Early 1960s Africa was the Dark Continent of James Conrad, David Livingstone, and Dr. Albert Schweitzer. Often found in any of over 20 African nations traveller Michael Walsh identified with the period with which Europe's last gladiators would also be familiar.The dogs-of-war had worn the epaulettes of every nation. Now comrades-in-arms were veterans of the Waffen SS, The French Foreign Legion, British Parachute Regiment, Belgian, Dutch, and Irish and Swedish servicemen. Here is the real world of the men who made up the epic movie The Wild Geese. Drawn into the Congo Crisis and Biafra War of Independence, the Sudan, South Africa and Rhodesia Bush Wars the soldiers-of fortune numbered in their ranks legends as Colonel Mike Hoare, 'Black Jack' Schramme, veteran Colonel Bob Denard, and Major Siegfried Müller. We witness the heroic death of Marc Goosens, meet French Legionnaire Roger Faulques and ex-Hitler Youth Rolf Steiner. Never forgotten are Alexander Gay and Major Taffy Williams all of whom were truly the Last Gladiators of Europe.
About the Author: Michael Walsh Irish poet and writer traces his Liverpool roots back to 1865. Michael's paternal family background is Moville, Donegal, his maternal Wexford and Tipperary. Michael's father, Patrick, had fought in four conflicts before reaching his fortieth birthday. As a 16-year old guerrilla a reward was placed on his head by England's Black and Tans. He also fought in the Irish War of Independence, Spanish Civil War, and RAF as an aircraft engineer-pilot during World War Two. On leaving school at 15 years of age Michael spent ten weeks at the Merchant Navy School for Sailors in Sharpness. During his years at sea he was to visit over 60 countries. Michael has since provided articles and columns for numerous magazines and international news media. In 2011 he was awarded 'Writer of the Year' by the publishers of Euro Weekly News, Europe's highest circulation free newspaper. He has authored, edited and ghosted over 60 book titles. Michael was much more than occasional visitor to the Dark Continent. He spent a period of time in apartheid South Africa, French West Africa and Portuguese occupied Mozambique. The North African and Middle East ports were all familiar to him. However, it was the score of nations along West Africa's Atlantic seaboard to which Michael became attached. At home in its accessible interior he empathised well with the native peoples of many African nations. Michael was perhaps one of the last to experience Africa as the novelist James Conrad would have known it. Following a maritime mishap the author spent considerable time in the interior of the Belgian Congo. This was a period of internal conflict the brutality of which has few to equal it.