WWII was the last time Western surgeons had to operate on the front-line, in make-shift theatres in shelled buildings and tents. Stanley Aylett’s skill and bravery in fighting to save wounded men whilst battle raged around them is astounding.
But this is more than a story of human courage and endurance – it reveals the passions of a young mansearching for love, dealing with the shock of war and the frustrating incompetence of his superiors and becoming a man in the harshest environment of all.
This is one of the most complete and expansive war testimonies ever written, sweeping across six years experiencing Dunkirk, Egypt, the D-Day landings, Sandbostel concentration camp and much else besides.