Legionnaire: Five Years in the French Foreign Legion

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Strange... it is not a great work of fiction or non-fiction, it is not particularly well-known, and yet, this is one of the few books where I can honestly say, I did not want to put down and I continued reading till well past my bedtime. Two years later, Algeria wins its independence. As part of the agreement with France, the French are allowed a limited tenure in some areas of the country (inclusive of the former naval base at Mers-el-Kebir) and oil rights in the Sahara for 5 years. The Legion has to abandon its traditional headquarters at Sidi-bel-Abbes and relocate much of its staff, equipment, and assets to the South of France. But Murray's unit and a few other units of the Legion are allowed to remain in Algeria on a temporary basis. France was then in flux, having barely survived an attempted coup d'etat. Consequently, given that the Legion no longer had any wars to fight on behalf of la patrie, there was some uncertainty as to whether it would be allowed to remain in existence. (Some Legion officers had sided with the coup leaders who came out of the French Army.) But thankfully the Legion had some farsighted officers in its ranks who helped to secure for it a new raison d'etre and favor with Paris through developing a variety of special skills and roles for itself. The seminal book by an Englishman who ran off to join the Legion, Murray served through a very difficult period on Legion history. De Gaulle, after having promised the pieds noir and the Legion that Algeria would always remain l'Algérie Française, reneged on his promise in 1959, and agreed to allow an Algerian referendum on freedom. Following the vote to separate from France, many pieds noir and some Legion regiments engaged in an attempted putsch, which failed. As a result of this, de Gaulle almost disestablished the Legion... but remembered how the 13e DBLE stood beside him through World War 2. Murray describes the daily life of a legionnaire in detail in a daily journal he kept. The moments of terror fighting the Fel in the Atlas Mountains, the beatings and brutality of the non-commissioned officers, the crushing boredom. Murray described it all... and made it sound like something that a young man should do. Murray was born at Leicester, England into an aristocratic family with some tradition of military service. [2] His father belonged to a wealthy family. Murray's grandfather on his father's side retained a permanent suite at the Connaught Hotel, while his grandmother retained a similar suite at Claridges Hotel. Murray's father abandoned the family early on and Murray claims to have had no recollection of him at that time. An uncle paid for Murray to attend Bedford School, an independent school in Bedford, Bedfordshire. In 1960, he joined the French Foreign Legion, and served for five years in the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP). During his service, he fought in the Algerian War against the Front de Libération National (FLN). After rising to the rank of Chief Corporal, he turned down an offer to attend Officers' School in France, and left the Legion in 1965 after completing his service. He wrote of his experiences in the Legion in the book Legionnaire, published in 1978. And later, based on his book he produced the autobiographical movie "Deserter" which released as a DVD.

Legionnaire: An Englishman in the French Foreign Legion Legionnaire: An Englishman in the French Foreign Legion

Gulf Keystone ex-chairman says he was forced out, tried to lure Exxon". Reuters. 1 April 2015 . Retrieved 4 October 2018. At 60 years of age, he completed the Marathon des Sables, a 242 km race across the Moroccan desert. At the age of 63, Murray became the oldest man to reach the South Pole unsupported. His wife, Jennifer, was the first woman to fly around the world in a helicopter.It brings me both great joy and sadness that I’ve finished the book. It’s a great pastime, promise to transport your mind to some thrills and thoughts. Informative to the psychologies of soldiers, and one of the finest at that. Apart from a really impressive first-hand account of a turning point in the Legion, coinciding with the very end and short afterwards of the Algerian War, it is a riveting text, an open-hearted account of a young gentleman's venture through a rough, tough environment, under a humble and positive attitude. Murray was the chairman of Glencore from 2011 to 2013. [4] He later became chairman of Gulf Keystone Petroleum from 2013 to 2015. [5] He has served on boards and held advisory positions with a number of other large companies, including Vodafone, Tommy Hilfiger Corporation, Vivendi Universal, Usinor SA, Hermes, General Electric (USA), China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), Macquarie Bank, N.M. Rothschild, and Bain (the consultancy company). [4] He continues to serve on the advisory board of Lightbridge Corporation (USA), and was on the Development Advisory Board of Imperial College, London.

