Terry Brighton
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Terry Brighton (born 28 April 1949) is a British military historian and author.


Biography

Terry Brighton studied philosophy at Lancaster University and theology at
Birmingham University , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...
before being ordained an
Anglican priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...
. His parishes included St Martin’s in Hereford, where he stood in as chaplain to the SAS and first developed an interest in military history. After leaving the church he worked on the curatorial staff of the
Queen's Royal Lancers The Queen's Royal Lancers (QRL) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was formed in 1993 and amalgamated with the 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's) on 2 May 2015 to form the Royal Lancers. History The regiment was formed in ...
Regimental Museum, for which he remains a consultant. He is best known for his research on the Charge of the Light Brigade, published in ''Hell Riders: the Truth about the Charge of the Light Brigade''. He used survivors’ accounts, many of them never before published, to give the soldiers' viewpoint of this famous cavalry action. He argued that the Charge was not the military disaster it appeared, and controversially claimed that it could be considered “an astounding success”. In October 2004, on the 150th anniversary of the Charge, he broadcast an account of this action from the
Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...
to the U.S. live on
NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
. Although best known for his research on the
Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the ...
, according to ''
Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...
'' it was his later work on the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
generals
Patton George Smith Patton Jr. (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh United States Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, and the Third United States Army in Franc ...
, Montgomery and
Rommel Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel () (15 November 1891 – 14 October 1944) was a German field marshal during World War II. Popularly known as the Desert Fox (, ), he served in the ''Wehrmacht'' (armed forces) of Nazi Germany, as well as servi ...
that moved him “into the top rank of general audience military writers”. The book uses the personal writings of the generals to argue that the explosive relationship between the allies Patton and Montgomery had a greater effect on the conduct and course of the war than the respectful relationship between the enemies Patton and Rommel. In October 2010 he was awarded the
Imperial Service Medal The Imperial Service Medal (ISM) is a medal affiliated with the Imperial Service Order. The medal was established under the statutes of the Imperial Service Order, on 8 August 1902, by King Edward VII, with the first awards appearing in the Londo ...
. His first novel, ''Hell's Mile'', was published in 2020 by Hard Corps Books. According to the author, this makes good a promise he made to
Richard Madeley Richard Holt Madeley ( born 13 May 1956) is an English television presenter and writer. Alongside his wife Judy Finnigan, he presented '' This Morning'' and the chat show '' Richard & Judy''. Madeley's solo projects include the ITV series '' F ...
on the British TV chat show ''
Richard & Judy ''Richard & Judy'' (also known as ''Richard & Judy's New Position'') is a British television chat show presented by the married couple Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan. The show originally aired on Channel 4 from 26 November 2001 to 22 Augus ...
'' that he would “write the novel” of the Charge of the Light Brigade. The publisher adds that ''Hell's Mile'' is based on survivors' graphic accounts and is not for the faint-hearted. In his controversial book ''The MAGA Offensive'', published by Hard Corps Essays in September 2020, he argues that "the re-election of President Donald Trump is crucial for the survival of the real USA and the core values that define Western culture." Terry Brighton lives in England with his wife, Linda, and their dog, Belle.


Books

* ''The Last Charge: the 21st Lancers and the Battle of Omdurman'' (Marlborough: Crowood, 1998) * ''Hell Riders: the Truth about the Charge of the Light Brigade'' (London: Penguin, 2004) Published in the U.S. as ''Hell Riders: the True Story of the Charge of the Light Brigade'' (New York: Henry Holt, 2004) * ''Masters of Battle: Monty, Patton and Rommel at War'' (London: Penguin, 2008) Published in the U.S. as ''Patton, Montgomery, Rommel: Masters of War'' (New York: Random House, 2009) * ''Hell's Mile'' (Hard Corps Books, 2020) * ''The Wars of Thomas Morley: 17th Lancers and 12th Pennsylvania Cavalry'' (Hard Corps Books, 2020) * ''Winston's Charge: Lieutenant Churchill and the British Army's Last Cavalry Charge'' (Hard Corps Books, 2020) * ''The MAGA Offensive: Fighting for the USA'' (Hard Corps Essays, 2020)


References


External links


Terry Brighton’s official U.K. website

Terry Brighton’s official U.S. website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brighton, Terry British military historians British military writers Living people 1949 births