Rules of Engagement

From the moment Tim Collins’s speech to his men in Iraq was made public, this soldier–thinker became a hero and an inspiration to world leaders and infantrymen alike. To a public suspicious about the motives for war, he offered some explanation for it and inspired a mood of optimism and humanity that has since been sadly lost. And yet, only two months later Collins was pilloried by two national newspapers and accused of war crimes. But this is only part of his story. From taking command of 1 Royal Irish in the aftermath of the Sierra Leone hostage crisis to combating the Loyalist murder gangs in East Tyrone, Rules of Engagement is a powerful memoir that offers a frank and compelling insight into the realities of warfare and a life lived on the frontline.

Author Biography

Tim Collins was born in Belfast and was commissioned into the Army in 1981. After a career that encompassed tours in Northern Ireland, the Falklands Islands and Cyprus, time as an operations officer in the SAS and trekking with the Gurkhas in Eastern Nepal, aged 38 he was selected for promotion to Lieutenant Colonel and assumed command of 1 Royal Irish in January 2001. He led the Battalion on operations in East Tyrone, on Op FRESCO, the Fireman’s strike, and on Op TELIC, the Liberation of Iraq. On returning from that war, he was the centre of a controversy over allegations of war crimes. After clearing his name he was promoted to Colonel. Tim retired from the Army in January 2004 and now lives in Kent with his wife and children.