Journalist Dennis Abbott (North Wales Weekly News, The Sun, Daily Mirror) will give a talk at Llandudno Museum and Art Gallery on Tuesday, 29 October (1pm) about his experiences as an Army reserve officer and media handler in southern Iraq.

The talk coincides with the launch of Operation Telic and the Liberation of Iraq – From the Desert Rats to the Media War (Pen and Sword Military), a riveting diary-based account of an action-packed tour in Basra.

Abbott vividly describes the highs and lows of serving two ‘masters’ – his demanding military commanders on one hand and a voracious press on the other.

One of his first missions is dealing with a barrage of media questions following the brutal murder of six Royal Military Police by a crazed mob. There are lighter moments, too, as the author recalls stories that fortunately didn’t make the news at the time.

Copies of Operation Telic will be available for sale at the event.

The Times describes the book as “gripping” and The New York Post as “authoritative and authentic”. War historian and author Dr Helen Fry praises it as “a compelling and important eye-witness account, told with such clarity and honesty”.

Entry to the talk is £5, with cheese and wine included.