[RSM]

Thank God and the Infantry - from D-Day to VE-Day with the 1st Battalion Royal Norfolk regiment. John Lincoln. Amberley Publishing. 2009.

I stumbled across this book in a well known Norfolk seaside town. I'd never seen the book before, never saw it advertised, and after picking it up and having a quick flick through I had to have it. Mine is a soft back copy. It has photos throughout, snapshots mainly. The print quality of these is not so good but nonetheless interesting to look at. (In the photos where they are wearing their berets a square patch of material can be seen behind Britannia - I wonder what the significance of this might be? Anyway.........)

As the title suggests, this book covers the 1st Btn as it fights its way from the Normandy bridgehead, through Belgium and Holland and finally into Germany. It's not one of those dry regimental diary-type books but a fast moving account heavily reliant on gripping first hand recollections from the Norfolk veterans. The tales told are of course familiar; the endless cycle of digging in, night patrols, heavy stonking from a determined enemy, advancing under fire through minefields, the sheer bloody bravery involved, the death of a mate. But underneath it all is the stubbornness and resolution to 'do the job' as professionally as possible despite the hardships. It is a fitting tribute to the British Infantryman and for anyone interested in such matters it's well worth reading.