Immediate Response by Major Mark Hammond

http://bit.ly/7CSPKy

A Christmas gift for him.

Clare Macnaughton (nee Smith) is an independent freelance marketing communications consultant, married to an RAF Chinook Pilot.

Former Warminster resident, who was educated at New Close Primary School and Kingdown Comprehensive and has just co-written 'Immediate Response' by Major Mark Hammond DFC RM which after 2 weeks of sales entered The Sunday Times Non Fiction Hardback chart at number 9.

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article6802214.ece

Review

'Gutsy and authentic. You can practically feel the tracer whipping past. It's a great read.'

--SGT DAN MILLS, author or SNIPER ONE

2006 in Helmand saw British forces engaged in the most ferocious fighting since the Korean War. For much of the time they were hanging on by their fingertips, holed up in remote platoon houses, outnumbered, facing relentless assault and nearly overwhelmed. Only the Chinooks kept them in the game. But that meant their crews putting down in hot LZs, exposing their aircraft to withering attack from an enemy for whom downing one of the big helos would be the ultimate prize. They had been lucky. So far. Then they launched their biggest operation yet: a complicated, high-risk airborne assault that launched a fleet of heavily armed helicopters into the Afghan Heart of Darkness. And then a report came over the net that one of the Chinooks was down . . . In Immediate Response, Major Mark Hammond, a Royal Marine flying with the RAF, tells the gripping inside story of the Chinook squadrons’ war for the first time. It’s a visceral, unputdownable combination of hi-tech and old-fashioned grit; an action-packed story shot through with a mix of aviation fuel and cordite.

After leaving Kingdowm she completed a PR and Media degree at the College of St Mark and St John, Plymouth.

She worked for seven years for a range of PR businesses from agencies to in-house marketing communications, in all sectors from IT to FMCG. Clare then managed the communications programme for British yachtsman, Mike Golding, when he was competing in the Vendee Globe, non stop solo circumnavigation.

Deciding to go it alone in September 2005 she launched Maccom offering freelance marketing communication services in sports sponsorship.

Previously she successfully directed the communications strategy for the yacht racing event, the VELUX 5 OCEANS, a solo circumnavigation with stopovers, delivering over 60 million euro of global media coverage. Most recently she supported the strategic development of the communications plan for Artemis Investment Management's sponsorship campaign of Artemis Ocean Racing's Open 60 grand prix yachts with British skipper, Jonny Malbon and also, the finish of Scottish cyclist, Mark Beaumont's solo cycle circumnavigation of the world.

During Velux 5 Oceans she was instrumental in securing Sir Robin Knox Johnston a publishing deal with Penguin for his non fiction novel, The Force of Nature. These contacts lead to the publication of Immediate Response. Clare's parents still live in Warminster.