Beginner's pluck

Patrick, from Co Wicklow, has always enjoyed writing.

And when, as an officer in the British Army, he was deployed to Afghanistan, he was asked to write about his experience for the Irish Times. “The army wanted their profile raised and I knew an editor there,” he says. “Writing about it was good for me. It helped me deal with the things I was seeing. When I had an hour off I’d write and put the experience down. The book came out of that. “I left the army a year and a half ago and I now work for NATO. The quality of life in the army was horrendous, and the situation in Afghanistan was futile.”

The book was recently nominated for the British Army Military Book of the Year.

Who is Patrick Bury?

Date/Place of birth: 1981, Dublin.

Education: East Glendalough School; NUI Maynooth; Kings in London — Masters in Intelligence and international security: Sandhurst Military Academy.

Home: Brussels.

Family: Parents. A younger brother and younger sister.

The Day Job: Working for NATO as a researcher on the diplomatic side.

Hobbies: Fitness. Running, swimming, and weights. And reading.

Favourite Writers: Ernest Hemingway and George Orwell.

Second Novel: “I’m working on a WW2 screenplay with my father.”

Top Writing Tip: “Find the correct environment. I needed my own space. Somewhere that I would not be interrupted.”

Web: [e-mail] Twitter: @patrickbury

The Debut

Callsign Hades, Simon & Schuster: €10.99. Kindle: €8.12.

This books shows what it’s like to be a young Irishman in the British Army in a country of conflict. When Patrick arrived in Afghanistan, as a platoon commander in Ranger Company, he was leading men who had huge experience of combat. In the face of danger, he had to assert authority. So, whilst there’s no shortage of blood and guts, this book also contains thoughtful analysis of the moral and emotional difficulties young soldiers endure.

The Verdict: Callsign Hades is now on the syllabus at Sandhurst. Reading it, I can well understand why.