A truck drivers very British experience of ww2
Firstly I chose to read A Soldiers Story book to get a better understanding of what it must have been like to be a truck driver during WW2. As I am doing a family history project with my Nana Jenny mapping out of the family tree, genealogical research, and discovering our family through the wars.
Family History Research
So many people went to war and joined the territorial army as ordinary soldiers. They saw a lot but often would never tell their stories when they came back. My Truck driving 7th Green Howards Grandfather Stanley was one of those many. This book is exceptionally close to what Stanley must have experienced since Neville served in the same Tyne Tees 50th Northumbrian Division, 59th Royal Army service crops. Stanley was in the 50th Northumbrian infantry division Wales own Yorkshire battalion. Moving rations to the front line infantry brigades driving his 15cwt.
I gave my Nana this book to help re-surface some of the memories that she has of the little stories my Grandfather Stanley Coleman told her. Jenny confirmed that alof of the book sounds similar to that of the stories and events my Stanley mentioned, especially Neville's experience in North Africa supporting the British army moving tons of supplies.
Wanting to understand what it was like serving the 50th Northumbrian Division?
Mike Wood wrote the book as in written in first person from the eyes of his father Neville Wood “Timber”
A combination of many conversations, Timbers own war diary extracts and additional extensive ww2 research. Makes this book feel personal, informative but yet light-hearted. These firsthand accounts combined with historical facts allows the reader to truly understand what it was like during these incredible times. This book takes you on a journey with a young man who went off to war with little training who was lucky to come home as an experienced solider.
When I read this book I feel that I am sitting there in front of Neville in his room whilst he tells me his soldier's story. Whilst being amazed that he came back and lived a normal life. He witnessed many terrible things that could have easily been his last but had quite the experience of adventures and camaraderie that kept him going, even while his troubled love life kept his thoughts back home.
The book is not all doom and gloom as the book shares with you many jokes, camaraderie, and mischief they got up to. Throughout this book, it is spliced with maps and references inside allowing you to continue your research.
You don’t have to be a World War 2 enthusiast to want to read this book. The book puts it into the perspective of what they went through but there are some funny tails to read also.
Truck drivers were a huge target in WW2 for tanks and planes, so not many of them came back.
Looking for a book about the 59th RASC? This is it.
Get to meet the author https://literaryconsultancy.co.uk/2020/05/a-soldiers-story-comes-to-life/
Available on Amazon, this is the UK link.
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