Hi all, first post

[paulk]

Hello folks, I'm Paul Kirkland, living in Cambridge U.K. and I'm very pleased to have found this forum. I'm not part of any re-enactment group, but I have an abiding interest in the French era in Vietnam ( or French Indochina, I should say ). I've read a number of books, as listed below

Dien Bien Phu by Howard R. Simpson.

Street Without Joy by Bernard Fall.

Hell in a Very Small Place by Bernard Fall.

The Last Valley by Martin Windrow.

Vietnam by Spencer C Tucker, the first part of which covers the French era.

Currently I'm reading Embers of War, by Fredrik Logevall, and fascinating it is too !

I would appreciate any suggestions for further reading, and in the meantime look forward to visiting this forum on a regular basis.

[craigtx]

Howdy! Bienvenue!

Great starts! I'll have to consult the library for others for ya.

Look around and ask questions. The denizens here are quite friendly...

Craig

[slehman]

Paul

Welcome to the forum.

Cheers
Steven

[paulk]

Craig, Steven - thanks for the welcome.

[lew]

Bienvenue, Monsieur Paul!

To add to the reading material you have there, the following titles are exceptional primers:

Paras français en Indochine 1945-154 and Paras français en Algérie 1954-1962 by Patrice Pavetta and Eric Adam and The Foreign Legion In Indochina 1946-1956 by Raymond Guyader.

I should create a sticky since I've just finished cataloging my library.

Stick around, skim through the information that's already been posted, and feel free to ask questions. Cheers!

[paulk]

Hi Steve, and thank you for the welcome. Also thank you for the book recommendations. One of the things I have considered is brushing up on my schoolboy French in order to read French-language accounts of the war. As for The Foreign Legion In Indochina 1946-1956 by Raymond Guyader, I saw that very book in Foyles in London last week. If it's still there next friday, I will get it. Thanks again.

[lew]

Amazon has all those titles if you strike out at the store. I can't speak French very well, but I taught myself to read it. My wife speaks a little French, but I'm going to take lessons later this year. Compared to the German I learned (and forgot) in college, French is a cake walk.

[Saigon1965]

Hi Paul -

Some choice reading you've got there -

Myself - Just started this week "The quiet professional" by Alan Hoe -

Cheeers!

[boogii]

Hi Paul!

I'm from Bury St. Edmunds, just down the road from you Most of the Indochina reenactors in the UK are unaffiliated, such as myself, though from time to time we group up to do shows/photoshoots. We recently put together a photoshoot for a book being put together by forum member Cookie about Cao Bang. If you Facebook, be sure to check out our loose confederation at Par Le Sang Versé.

[paulk]

May 11, 2016 13:28:43 GMT -5 Saigon1965 said:

Hi Paul -

Some choice reading you've got there -

Myself - Just started this week "The quiet professional" by Alan Hoe -

Cheeers!

Saigon, that's definitely one for me to look out for. Though my primary interest is the French war, I much enjoy reading of the American involvement too - on my bookshelf is John Laurence's 'The Cat from Hue', Neil Sheehan's ' A Bright Shining Lie', Michael Herr's 'Dispatches' and Philip Caputo's ' A Rumour of War'. I shall add your kind recommendation to my future reading list !

[paulk]

Jun 1, 2016 14:02:24 GMT -5 boogii said:

Hi Paul!

I'm from Bury St. Edmunds, just down the road from you Most of the Indochina reenactors in the UK are unaffiliated, such as myself, though from time to time we group up to do shows/photoshoots. We recently put together a photoshoot for a book being put together by forum member Cookie about Cao Bang. If you Facebook, be sure to check out our loose confederation at Par Le Sang Versé.

Boogi, great pictures !! How's le crachin in Suffolk ? I've recently been assimilated into Facebook, so will look you up. Excellent pics.