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  • The Road to Balcombe Street: The IRA Reign of Terror in London, Second Edition

  • By: Steven P. Moysey
  • Narrated by: Jon C Dixon
  • Length: 13 hrs and 48 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (57 ratings)
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The Road to Balcombe Street: The IRA Reign of Terror in London, Second Edition cover art

The Road to Balcombe Street: The IRA Reign of Terror in London, Second Edition

By: Steven P. Moysey
Narrated by: Jon C Dixon
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Summary

A pause resisting, real life thriller recounting the story of the Irish Republican Army Active Service Unit, placed in deep cover in London, and their murderous campaign against the British establishment. Equally gripping is the story of the Metropolitan police and their efforts to first identify the elusive group of terrorist, and then apprehend them. This is the true story of a deadly cat and mouse game played out on the streets of London that resulted in the infamous armed stand off at what would later be called the Balcombe Street Siege.

©2015 Dr. Steven P. Moysey (P)2019 Dr. Steven P. Moysey

Critic reviews

"This is the first comprehensive and all-embracing account of the events leading up to the hostage taking incident at Balcombe Street and the successful and peaceful efforts to secure the release of the victims and surrender of the perpetrators." (Lord Peter Imbert, CVO, QPM, DL)

What listeners say about The Road to Balcombe Street: The IRA Reign of Terror in London, Second Edition

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A good listen - with caveats

An ‘enjoyable’ and engaging listen - if these terms are appropriate. Students of ‘the Troubles’, and indeed anyone who came of age in the 1970s, will find much here to appreciate. The events are very much set in the wider context of the day and the author gives a very good sense of time and place. I can see why the work is in the process of being adapted by a screenwriter. In short, I would recommend the book. However, with a few caveats..

For listeners of a left-leaning or Irish nationalist/Republican persuasion the author’s unconscious prejudices and biases can be a bit jarring. Northern Ireland is always ‘the Province’ or ‘Ulster’, terms most centrist journalists ditched a long time ago. Similarly, there is a frequent conflation of England and the UK, and the sense of entitlement of both in the frequent reference to ‘the Mainland’. Another irritation is the author’s use of somewhat Alan Partridge-meets-Andy McNab turns of phrase. For instance, IRA bombs are described as becoming “increasingly lethal” (increasingly?), while “gallant” police officers “take immediate command of the situation” and are engaged in a “deadly game of cat and mouse” with the enemy. For me this was all a bit wince-inducing and I struggled to get past it. I’m glad I did though as it’s a worthy effort and this is the only full-length book on this very important episode in recent British/Irish political history.

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5 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Road to Balcombe Street

This is an in-depth telling of story from a period, although in the relatively recent past, resonates with events of today. If you'd thought that the likes of AQ or ISIL had cornered the market on spontaneous, indiscriminate and bloody violence then think again. The IRA got there 30 or 40 years before them.
Steven Moysey's analysis is sometimes perhaps overly academic for some readers, but gives plenty of context and reminds us of just how fraught the political landscape of the 1970s actually was - for those of us growing up at the time that were fixed on events and not so much the causes.
The narration is slick and well-delivered; the sound quality excellent.
If you're interested in this kind of recent British history, or just want to understand what an accomplished and disciplined terrorist organisation the Provisional IRA really was, then this is the book for you.

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Informative

Really interesting insight into events.
Gives the perspective primarily from the Police aspect but consideration is given to the feelings and thoughts of the IRA men
Learnt alot I never knew

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Listener received this title free

Full of history, psychology, terrorism and fear

This wonderfully narrated story steers the listener through the build up of the IRA terror campaign of the early 70s. The careful capturing of the details and personalities involved bring real depth to the story of terror, that until now were a sketchy childhood memory for me.

The analysis of human behaviour, both during and after the journey to the siege help bring a unique understanding to how the story unfolded, but also demonstrated how simple changes in human behaviour could have led to far greater human tragedies.

This period of history explains sympathetically how unprepared for on land terror campaigns the MET were, however, these clearly formed the base of skills and practices that are now such a key part of world class UK policing.

I wish many politicians would take a listen to the lessons learnt and captured in this book. As now against the fragile political background we currently face, reflecting on history and learning from it would serve those seeking power well.

RIP PC Stephen Tibble and all the brave police who have died in the line of duty to protect us

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Very Good and informative

This is a very in depth listen about The Batcombe St siege I was 5 at the time so don't remember it but I did start taking an interest in The Guildfor Four a year or two before their release. It is quite long but I would say you can't go wrong with this

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

The Road To Balcombe Street From Both Sides.

May I start by saying what an excellent piece of writing by Dr Steven P Moysey with expert narration by Jon S Dixon.

The dedication and hours of research that Dr Moysey put into this is nothing short of remarkable. I didn’t know what to expect from this book, but I didn’t foresee it being read as a sort of documentary, rather than actors playing the part with different voices.

As the introduction got underway, I found myself intrigued as it opened my mind and memories back to my childhood days. Funny how certain instances trigger your memory that you have put aside all those years, then suddenly comes back like it was only yesterday. We the public only ever get to hear one side of the story, with this book, we get to hear both. And, with both versions it really makes you stop and think.

Knowing full well that this book has now be made into a film. I tried to visualise certain scenes being played out on screen. However, what you hear and read in book format, is always played out differently on screen. Therefore, I would recommend to all, to listen too this audible version as it will in no way put you off the film.

Compared to some audible books, The Road To Balcombe Street is fairly short, but is highly in depth all the way through from being to end. I am so glad I had a chance to listen to this before the film version Borderland is released to all, as I feel now that I will be able to understand what is being played on screen with more understanding.

So once again, thank you to Dr Moysey for writing this book and many congratulations for this being made into a film, which it so rightly deserves.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Comprehensive, Insightful and Enthralling

For anybody with an interest in modern Irish history this is an absolute must read.

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Very well detailed and precise

The author demonstrates a good understanding of the reasons why the ASU was deployed

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

An important piece of work

Where to start? I was only a toddler when the events in Balcombe Street unfolded but the troubles in Ireland had far reaching effects. Towards the end of the book the author says he hopes the events will remain vivid enough in the memory to inform choices in the future... We should all share that hope. Jon Dixon's narration is superb - he has the gravitas to talk about such events and a voice that makes you want to pay attention. Superb.

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Excellent account of historical event.

Having lived through a lot of the troubles and remember watching the siege on television, this is an excellent account of what lead up to and the ending of the siege. It gives the public an insight into some of the reasons behind this event.


Very well narrated by Jon C Dixon, once you start to listen you are loathe to stop. Well done Mr Steven Moysey on an excellently written book, from a different perspective.

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