
I needed to see what it had been like for them. I did not want to glorify or to damn them. I had to appreciate their courage and their spirit; but I coud not ignore parts of their histories that were distressing or disquieting.
Our Boys brings to life the human experiences of the paratroopers who fought in the Falklands War, and examines the long aftermath of that conflict. It is a first in many ways – a social and cultural history of the Parachute Regiment, a group with an elite and aggressive reputation; a study of close-quarters combat on the Falklands Islands; and an exploration of the many legacies of this short and symbolic war.
Told unflinchingly through the experiences of the people who lived through it, Our Boys shows how the Falklands conflict began to change Britain’s relationship with its soldiers, and our attitudes to trauma and war itself. It is also the story of one particular soldier: the author’s uncle, who was killed during the conflict, and whose fate has haunted both the author an his fellow paratroopers ever since.
Our Boys won the Longman-History Today Book Prize, the Templer Medal Book Prize and the Duke of Wellington Medal for Military History, and was longlisted for the Orwell Prize for Political Writing.
About the author

Helen Parr is a historian of contemporary Britain. She has always been drawn to stories that don’t quite fit in; and has always been interested in how Britain’s place in the world affects people’s lives. She grew up in Suffolk, County Durham and Newcastle upon Tyne; and studied history at Cambridge and Queen Mary College, University of London. She teaches at Keele University and lives near Stoke-on-Trent. Her essay, The Eurosceptics’ Moment, was co-winner of the inaugural Hennessy Essay Prize.
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Agent: David Higham Associates: Andrew Gordon: andrewgordon@davidhigham.co.uk
Publicity: Isabel Blake: IBlake@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk
News & Events
Helen will talk at the Chelsea History Festival:
https://www.chelseahistoryfestival.com/event/our-boys-the-story-of-a-falklands-paratrooper/
Our Boys won the Duke of Wellington Medal for Military History:
Exceptionally, the panel awarded two medals this year – one for Our Boys and one to John Hussey’s two volume history of the Battle of Waterloo:
https://www.rusi.org/rusi-news/duke-wellington-medal-military-history-2019-winners-announced
Our Boys was the winner of the Longman-History Today book prize:
https://www.historytoday.com/awards/longman-history-today-awards-2019-winners
Helen spoke at the Chalke Valley History Festival: https://cvhf.org.uk/
Our Boys: The Story of a Paratrooper has been longlisted for the Orwell Prize for Political Writing.
Our Boys: The Story of a Paratrooper has been shortlisted for the Longman-History Today Book Prize:
https://www.historytoday.com/awards/longman-history-today-book-prize-2019-shortlist
Our Boys: The Story of a Paratrooper won the Templer Medal Book Prize, awarded by the Society for Army Historical Research, at a reception at the National Army Museum
https://www.keele.ac.uk/discover/news/2019/april/keele-professor-awarded-/history-book-prize.php
Helen interviewed by Sue Cahill on ‘Talking Books’, Newstalk:
https://www.newstalk.com/podcasts/talking-books/chapter-249-39-our-boys-39-with-helen-parr
Helen Parr talks about Our Boys, with Anthony King, author of Command: The Twentieth Century General, at Birmingham University
Realities of a Shared War: Helen Parr and Lt General Cedric Delves in conversation with Major General Arthur Denaro, at the National Army Museum: https://www.nam.ac.uk/whats-on/falklands-1982-realities-shared-war
Helen talks about Our Boys at Blackwell’s bookshop in Newcastle upon Tyne
Helen talks about the book at the Sir Michael Howard Centre for the Study of War, 6-7.30pm at the Great Hall, King’s College London. A podcast of Helen’s lecture can be found here:https://soundcloud.com/warstudies [scroll down on the page to find the lecture]
Helen Parr and Cedric Delves in conversation with Arthur Denaro at the Hay Festival https://www.hayfestival.com/p-14644-helen-parr-and-cedric-delves-in-conversation-with-arthur-denaro.aspx
Helen talks about ‘Remembering the Dead: bodies, cemeteries and mourning’ at the Westminster Theatre, Keele University
Helen talks with Dan Snow on Dan Snow’s History Hit
https://player.fm/series/dan-snows-history-hit-106527/the-paras-with-helen-parr
Helen talks about her book at Pewsey Military History Society.
Helen talks to Sam Leith at the Spectator Books podcast https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2018/09/books-podcast-life-and-death-in-the-falklands-and-what-happens-after/
Helen talks about her book on Radio 4’s Start the Week. Listen again at https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0bh423z
The Observer feature Our Boys: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/aug/26/falklands-war-retold-helen-parr-our-boys