An Artificer's Tale-bookcover

By: Andrew Flower B.E.M.

An Artificer's Tale

Pages: 282 Ratings: 4.3
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This book chronicles the military career of Andy Flower B.E.M in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) during the conflicts in Northern Ireland, the Gulf War I, and Bosnia. As an artificer Staff Sergeant, Flower led a fitter section of tradesmen responsible for maintaining and repairing armoured infantry fighting vehicles.

Rather than a tale of extraordinary bravery or tactical brilliance, this is an authentic account of twelve skilled tradesmen striving to maintain their professionalism and sanity while managing a fleet of armoured vehicles under the most challenging circumstances. The narrative captures the delicate balance between duty and the human spirit in times of conflict.

Throughout the book, moments of levity punctuate the daily routines, showcasing how camaraderie and humour helped the team cope with the stresses of military life. These anecdotes, drawn from contemporaneous notes, offer insight into the author’s thoughts and reactions to a wide range of experiences during some of the most intense periods of his life.

Interwoven with these stories are lyrics from songs penned by the author during his global travels, adding a personal and reflective dimension to the narrative.

Andrew Flower was born in Rothwell near Leeds and after a brief apprenticeship joined the Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers at the age of 18. After serving 22 years in Germany, Canada, Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Saudi Arabia, he left the Army and worked as a Trials and Development engineer, for a large defence company, working on armoured vehicles until retirement. His main hobbies are camping, swimming and playing the guitar. He has two children and four grandchildren and lives with his wife in Telford, Shropshire.

Customer Reviews
4.3
4 reviews
4 reviews
  • John Flower

    This is a very good description of the reality and very difficult unseen events of the Gulf wars and other military conflicts. It is a very enjoyable and factual read with more than a touch of sympathetic amusement. Well done Andy, so much detail, obviously taken from your outstanding military career.

  • Colin Gaines

    Andy Flower IS an exemplary person. I have served with him in Germany and Northern Ireland. His book about managing engineers in very difficult circumstances during conflicts is very true to life. With Andy's professionalism and warped humour he shows how things get managed and completed. Its a good read and very true to life. I cannot compliment him to much, he will think I am after something? well done mate.

  • Ian Traveller

    I found this book to give a quite vivid sense of what life for Andy Flower was like in the army as well as the situations he found himself in. Although very harrowing at times he seems to find a way of coping and in this i am sure was helped by not only his optimism and skill in finding solutions to the many problems he faced, but also his sense of humour. It is certainly an eyeopener!

  • Jenny Traveller

    I enjoyed this book very much- it's a compelling, personal, and thought- provoking account. If you haven't really thought about it , you might have a hazy idea that managing a team of REME trained men, maintaining and repairing armoured infantry fighting vehicles is somehow a soft option within the British Army - that such a team would be safely behind the battle lines. This book will make you think again! Andy's team had to work long hours, on the move,in extreme weather conditions, across dangerous and challenging terrain, often under fire from more than one hostile faction.The narrative sections based on Andy's notes made at the time,during Gulf War 1 and Bosnia, are particularly vivid. Time and again, he makes you realise why the years of training, discipline, professional pride, and loyalty are needed - and will be needed again next time the British Army is called upon to play its part.

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