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The Psychiatrist - John West

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  The Psychiatrist – John West   This is a truly gripping book.  It weaves together brilliant research, a deep understanding of World War 2 and a half-told memoir into a fantastic fact-based novel.  Inspired by a true story. Eric West wanted to put World War 2 behind him.  So why, After a lifetime of helping and healing others, did psychiatrist, Dr Eric West, decide to revisit the scenes of his worst nightmares? He never wanted to talk about the debacle at Dunkirk.  he never wanted to relive the retreat from Cassel in 1940 and his capture at the hands of the occupying German forces. He wanted to blank out the horror of that journey to the POW camp deep in the heart of Easter Europe and the subsequent four years of his life where, along with other Dunkirk veterans, he was incarcerated and brutally used as a forced slave labourer for the Third Reich. He never spoke about his Long march Home in the winter of 1945.  In ‘The Psychiatrist’ the author John West tells a story of the psycho
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Moro Warrior - Thomas McKenna

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  As the interest in World War 2 continues to flower.   People begin to realise it is far more than battles and tactics and some of the more fascinating stories are the personal stories, the individuals from all nations and how they contributed to this worldwide conflict. In Moro Warrior, the author, Thomas McKenna has captured a truly remarkable story of a Philippine Chieftain, an American School Master, and the remarkable story of resistance fighters in the Pacific. Remarkable is a great word to use with this book.    It is a story of friendship, of tragedy, of differing cultures.     Though it is a story of war it is far more than that, it captures at its heart the human nature of war and how friendships are developed. The author has obviously undertaken immense detailed research and that is reflected in the passionate writing that weaves a stunning story from start to finish.   What I really loved was that this is a narrative history, not only researched but with what are cle
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Location: Doncaster, UK
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The ENGLISH GI - World War II Graphic Memoir

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  A confession, as an adult I have never read a graphic novel or book.   As a child these would be known as comics. This graphic memoir/book is NOT a comic.  It is a story of a journey.  With The English GI – A World War II Graphic memoir of a Yorkshire Schoolboy’ Adventures in the United States and Europe the author Jonathan Sandler expertly tells the story of his grandfather Bernard Sandler, and his journey from Leeds to America to Europe and back again. This is an adventure story, a love story, a story of a journey of finding yourself. It is emotional, it is exciting, and it really grips you. “Stranded in New York, Bernard must grow up quickly. He discovers the pleasures of Broadway and Jazz and is finding his independence when the United States declares war in 1941. Bernard is drafted into the US Army, joining the 26 th Yankee Division. He returns to Europe to serve on the front line alongside General Patton’s Third Army". The format works really well and will have a ve
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Location: Doncaster, UK
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WOMEN in the WAR - Lucy Fisher

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  The understanding of the role women played in World War 2 is as important as any other aspect of the war.   Without women the “war effort” would have ground to a halt and potentially the war could have been lost. In Women in the War author Lucy Fisher has gathered a number of personal stories of the role women played.     Each chapter tells a different personal story of lives, of plans, of their families and friends and of their futures. What this book does brilliant is tell their story.   Not just of the myriad of roles women fulfilled within the war from Pilot to wireless operator to Land girl to factory worker.    These are 10 very personal stories.   It talks about their everyday, their fights for equality, what they sacrificed and how they were treat.   I loved this book. These amazing women and their stories have been captured brilliantly by the author.     She has really brought them to life in a poignant thought-provoking way.   There are also some rare gems that are st
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Location: Doncaster, UK
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Reconstructing and Recording Combat Experiences in First World War and World War 2

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  One of the many interesting discussions I have been involved in of late has been about the writing and recording of combat experiences and how reliable or not those accounts are. Some of the first books we all read on the wars is those of soldiers, sailors and airmen and their personal experiences, their involvement in war, what they saw and felt.   We get drawn in by the excitement, heroism, action, and outcomes. A lot of time we have read these in isolation without being able to share with others that have our interest and without understanding the wider context. In some ways that comes with age and experience. Social Media has enabled people from all over the world to come together and discuss all aspects of war and the question of “Reconstructing and Recording combat experiences in World War 1 and Second World War” keeps coming to the fore. As we understand more, we start to question the evidence in front of us. We start to understand how these accounts are written and how ac
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Location: Doncaster, UK
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Needing to understand why I study conflict and war

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  I have had a problem. I have struggled for a while to read or review any books. The war and atrocities in Ukraine have really had me asking questions of myself and why I have this interest in all things related to conflict. I have had to understand why I do what I do, why I read these books, why I undertake the research I do and what all that means. Its taken time for me to understand what it is. The conclusion I have come to and finally squared it away in my mind is that yes, I study war and conflict, but I do not celebrate them. War is bad on all levels from the loss and destruction it causes to the impact on countries and those that live each day wondering what happens next. I study it because I want to understand the whys and the how’s. I want to understand the past so I can understand the now and the future. War is driven by men with egos, men who stop caring about people but only about their ideology. There is so much more to war and conflict than death and destruction.
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Location: Doncaster, UK
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Radio Operator on the Eastern Front - Erhard Steiniger

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  This is the second of my book reviews on the German soldiers’ experiences in World War II. Erhard Steinigers autobiography ‘Radio Operator on the Eastern Front’ takes you on a journey from Conscription through Barbarossa to the battle of Leningrad and finally to being a prisoner of the Soviets. Steiniger’s reflections saw him serve in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Russia as a signaler in the 151 st Infantry Regiment.   As a signaler he had to be at the forefront of the battle with the soldiers and this is very much a first-hand account of what that experience was like.    The horrors of war on the Eastern Front are really drawn out. This book is exceptional well written and translated.   The autobiography does not glorify war but shows what war was like for a soldier on the ground right at the forefront of a battle.   The life and horrors that were experienced.     The over 110 illustrations and photographs throughout the books give a fascinating insight into life of Erhard
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Location: Doncaster, UK
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