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.