Simon Murray (Author of Legionnaire) - Goodreads Simon Murray (Author of Legionnaire) - Goodreads

Mit sehr viel Witz und Herz geschrieben. Eine irre Abenteuergeschichte auch wenn man sich nicht für das Militär interessiert. Adventurer and businessman Simon Murray. As a teenager, nursing a broken heart and determined to prove himself, he joined the French Foreign Legion. Fighting in the Algerian war, he risked his life many times over; combat was at close quarters and was very bloody. I was surprised by how much it felt like my time in the Army. I just retired after 21 years. He joined with daydreams of adventure and exotic travel, but reality soon revealed itself. There were 19 other young men that joined with him, but when he was at the transition center ready to getting out five years later, the others were no where to be seen. He could see other people who he was in with and they would be old friends. The ending was especially meaningful. When he was getting close to the time to get out, he did not know many of the new faces. He did not feel as much comradery ship because most of the people were new and he was being replaced as soon as he was gone. urn:oclc:869498265 Republisher_date 20120220121954 Republisher_operator [email protected] Scandate 20120217055324 Scanner scribe14.shenzhen.archive.org Scanningcenter shenzhen SourceBut the Arabs are set on total independence, and the French colons are equally determined to retain all that they have here. The colons are extremists in every sense of the word; they do not understand compromise and they will go to extremes to keep what they believe to be theirs by birthright.

Legionnaire by Simon Murray: 9780891418870 - Penguin Random House Legionnaire by Simon Murray: 9780891418870 - Penguin Random House

Murray presented 'The Legion is My Country', a BBC Radio 4 documentary (produced by Alec Reid) celebrating the 150th anniversary of the founding of the French Foreign Legion. It was broadcast on 26 May 1981. Also in the 80s, Murray presented a documentary on the French Foreign Legion, where he explained the traditions and folklore that surround this elite force. [7] He also appeared and contributed on the documentary series Escape to the Legion [8] and Weaponology. [9] Personal life [ edit ] There have been riots during the last few days which have resulted in some two hundred people being killed. Because of this, we are not en alerte. At the beginning of January there is to be a referendum which will be held in France as well as Algeria. The referendum is understood to be deGaulle asking for a free hand to negotiate with the F.L.N. for the establishment of the Algeria of tomorrow, which will be the first real step to independence, but perhaps on his own terms." An easy to read book. It's based on the author's dairy from the Foreign Legion in early 60's, in Algeria. The book is focused on the stories and the experiences that happened to the author during his 5 years military contract. It's interesting to see how this tough military force prepares it's soldiers and how tough it is to resist due to morale and psychical challenges. Access-restricted-item true Addeddate 2011-09-16 18:10:32 Boxid IA171001 Boxid_2 CH106101 Camera Canon EOS 5D Mark II City New York Donor Next, he set his sights on business - he ran some of the most well-known companies in South East Asia and was one of Chris Patten's key allies during the handover of Hong Kong. Then, in his 60s and looking for a new challenge, he chanced upon the idea of polar adventure, and went on to become the oldest person to walk unsupported to the South Pole. But after all this, his greatest achievement, he says, is his marriage. Perhaps it's no surprise that his wife of 43 years, Jennifer, Adventurer and businessman Simon Murray. As a teenager, nursing a broken heart and determined to prove himself, he joined the French Foreign Legion. Fighting in the Algerian war, he risked his life many times over; combat was at close quarters and was very bloody.

There were many stories he did as the lowest rank that sound like fun adventures. Then when he has the determination, he goes to the leadership school and earns a promotion. This is definitely a book military members of all nationalities can understand and enjoy. He was in Algeria because it was a French colony that received its independence (I am not completely clear on the history here), but the ground Soldiers were good people. The military heads deserve any criticism for this, not the Soldiers. There was also a (very) brief coup over Algeria getting its independence, but that was a failed coup. Wow. Ein unglaublich spannendes Tagebuch und Zeitzeugnis. Geschichten aus einer anderen Zeit. Wahnsinn, wie viel Leid und Schmerz Menschen aushalten können. From the moment Murray enlists in February 1960, he is put through the rigors of training, which at times was quasi-sadistic, for the NCOs exercised considerable control over their charges (delighting in giving them grief for the slightest infractions), both in France and in Algeria. Murray saw a fair amount of combat in the Algerian War, mainly in the mountains. He writes honestly of his experiences, sparing no punches, as the following will attest: I first became aware of Simon Murray when I watched on TV one night a special program about the French Foreign Legion in which he acted as the narrator. I was rather impressed with him, so when I came across this book (after having read the Douglas Porch history of the Legion in the early 1990s), I was eager to read it. The French Foreign Legion – mysterious, romantic, deadly – is filled with men of dubious character, and hardly the place for a proper Englishman just nineteen years of age. Yet in 1960, Simon Murray traveled alone to Paris, Marseilles, and on to Algeria to fulfill the toughest contract of his life: a five-year stint in the Legion. Along the way, he kept a diary.