Monday 20 August 2012

The Glider Pilot Regiment - On Facebook!

At last, I've finally managed to find time to point you in the direction of The Glider Pilot Regiment's Facebook page! My apologies for taking so long.

The page was started and run by a good friend of Chalk's, Steve Wright who not only runs the FB page but is the author of 'The Last Drop: Operation Varsity, March 24-25, 1945' and 'One Night in June', along with running the website of the Glider Pilot Regimental Association here.

Steve is the first person I go to when I need any advice regarding the regiment and its great to see the Facebook page increasing in popularity and 'Likes', hint, hint...

So if you're interested in the Regiment and would like to give the page your support then please pay a visit immediately, I'm certain you won't be disappointed.

Link: The GPR Facebook Page

Stan Hodge Update

You'll remember that Chalk were fortunate to meet Stan Hodge at this year's War & Peace Show? Stan is a former member of the Dorsetshire Regiment who took part in the evacuation of Arnhem in September 1944.

Well, we weren't the only people that Stan met at this year's show, he also bumped into an old friend, a friend he hadn't seen since they fought together in Normandy!

Click on the link to the Daily Mail article covering this amazing reunion.

Link: Daily Mail Story

Link: Original Chalk Story

Bert Hadrill on the left and Stan Hodge, reunited at the War & Peace 2012. Photo courtesy of Daily Mail 2012.

Chalk - War & Peace Photo

I managed to stumble across this photo whilst 'Googling' the other day. It shows Chalk member Andy about to prepare a quick meal by the look of it?

If any of you out there have photographs of us at this year's W&P please do pass them on. Matt

Photo by Billynoms via Flickr. 2012.

Friday 3 August 2012

BOOK REVIEW: Nine Days by Ron Gibson

Last week, I was finally able to find a copy of 'Nine Days' by Ronald Gibson (formerly S.Sgt Ron Gibson, GPR). I'd been searching for this book for so long that I'd almost given up hope of ever finding it!

However, success wasn't a result of my investigative skills but actually due to the fact that the book has been reprinted by Ron's family.

Initially printed in 1956 'Nine Days' covers the full nine days of Operation Market Garden in 1944, from Sunday 17th to Monday 25th of September when survivors were evacuated across the river Rhine. Refreshingly Ron doesn't dwell on the 'bigger picture' of the battle, knowingly leaving this to future writers and film makers. This leaves us as much in the dark as he and many of his comrades throughout the battle, creating rather an insular world of uncertainty.

For living historians such as myself this book is a treasure trove of detail, from the writers location during the battle to what equipment and clothing he was using - priceless stuff!

It is the personal recollections such as this one, rather than the heavily researched strategic overviews that tell the real 'belt and braces' aspect of the battle. 'Nine Days' sits comfortably alongside other works such as 'Arnhem Lift' by Louis Hagen and 'Nothing is Impossible' by Victor Miller to paint true first hand accounts of one of the more confusing battles of the Second World War.

Overall this book is a well written and informative addition to any existing World War Two collection or as an introduction to Operation Market Garden. Either way, it's a must have book! Highly recommended.

For more information on S.Sgt Ron Gibson please follow the link below.

Link: S.Sgt Ronald Gibson 

My thanks to Candy Gibson for kindly allowing me to write this review. 'Nine Days' is available from Amazon and Fast Print Publishing.

Matt.