Andy Johnson was born and educated in York, attending Dringhouses Primary School and Ashfield Secondary Modern (now the site of York College). He joined the Army at the age of 16, just weeks after leaving school, and enlisted in the Coldstream Guards. He served in the regiment for 24 years, seeing service in Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan, before retiring in March 2009 as the Regimental Sergeant Major of the Coldstream Guards. He is an active member of the Coldstream Guards Association and in 2009 was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for his exemplary service over a quarter of a century.
Andy spent four years of his military career as an instructor at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, the world’s foremost leadership academy. He has had several professional military articles published in the Coldstream Guards Gazette (2008) and the Guards Magazine (Spring 2008), including ‘Fighting Patrol to Mirmandab’ and ‘That Article There’. He features in the DVD Documentary British Military Heritage: The Story of the Guards (Strike Force Entertainment 2010). He has recently written the prequel to Seelöwe Nord, entitled Thunder in May, which was released on 18th July 2011. His third novel, again set in World War II, is on schedule for release in summer 2012. Andy donates a percentage of his annual profits to UK military charities. In the financial year 2010-2011, he made donations to ABF: The Soldiers’ Charity (Army Benevolent Fund) and the Current Operations Casualty Fund of the Coldstream Guards.
PROFESSIONAL SPEAKING
Andy also pursues a parallel career as a professional speaker and lecturer. He lectures mainly on the subject of leadership and management where he uses his vast experience and knowledge of these subjects to deliver training and tools that have a very real, and very immediate effect. In addition to this, he also undertakes smaller lecturing jobs, such as motivational and educational talks in schools and colleges, and ‘voice of experience’ talks to community interest groups. He talks on a range of subjects, from his military experiences to creative writing and making a break into the world of publishing. Andy is developing a seperate website for the leadership and management aspects of his lecturing, however, should any group wish to book Andy as a speaker within the UK regarding his ‘voice of experience’ talks, they can make enquiries via the contact page on this website. Please ensure you tell us your name, contact telephone number and e-mail address, and the subject area you are interested in, and we’ll get Andy to contact you as soon as possible.
