Simon Akam wins the Templer Medal for Best First Book Prize
We are thrilled that Simon Akam's The Changing of the Guard has been awarded the Templer First Book Prize by The Society for Army Historical Research. Established in 1921 to encourage the study of the history and traditions of the British Army, the Society for Army Historical Research is one of the nation's oldest military history societies.
The Templer Medal was established by The Society for Army Historical Research in 1981 to commemorate the life and achievements of Field Marshal Sir Gerald Templer KG (1898-1979) (pictured) and to mark his Presidency of the Society between 1965 and 1979. The First Book Prize is awarded to new authors under the umbrella of the Templer Medal.
The prize was awarded on 27 April at the National Army Museum in London, click here for more information. Congratulations to Simon!
The Changing of the Guard
A TLS and a Prospect Book of the Year
A revelatory, explosive new analysis of the military today.
Over the first two decades of the twenty-first century the British Army fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, at considerable financial and human cost. Yet neither war achieved its objectives. Award-winning journalist Simon Akam questions why, and provides challenging but necessary answers. Composed from assiduous documentary research, field reportage, and hundreds of interviews, this book is a strikingly rich, nuanced portrait of one of our pivotal national institutions in a time of great stress.
This is as much a…
