Barefoot Soldier cover art

Barefoot Soldier

 Preview

Get 30 days of Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30-day free trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options
Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

About this listen

 A story of extreme valour. Johnson Beharry was born in 1979 in Grenada as one of eight children, living in a two-bedroom hut, surviving on meagre meals of beans and rice, and walking barefoot, three miles to school. In 1999 he scraped together the airfare for England and joined the Prince of Wales' Royal Regiment. He served six months in Kosovo, three months in Northern Ireland, and then went to Iraq.

On 1 May 2004, Beharry helped assist a foot patrol caught in a series of ambushes. His vehicle was hit by multiple rocket-propelled grenades, but he drove through the ambush and extracted his wounded colleagues from the vehicle, all the time exposed to further enemy fire. He was cited on this occasion for "valour of the highest order".

While back on duty on 11 June 2004, a rocket-propelled grenade hit Beharry's vehicle, incapacitating his commander and injuring several of the crew. Despite his very serious head injuries, Beharry took control of his vehicle and drove it out of the ambush area before losing consciousness. He required brain surgery for his head injuries, and he was still recovering when he was awarded the Victoria Cross in March 2005.

©2006 Johnson Beharry; (P)2006 Hachette Audio Military & War Politicians Politics & Activism Royalty Injury
All stars
Most relevant
I am a Grenadian like Beharry however we don't all speak like that. Trying to employ a creole accent made the book unbearable to listen. I have opted to purchase the hard back.

Difficult to understand accent by the narrator

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Where does Barefoot Soldier rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Wow, you get a really good sense of what life in Grenada is like at both ends of the spectrum, to me a powerful listen - the extreme bravery really comes to life in this and is a really worthwhile listen. Johnson Beharry is a true hero in my eyes and his story is engaging. The narrator is very good and adds to the engagement of listening to the book.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Barefoot Soldier?

Memorable moments - how hard Johnson Beharry works throughout his life and how brave he his. An extremely brilliant example to the youth of today at what can be achieved.

Jaw dropping

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.