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List of books:
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Publisher: The History Press Eric Harden was the only British Army medic to be awarded the nation's highest honour for battlefield bravery during the Second World War, and remains the only rank and file member of the Royal Army Medical Corps to be awarded the Victoria Cross. As a pre-war member of the St. John Ambulance, he saw service during the 1940-41 Blitz and later volunteered for the Commandos, undergoing the same rigorous training as the fighting men before being attached to 45 Royal Marine Commando. He landed with his unit on D-Day and was involved in some of the fiercest fighting of the Normandy Campaign. During a bitter battle on the Dutch-German border, Harden, known throughout his unit as Doc, was killed saving the lives of wounded men trapped in no-man's land. Commenting on the posthumous award, the Secretary of State of War said, "I do not remember ever reading anything more heroic."
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Norwich - A Shattered City: The Story of Hitler's Blitz on Norwich and Its People, 1942 Publisher: Halsgrove During two nights of intense bombing in April 1942 Norwich suffered its worst ordeal of the war as Hitler targeted the cathedral city for destruction as part of his vengeance campaign designed to lay waste Britain's cultural centres. Known as the Baedeker raids, the German bombers tore the heart out of the city, turning the commercial centre to a near wasteland, and leaving entire streets in ruins. Yet, ironically, though there was heavy loss of life, with over 200 deaths caused by these raids alone, the majority of the city's most historic buildings, including its Norman castle and cathedral, escaped the bombs and the fires that ravaged so many shops, factories and homes.
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VCs of the First World War: Gallipoli Publisher: Sutton Though a disastrous defeat, the landings on the Gallipoli Peninsula in April 1915 were characterised by courage and carnage on an epic scale. In this unique study, the progress of the campaign is charted through the exploits of a small band of heroes who scaled peaks of valour during the course of the 11-month long struggle. Beginning with the commando-style naval raids, it relates the stories of all 39 men whose bravery during the Gallipoli campaign was rewarded by the Victoria Cross. They include biographical studies of the war's first Australian VC, first New Zealand VC and first Royal Marine VC.
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Back list of books:
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Images of Norwich Publisher: Breedon Books Based on the magnificent library of photographs held by Eastern Counties Newspapers (now Archant), Images of Norwich represents a pictorial journey down a host of 'memory lanes'. It boasts around 300 pictures, some of them previously unpublished, that were selected and researched by Steve Snelling. The book transports you along ghostly streets to the days when the Canaries ruled the roost at The Nest and offers glimpses into the everyday lives of ordinary folk at work and at play. Special sections focus on the war and the post-war reconstruction which hastened the city's slum clearance programme. |
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Over Here: The Americans in Norfolk during World War II Publisher: Breedon Books A nostalgic and poiganant look back to the wartime days when Norfolk was transformed into a 'Little America' by the friendly invasion of thousands of US airmen. In words and pictures, Over Here charts the story of their arrival through to their departure. More than 250 photographs, together with a plethora of eyewitness accounts, evoke a vanished era that left enduring ties. It tells of the stresses of combat, tragic accidents and the high-spirited partying. Above all, it recalls the special relationship that was forged between thousands of young Americans and the people of Norfolk amid the dark days of war. |
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VCs of the First World War - Passchendaele 1917 Publisher: Sutton Few campaigns in history strike a more chilling chord than the Third Battle of Ypres. Spanning the summer and autumn of 1917, the struggle that became known as Passchendaele claimed the lives of more than 60,000 British and Commonwealth servicemen, but failed in all its original strategic objectives. The squandered heroism of thousands of men was reflected in the award of 61 Victoria Crosses to men from Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa. They included the unique posthumous Bar to Noel Chavasse, the first Cross to a general and the first such honour to a member of the newly-established Tank Corps. |
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VCs of the First World War - The Naval VCs Publisher: Sutton A biographical record of the 42 men who were awarded the nation's highest award for military valour during naval operations in the First World War. The far-flung actions range from the river war in Mesopotamia to the audacious raid on Zeebrugge and feature all manner of craft from tiny motor launches to giant battlecruisers. The exploits covered in the book include some of the most stirring episodes in naval history; from the heroic landing at Cape Helles to the deadly cat-and-mouse encounters between disguised merchantmen and enemy submarines. Prominent among their distinguished ranks is one of the war's most iconic figures – Boy First Class Seaman Jack Cornwell, whose conduct on the deck of HMS Chester during the Battle of Jutland made him a posthumous national hero at the age of just 16. |
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