Paul Smith 
Aye Ready 
Rangers War Heroes

Hero. A word used and abused in football, but for those who fought for their country in Britain’s armed forces during the brutal conflicts of the twentieth century, there can be no better description. And over the years, Rangers Football Club has produced its share of true heroes. The club’s traditional motto, 'Aye Ready’, has applied on the pitch for well over a century, but for a generation of Ibrox stars, those words were carried onto the battlefields on foreign shores as they fought for their country. Some emerged to once again to pull on their football boots, others were less fortunate and paid the ultimate price for their loyalty to the cause. All will forever be remembered as Rangers heroes. Aye Ready profiles the stories of a selection of the club’s war veterans – their life and times in football, along with the battles they fought, in a lasting tribute to a band of men who represented Rangers with distinction.

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Paul Smith has worked as a journalist in Scotland for 13 years, covering news and sport for a variety of publications. He served his apprenticeship with DC Thomson, working on the Dundee Courier and Sunday Post, before becoming editor of the Inverurie Herald. He joined the sports desk team at the Aberdeen Press and Journal in 2001 and spent eight years in that department before being appointed head of photographic in 2009. He covered his first Dons game as a reporter in 1996, having first attended Pittodrie during Sir Alex Ferguson’s reign, and is the son of former Aberdeen, Rangers and Scotland player Dave Smith. As an author his previous titles include The Legends of Aberdeen and Gothenburg Glory. Paul lives in Aberdeenshire with his wife Coral and children Finlay and Mia.