Soldier of Misfortune

Soldier of Misfortune is the previously unpublished wartime memoir of Martin Ferrey, who served as a front-line officer with No. 9 Commando during the Second World War. Beginning as a reluctant recruit in the Scots Guards in 1940, Ferrey passed through Sandhurst before volunteering for the Army Commandos, with whom he would serve in Gibraltar, Italy and Albania during some of the hardest fighting of the Mediterranean campaign.

Ferrey trained at Achnacarry and Lochailort during the formative years of the Commandos before taking part in operations including the raid on the Tremiti Islands, the Anzio landings and the savage fighting around Mount Ornito north of the Garigliano River, where he was badly wounded. He also served during operations in Albania as Allied forces sought to disrupt German withdrawals from the Balkans.

Written with remarkable honesty, humour and self-awareness, Ferrey’s memoir captures both the absurdity and brutality of wartime soldiering. He writes vividly about the hardships of training, the realities of Commando operations, the fear and confusion of combat, and the physical and psychological consequences of battle. Along the way he encounters a fascinating cast of wartime figures, including Randolph Churchill, Evelyn Waugh, Lord Mountbatten and many of Britain’s most famous special forces soldiers.

Supplemented by family letters, photographs and editorial notes, Soldier of Misfortune is both a compelling Commando memoir and an unusually thoughtful account of one officer’s struggle to reconcile courage, fear, duty and survival in wartime.

Simon and Barrie first came into contact in 2020.  Barrie had discovered the unpublished manuscript of Soldier of Misfortune written by Martin which had been left with the Cameronians museum after his death. Finding details of Martin Ferrey on a family tree on Ancestry, Barrie contacted Simon and together they explored the possibility of having Martin’s manuscript published. With the addition of supplementary maps, photographs and family letters, Simon and Barrie are proud to see Martin’s manuscript brought to life through Helion & Company.

"[This] memoir penned by Martin Ferrey, provides a vivid accout of military life, marked by absurdity, terror, and dark humour. Ferrey's account is noted for its human touch, marked by self-deprecation, intelligence, and rare honesty...The memoir is illustrated with photographs from family collections, regimental archives, and wartime sources, providing a broader context to Ferrey's experiences." The York Post Newspaper, July 29th, 2026