At least 130,000 Irish - from north and south of the border - served during the Second World War. Seven thousand never returned. They fought as soldiers in Europe, North Africa and the Far East, as sailors in U-boat infested seas, and as airmen in the dangerous skies. Once again, the politics of home disappeared on the battlefields as Irishmen from different religious and political backgrounds struggled and died side by side.

In this poignant yet detailed book, award winning author Neil Richardson documents veterans' stories with personal interviews, military records, diaries and letters. The time has now come to honour and acknowledge all those Irishmen who went to war.

a fascinating read and a fitting tribute to those brave people

'this great, easy-readable book should make the reader proud to be Irish after finding out about the exploits of so many ordinary Irish men and women who fought in WWII'

'fascinating ... interesting'

'an easy read, enjoyable and a timely reminder of the high price paid in the defence of democracy by Irish men and women in the Allied forces'

'human stories, worth recording, and fascinating to any military history enthusiast'

'pick up the book at random and you’ll find a story you can’t abandon until it reaches its end'

'thanks to the efforts of Richardson, the sacrifices of these ‘decent men’ live on ...'

'moving collection of stories about Irishmen who fought in World War II'

'valuable and interesting record'

'very well illustrated throughout'

'dramatic first-hand accounts of the Irish who went to fight'

'the pictures ... are excellent'

'the author has revealed many new stories .... especially about the largely unexplored Irish-American experience'