I just love the days when you come out of the archives with half a dozen excellent descriptions or poignant accounts of personal experiences.

To begin impatiently is the worst mistake a writer can make

If you smash a city when you're trying to capture it, you actually end up providing the perfect terrain for the defenders while blocking the access for your own armoured vehicles.

When I was a child I had something called Perthes' Disease which meant I was on crutches, so I was bullied at school and all that sort of stuff.

I am not someone who believes I am going to find a historical scoop.

The blurring of fact and fiction has great commercial potential, which is bound to be corrupting in historical terms.

I joined the Army in 1965 and served with the 11th Hussars, which I loved. The regiment was so relaxed - a salute was more like a friendly wave.