Gordon Corrigan

John Gordon Harvey Corrigan

FRAS (born 1942) is a former British

soldier and historical writer and broadcaster.

Corrigan was educated at the

Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club where he was clerk of the course at the Happy Valley Racecourse from 1980 to 1982, and Racing Secretary from 1982 to 1987.^[1] Corrigan was awarded the MBE in 1995^[2]

His last appointment was commanding the Gurkha Centre in Hampshire.

Following his retirement from the army in 1998, Corrigan became a freelance writer on military history. He also presented television documentaries, made speaking appearances and conducted tours of

liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Farriers

.

Corrigan authored Mud, Blood and Poppycock, one of the more recent histories of the

First World War which challenges a number of popular cultural beliefs about that conflict. Among the targets for his book are the beliefs that British generalship was incompetent, blinkered and reactionary and that the military justice system was unfair. The book received a positive review from historian Gary Sheffield.^[4] Corrigan later wrote Blood, Sweat and Arrogance: The Myths of Churchill's War in which he set out to demolish the "myths of Churchill's War". This book was criticised in a review by historian Piers Brendon, who wrote:^[5]

"his tone, occasionally sneering, often patronising and always cocksure, is particularly tiresome in someone so prone to error. He makes the elementary mistake of asserting, for example, that a Russian declaration of war against Japan "never came".

His 2010 The Second World War: A Military History received critical acclaim. "[A] highly readable new look at the titanic struggle between nations" - The Independent. "An invaluable source of reference [that] should be savoured" - Daily Express. "Bold, incisive, and insightful....A first class read" - Michael Jones, author of 'The Retreat: Hitler's First Defeat'

His newest work is about the Hundred Years' War.^{[citation needed]}