Dunkirk to the Rhineland: Diaries and Sketches of Sergeant C S Murrell, Welsh Guards

Fortunately Charles Murrell kept detailed diaries of his active service during the Second World War with the Welsh Guards initially as a Guardsman and, later, a Sergeant. His record starts on 10 May 1940 with the Blitzkrieg on Arras and the retreat to the Channel. He describes the chaos of the Dunkirk beaches and his own undignified evacuation with wry humour. The scene then shifts to June 1944 when the 1st Battalion, Welsh Guards set sail for Normandy. For the remaining months of the War there was constant action, be it the Battle for Caen, the costly break-out battles, the race for and liberation of Brussels, Operation MARKET GARDEN, the 'Island' and the Rhineland Battle. As a member of the Intelligence Section, the Author was aware of the 'big picture.' He often wrote in his trench whilst under mortar or shell fire and, thanks to his literary talent, the reader experiences the fear that he (and millions of others) felt. He shares his near-death experiences and other horrors of war. We read of the casualties and deaths of comrades, hair-raising motorbike rides, the fanaticism of the SS, ecstatic receptions in liberated villages and towns, the uneasy relationship with our American allies, and, at last, the joy of returning home. The gripping narrative is complemented by the Author's superb art work. The combination of words and pictures makes Dunkirk to the Rhineland a particularly powerful and exciting fighting man's memoir.