George Jellicoe has enjoyed power and privilege but never shirked his duty. His war exploits are legendary and, as a founder member of Stirling's SAS and first Commander of the Special Boat Service, he saw action a-plenty. A brigadier at 26, he liberated Athens as the Germans withdrew and saved Greece from a Communist revolution.

2006-01-30 An Excellent Book & History Lesson About a Great Man

I have just finished reading A British Achilles by Lorna Almonds Windmill. Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It was fantastic. I have to believe that the book is receiving rave reviews in the UK, including one from the Earl himself. The book was informative, balanced, honest - a real history lesson. The chapters on the Earl's wartime adventures were riveting, as I had to keep telling myself that this was indeed fact, not fiction! I often wonder how these men - Jellicoe, the author's father "Gentleman Jim" Almonds, David Sutherland, Anders Lassen, et al, did it, what made them so brave, so daring, so utterly fearless, and yet so completely modest? One simply did not, or in Jellicoe's case, does not talk about the wartime experiences. The decorations speak for themselves. But in the Earl Jellicoe's case, the author has brilliantly brought this heroic life into the open. I, as an American born some 15 years after the end of World War II, can now fully learn about and appreciate the fascinating life of the Earl Jellicoe. This book was well worth the wait!!