The Loan Soldier, as the description inside the front cover indicates, is indeed a multi-faceted narrative. It is at times part travel writing, a story of familial love and immense appetite for adventure, while simultaneously documenting the extraordinary diverse career of a Tankie. Read More…
This is the memoire of Bruce Duncan, an officer in 3 RTR who, either by luck or design, was largely able to avoid the tedium of the closing decade of the Cold War and the “eternal triangle” of postings from BAOR to Catterick to Salisbury Plain, by serving in tropical climes. A succession of postings on secondments and in military training teams successively in 6 nations from Brunei to Sudan and Nigeria, Oman twice, Kuwait and Jordan, interspersed with UK deployments, allowed for a very interesting and varied life both for him and his family until tragedy struck. Read more
Bruce Duncan MBE is now attending speaking engagements with the Oxfordshire Federation of the WI. To book a speaking opportunity with Bruce email: rita@greenfinchpress.com.
Thank you to the Army & Navy Club who sent thank you following a talk by Bruce Duncan, author of The Loan Soldier:
“We are immensely grateful for the wonderful talk you delivered yesterday evening at the Army & Navy Club. We have had numerous comments from Club Members during the course of today to say how much they enjoyed your talk.”
Listen to the interview by Bill Buckley of BBC Radio Berkshire at Henley Literary Festival (listen from 38 mins). Click here or on the image.
Pictured left to right Bruce Duncan MBE author of The Loan Solder and Bill Buckley.
Bruce Duncan at Banbury Armed Forces Day
Commented Captain (retd) P Broadbent RN after reading Bruce Duncan’s book The Loan Soldier.
“I just wanted to say that it really is one of the most interesting books I have ever read. You seem to have an amazing ability to describe places, activities and people in ways which give the reader a most vivid picture of all the countries you served in and what went on there. Your memory of everything is staggering as I fully realised when I reached the Nigeria pages. Despite having been there at the same time as you and Toni, I remembered only a very small proportion of all the people and events which you recorded. I could not have enjoyed the book more and I would like to add too, that I found it extremely moving. It was also nice that having been the 2nd in command of a Tribal Class Frigate based in Bahrain I am also familiar with some of the places you visited and described.”
Bruce Duncan MBE attended a charity event on Sunday 6 March where he presented copies of The Loan Soldier to Captain Heather Stanner MBE, a serving officer in the Royal Regiment of Artillery (RA), who with her partner in the Women’s coxless pairs are the reigning World, Olympic and European champions and world record holders. Scott Meenagh and Jordan Beecher, former Parachute Regiment Paralympians.
From left to right are: Toni Duncan, Jordan Beecher, Scott Meenagh, Bruce Duncan MBE, Captain Heather Stanner MBE
