Welcome to the Real Lives online shop. Please read about our publications below, and if you are interested in ordering, click on the order link at the end of each description.

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1. The Dishonourable War - Falkland Islands 1982, by Capt. E P Carlisle. Click here.

2. For King and Country, by David Gwynne-James. Click here.

3. The Reluctant Rebel, by E.P. Carlisle. Click here.

Item		Price
The Dishonourable War - Falkland Islands 1982 by Capt. E P Carlisle In 1981, Edmund Carlisle bought a farm in East Falkland. He was in Stanley on 2nd April 1982, the day Argentina invaded. He saw at first hand the restrained behaviour of the Argentine Commando which did not fire a shot. He recognised the actuality for what it was. In a tiny community, a few individuals had their own agenda: and in London the Prime Minister, with growing domestic problems, was looking for any source of external glory. Carlisle's family have had a long association with Argentina since his great-grandfather established a merchant house, Carlisle's Ltd in Buenos Aires in 1830 and they traded in South America until his father closed the business in 1960 when the great Lancashire cotton trade virtually came to an end. His cousin, Bruce Carlisle was managing director of Brooke Bond Liebigs Co. Ltd in Buenos Aires. They returned to London representing 100,000 Anglo-Argentineans, one week after invasion, to persuade the British Government to reach a non-military and diplomatic solution. Carlisle was later instrumental in persuading the British Government to arrange for the burial of the Argentinean dead in a military cemetry, for which he offered a site at San Carlos, where relatives could visit undisturbed. Perversely, it was placed at Darwin preventing visits for many years due to the hostility of the Islanders. Today, he still urges our Government to re-open negotations with Argentina towards the transfer of sovereignty. Only thus will the vast expense of garrisoning these far away islands be brought to an end and our traditional good relations with that country re-established. Educated at Radley College, Edmund Paul Carlisle is descended from a family with strong church, military and political connections. He joined the Life Guards as a volunteer in 1941, was commissioned in the Indian Army in 1942 and retired in 1946. Since then he has spent his life as a farmer in Staffordshire, Radnorshire, Pembrokeshire, Malawi, Breconshire and the Falkland Islands, covering the period of the conflict. He also served in the Shropshire Yeomanry TA, as County Commissioner of Radnorshire Scouts and as Chairman of Brecon and Radnor Country Landowners Association. Capt. Carlisle has also written his memoirs The Reluctant Rebel. Order now via post- click here		£9.99
For King and Country A tribute to three brothers, by David Gwynne-James As the number of people who suffered personal loss during the Second World War inevitably dwindles, so the need to convey the experiences and consequences of war to the next generation mounts. For King and Country chronicles the story of a Herefordshire family during two world wars. The instinctive qualities of service, courage and sacrifice displayed by three brothers are matched by the resolves and stoicism of a bereft family. Brief obituaries of Eric, Henry and John are shown below. Both Eric and John served in the same regiment in differing wars, were decorated and later killed in action. Henry, who linked his two brothers, served with distinction in the Royal Navy throughout both world wars and survived. A blend of historical research and unique family archive brings an immediacy to various Operations in which the three brothers were directly involved. Documents include letters which Henry received from his contemporary and lifelong friend Prince Albert, later King George VI. The result is a well crafted historical tribute to a family who suffered their share of loss. It will appeal to historians, families and general readers.		£12.95
First World War (1914-1918) Captain Eric Gwynne-James, DSO, 1st Battalion, The King’s Shropshire Light Infantry. He served in France from January 1915 for twenty months, the last thirteen as Adjutant. In October 1916, aged twenty three, he died of wounds sustained at the battle of the Somme.
First and Second World War (1914-1918 & 1939-1945) Captain Henry Gwynne-James, Royal Navy, and ADC to the King. He served for thirty four years, from being a midshipman in HMS Collingwood at the battle of Jutland in 1916 to commanding British Naval Units during the Crossing of the Rhine in 1945. Tuberculosis forced his early retirement in 1948 from which he later died.
Second World War (1939-1945) Brigadier John Gwynne-James, DSO. He commanded the 1st Battalion, The King’s Shropshire Light Infantry in North Africa in 1943. As Brigadier he commanded the 3rd Infantry Brigade during the Assault Landings on the Island of Pantellaria in June 1943 and at Anzio in January 1944. He commanded 36th Infantry Brigade during the fourth battle of Cassino in May 1944 and during their fiercely fought advance north. He was killed in action near Lake Trasimene, Perugia in June 1944, aged forty. Paperback, 160mm x 240mm ISBN: 0-9550050-1-9 Order now via post- click here Order now online - visit www.abebooks.co.uk
The Reluctant Rebel Memoirs of an English farmer in Wales, by E.P. Carlisle "... a dash of life enhancing controversy for all" I don't suppose my life has been so very different from thousands of other men – ex-soldiers, wartime officers – who, having left the army, chose to take to the land, perhaps in the belief that the skills they had acquired in warfare might fit them well for a career in farming and land management in post-war Britain. But somehow, throughout my life I seem to have attracted more controversy than most. Quite why, I don’t know, although it has, for me, nearly always been on a matter of principle. I've always been prepared to stick my head above the parapet when I felt circumstances demanded it, and, from time to time, it's been blown off – metaphorically speaking, of course. The first chapter, Forebears, is really for those interested in the genealogy and history of the Carlisle family, and for easier reference, I have included diagrammatic family trees. Further chapters contain a broadly chronological account of my life, juxtaposed with events in the wider world. Public events inevitably impinge to some extent on our private lives and I have unashamedly included my own observations on those which I felt affected me. I hope this account of a long, occasionally adventurous and sporadically litigious career, with all its peaks and troughs, triumphs and debacles will strike a chord for some, provide informat ion and entertainment for others and a small dash of life-enhancing controversy for all. - EPC, Cusop, 2005		£14.95
The Author Educated at Radley College, Edmund Paul Carlisle is descended from a family with strong church, military and political connections. He joined the Life Guards as a volunteer in 1941, was commission in the Indian Army in 1942 and retired in 1946. Since then he has spent his life as a farmer in Staffordshire , Radnorshire , Pembrokshire, Malawi, Breconshire and the Falkland Islands, covering the period of the conflict. He also served in the Shropshire Yeomanry T.A. as County Commissioner of Radnorshire Scouts and as Chairman of Brecon and Radnor Country Landowners Association. He champions our liberties against the ever increasing laws and bureaucratic regulations emanating from Brussels and our nanny state which are rapidly transforming this once free country into a police state. Paperback, 160mm x 240mm ISBN: 0-9550050-2-7 Order now via post - click here Order now online - visit www.abebooks.co.uk