom, homesickness fear, disease, and death. The result is a touching, inspiring and though-provoking look at three centuries of the Scottish soldier, seen through his own eyes.

Waterstone's Scottish Book of the Month, June 2009