Regular Soldier | by Frank Rennie

Description

This title is not meant to be an autobiography or a history, it is a bit of both. What the book depicts, is the psychological strength of New Zealand soldiers and soldiering in human terms, there is nothing which the trained and well-led Maori / Pakeha soldier combination cannot achieve. This has been acknowledged and documented by those who should know, our opponents and our comrades in arms. New Zealanders operate on the simple premise that there is no point in being second in the serious business of soldiering, and for this reason they will not accept inferior leadership or performance. Rennie has been quoted as saying that there is nothing as fulfilling as serving with New Zealanders in an atmosphere of mutual confidence and respect – and it is a relationship as unique as it is effective which is the measure in this book.

Colonel Frank Rennie had a remarkable life. In 1970 he retired after an impressive 34-year military career which took him to the Pacific, Italy, Japan, Britain, Malaya and Fiji. He was selected to form and train the New Zealand Special Air Service (SAS) Squadron, which he then commanded for its two-year operational tour with the elite British 22 SAS Regiment, in the deep Malayan jungle during the Emergency. Frank Rennie was one of the few who joined the New Zealand Regular Army as a private soldier – in 1937 – and went through to the rank of full colonel.

Pages: 324

Published: 2012