Lt General (Ret.d) Sir Simon Mayall KBE CB reflects on his childhood in Yemen and a remarkable military career that was interwoven with the last tumultuous half century of the Middle East and North Africa.

In this podcast interview by CMEC's Director Charlotte Leslie, Sir Simon talks about his time as a Soldier in the Sand, the title of his book, which is very much a personal history but one that explains the history of the Middle East in an eloquent and accessible way.