Diary of a Legionnaire. My Life in the French Foreign Legion Paperback – 1 Oct. 2007

A great book offering a good insight in to the Legion. Let's be honest, once you've read about the drunken semi beating he received as he offered himself to the Legion for the first time at Aubagne I'd have to think most people would have left it at that and walked away.As it happens our author was made of sterner stuff and returned the next morning for another pop....which, luckily for the reader, leads on to some great tales, training insights, the usual fun at 'The Farm', parachuting, drunkenness, actual combat and fist fights aplenty (mainly between each other).The only downside, is towards the end of the book time seems to get lost and before you know it the 5 years is up. I'm sure the author had much more to tell and could probably have filled another book had he been so inclined. However, this isn't a gripe - it's a great book that simply left me wanting more of the same.

I have read many accounts about the French Foreign Legion and rate this about the best , written in an easy flowing way and shows us what life was really like in the legion .Did his full five years going from signing up and finally entering the elite parachute regiment and having many adventures and experiences in between , this man certainly had guts !

Really interesting and insightful account of Gareth’s career in the FFL.Pushed to the limits on numerous times it’s a detailed look at the highs and lows during his 5 years in a unit little is known about.Highly Recommended 👍

Factual account of legionnaire training, and army life . Well-written and interesting. I would recommend this and the price is fair.

The romantic notion of someone joining the Legion , doing the training that's required, and maybe seeing parts of the world are becoming quite quaint nowadays.In todays world of instant access and the throwaway society, its a strange choice of lifestyle.Respect to the author on his completion of his 5 year contract and his wise words in his book.Great discipline needed for both I am sure.It's a good story so why not give it a read especially if you ever intended volunteering.You can't say you were not warned then about the harshness and bullying of their NCO's.

A great insight into the daily routines of a legionnaire, be it the constant and senseless scrubbing of floors, to evacuating French nationals in Africa. It's a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Looking for adventure and adventure is what Gareth Carins got by the by truck load. From his first day as a recruit to bravely completing five years service with the French Foreign Legion. Few men can take the brutality dished out in training only real men can complete it and then stay and face daily hardship of commando and jungle training then being sent to a conflict with no ammo. Tells it as it is warts and all, the Generals should read this and they would realize that there is a better way of training men to be soldiers.

Not fully detailed but a good book.

Very interesting and straightforward read. I liked it.

Nice and realistic.

Credible story, interesting at all times and informative. No childish adventure stories. I can recommend it as an easy read.

An honest beautifully written diary.

Gareth Carins' story of his life in the Foreign Legion is different than most other autobiographies in that he enters the Legion soon after graduating from an English Univeristy. Carins joins the Legion because he liked the army, walking, travelling and is looking for a little adventure. Unlike many of the classic Legion memoirs, Carins is not escaping poverty, fleeing political turmoil or running from trouble with the law. At his core, Carins is a middle class Englishmen in search of adventure."Diary of a Legionnaire" has all the obligatory scenes one should expect in a Legion memoir. We see him as he enters the recruiting barracks, experiences his brutal basic training on the "Farm" and then goes off to further adventures in his new Regiment. Like many of the English soldiers who write their stories, Carins enters the elite Parachute Regiment based in Corsica. As with many of the recent autobiographies, Carins also goes to Africa where he partakes in some bloody skirmishes.The real strength of this book is that Carins is a good writer and does an excellent job of describing the day to day life of a Legionnaire. This book is filled with gritty details that anyone curious about the Legion will greatly enjoy. Legionnaire memoirs may span the decades but there is a core Legion experience that seems eternal.The only fault I have with this book is that Carins wrote this book too soon after leaving the Legion. He does a great job on the day to day details but we learn very little about the inner person. Why does a middle class, university graduate subject himself to the rigorous discipline of the Legion for five years? If Carins likes the military and wants some adventure, why doesn't he join the Royal Marines? Carins comes across as a decent person but in the end, he is still a mystery.In my opinion, the best Legion memoirs are all about the inner life of the Legionnaire. For me the Holy Trinity of Legion memoirs are Simon Murray's "Legionnaire", Tony Sloane's "The Naked Soldier" and Christian Jenning's "Mouthful of Rocks". All three memoirs are radically different but at the end of each book, the reader feels they know the person and root for him as he struggles to survive in some very harsh conditions. It is that personal connection between reader and Legionnaire that lifts a competent memoir into the realm of a "classic" account.