BRITAIN was nominally at peace during the 23 years covered by this volume. As anyone who has been appalled by recent events in Basra will know, however, that doesn't mean our servicemen and women spent the time kicking their heels in barracks.

During the past two decades of its existence, soldiers of the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI) saw action in Malaya, Borneo, Kenya, Cypress and Aden. And as the roll of honour clearly shows, these campaigns were not without loss to the regiment.

Retired schoolmaster Malcolm K Johnson's history of the last years of the great regiment - which covers the period from 1945 right up to the last parade in Berlin in 1968 - is a meticulous and detailed account which serves as a fitting tribute to those who lost their lives in the service of King (or Queen) and Country.

Complete with a list of soldiers killed in action, and of colonels of the regiment, and containing more than 50 illustrations, some previously unpublished, this is a must-have both for military history buffs and for the many veterans who served and for whom the events described here are a part of their own personal story.

Updated: 09:40 Saturday, September 24, 2005