How an army officer turned award-winning author brought to life one of Britain’s most intriguing military figures

Richard Farrimond's best-selling military biography, ‘Birdie: More than “Soul of Anzac” Field Marshal Lord Birdwood of Anzac and Totnes, 1865-1951’ won the annual Chapple Prize in 2023. Presented by the Duke of Kent, this prestigious award recognises books from debut authors who have made a significant contribution to the history of the British Army.

Here, we delve into the highlights from Richard’s remarkable career, the inspiration behind Birdie, and how studying at King’s helped him bring his biography to life.

A tale of two careers

Richard completed a degree in Telecommunications Engineering while in the army. He served with the Royal Signals in England, Germany, Northern Ireland and Canada, before his work took him even further afield.

Between commanding an independent signal squadron in Londonderry and a regiment in Germany, Richard’s career reached exciting new heights when he was chosen as the Army representative for a team to launch a Skynet military communications satellite from the Space Shuttle. He trained as a NASA Payload and as a back-up to the RAF representative. Sadly, the launch was cancelled following the 1986 Challenger disaster and Richard was never able to board the Space Shuttle.

Sowing the seeds of inspiration for Birdie

Richard then joined the British space industry, and his work took him to Australia. He spent many an hour delving through the archives of the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. It was here that he discovered the story of Field Marshal Lord Birdwood, and the initial seeds of intrigue for the biography were planted.

Lord Birdwood is best-known for his command of the Anzacs (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) at Gallipoli, where his dedication and military prowess earned him the title of ‘Soul of Anzac’ from his then-commander, General Hamilton.

Like Richard’s father, Lord Birdwood was an Indian army officer. The two men also went to the same school (Clifton College in Bristol), with Richard and his sons following in the family footsteps and attending Clifton College years later.

A new chapter at King's

A perpetual learner, Richard's love of history brought him to King's post-retirement, not once, not twice, but thrice – in the form of a master’s, a PhD, and an AKC (Associateship of King’s College London).

Inspired by adventures in the space industry, Richard titled his master’s dissertation The Politics of Britain and Human Space Flight. He explains: 'My interest in history has always been there – stimulated by outstanding history lecturers at RMA Sandhurst, regular reading and visiting sites and museums. A book that influenced me was MA Holocaust Professor Sir Martin Gilbert’s Holocaust Journey. Reading this inspired me to do a master’s.’

Richard was then encouraged to pursue a PhD in History. This he did (part-time) with Lord Birdwood as his subject. It was from these thesis pages that he produced his best-selling biography.

On his time at King’s, Richard recalls: ‘For me, the pleasure of King’s was enjoying academic challenges in new subject areas, with London based resources to hand. The breadth of lectures at the Institute of Historical Research were rewarding. I am pleased I undertook the AKC course, which was refreshing and stimulating.’