D P Mayes
Having read several history books documenting the latter years of World War 2, I found this story about the short life of Coldstream Guardsman, Basil Bateman particularly moving. One becomes accustomed and almost desensitised to injesting lots of grim facts and statistics whilst reading about the numerous battles the Allied forces faced from 1944 onwards. However this book, greatly portrays the horrors experienced by this young man from Oxfordshire, and the sights, sounds, and smells he would have encountered during his time in northern Europe. The author achieves a contrast from the mayhem on the battlefield and the relative tranquility of family life back in England. If you are looking for a book which really tells what it must have been like for an ordinary young chap like Basil thrown into the chaos of war, then I would recommend reading it, as this story delivers it comprehensively.
