Dragon Interview: Col Patrick Crowley, On His Book ‘Infantry Diehards’

Published on: 6 Nov, 2020
Updated on: 7 Nov, 2020

A new book, Infantry Die Hards: Anatomy of a Regiment tells readers about the British Army’s infantry, perhaps the least glamorous arm, but as Field Marshal Montgomery said: “Without them, you cannot win a battle. Without them, you can do nothing at all. Nothing!”

The book concentrates on our local regiment of the line The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment, nicknamed “The Tigers” and is written by Colonel (retired) Patrick Crowley DL, who is the Deputy Colonel of the Regiment.

The regiment has a unique heritage dating back nearly 450 years. And the book highlights the role and peculiarities of the infantry picking out 14 key stories from Tangier in 1662
to modern Iraq.

It highlights the sacrifices made for King, Queen and country, from jungle to desert, across the world, by the regiments of the South-East of England and includes a foreword by Colour Sergeant Johnson Beharry VC and an afterword by the Colonel of The Regiment, Lieutenant General Doug Chalmers DSO OBE.

Available for £30 only (including postage). All profit made is dedicated to Regimental Benevolence. To order the book please contact: Henry.Thomas112@mod.gov.uk

To hear more about the book from its author please watch the interview with Patrick Crowley conducted by another veteran and former regimental comrade, Martin Giles.

Responses to Dragon Interview: Col Patrick Crowley, On His Book ‘Infantry Diehards’

Graham Potter Reply

November 6, 2020 at 3:06 pm

I was interested in the book title “Die Hards”. I like to remember that the Middlesex Regiment were known as the “Diehards”, I think a name given after one of their major battles, perhaps Albuhera as displayed on their cap badges which I wore long ago.

Editor’s response: You remember correctly. Albuhera was a battle on May 16 1811 in the Peninsular War. The regiment’s discipline under cannon fire helped deny the French victory. The commander of the 57th of Foot, Colonel Inglis, had his horse shot from under him but severely wounded and outnumbered by the French he called to his men, “Die hard, 57th. Die hard!” After the battle, surviving officers and sergeants drank to the “immortal memory” of their dead comrades, a tradition continued to this day, on each anniversary, in their successor regiment The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment.