MRF Shadow Troop cover art

MRF Shadow Troop

The Untold True Story of Top Secret British Military Intelligence Undercover Operations in Belfast, Northern Ireland, 1972-1974

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MRF Shadow Troop

By: Simon Cursey
Narrated by: Johnathan Rufus Welsh
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About this listen

Some thought it stood for "Military Reconnaissance Force", others "Mobile Reconnaissance Force". Many people thought it didn't exist at all....

For decades there has been argument in the media and amongst politicians about the possible existence and extent of a shoot-to-kill policy in Northern Ireland. MRF Shadow Troop confirms there was such an agenda in the early, chaotic days of British military intervention across the Irish Sea. But amongst the mountain of speculation there is little of any accuracy or authority relating to this period.

The speculation about the unit's name and mission only added to the uncertainty amongst their targets: members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, the IRA, the provos. Simon Cursey was recruited into the Military Reaction Force - the unit's true name - in 1972. This book is his personal account of his time with the group and in it he reveals the truth about their operations-the briefings, missions, political wrangling, and government-sanctioned law-bending.

MRF Shadow Troop is a fascinating, exciting but above all accurate historical audiobook about the pioneers of counter-terrorism.

©2013 Simon Cursey (P)2021 Tantor
Military & War Ireland Military Northern Ireland
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What listeners say about MRF Shadow Troop

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Outstanding!

An audiobook I couldn’t switch off!!! A brilliant insight into a group of exceptionally brave men standing toe to toe with a ruthless unforgiving enemy during the mayhem of 1970’s Belfast …Hugely enjoyable

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Medals for all

Best book on a long time
Well written and put together couldn't put down gripping book

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Great knowledge/memory of Northern Ireland

I really enjoyed the story as a whole as there were lots of intricate details such as songs that were in the charts, news headlines,which celeb was dating who, makes and models of cars etc…..
Great knowledge and memory of the authors time spent in the province doing this dangerous undercover work.
The worse thing I didn’t like was the narrator. Every paragraph of so u could hear the noise of his saliva as he opened his mouth to read the next line, never heard that before in an audiobook and almost made me give up listening 🤬.
All in all a great book.

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interesting book

I enjoyed the information provided, but felt the narrator was very good unfortunately. a narrator with military knowledge would have been better.

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Fascinating story, not so keen on the narrator.

I stuck with the book because I found the story and history interesting, but this was in spite of the narration which I found stilted and lacked personality.

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At last.

An excellent and enlightening account of events of what were really happening in 1970’s Great Britain.

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fascinating story,

fascinating story, very interesting, listening about something I never heard or knew about, but couldn't get on with the narrator, in my mind he sounded wrong for the story, also if you heard 'pot of tea' once you heard it 50 times! made me cringe every time i heard it come the end, but that is just me,
worth a listen tho,

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Authentic and plainly told

The right decision, I think, to leave this book so much in the author’s voice. The MRF, like so much else in the confused period of the early Troubles have been subject to much mythologising and demonising, depending on your point of view. This plainly written account carries conviction to me and is a useful corrective to Republican leaning accounts which tend to emphasise “moral equivalence” of the main players in the conflict to an extent that those alive at the time may still struggle to accept.

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100% true story. Told as it happen in the early 70s.

I loved it. Told very well by the narrator. I was glue from start to finish, definitely one to go back to

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Excellent

The final 6 words were exactly what I was thinking. Brave men, doing their level best.

Great listen.

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