An Englishman at War: The Wartime Diaries of Stanley Christopherson DSO MC & Bar 1939-1945
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‘An astonishing record…There is no other wartime diary that can match the scope of these diaries’ James Holland
‘An outstanding contribution to the literature of the Second World War’Professor Gary Sheffield
From the outbreak of war in September 1939 to the smouldering ruins of Berlin in 1945, via Tobruk, El Alamein, D-Day and the crossing of the Rhine, An Englishman at War is a unique first-person account of the Second World War.
Stanley Christopherson’s regiment, the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry, went to war as amateurs and ended up one of the most experienced, highly trained and most valued armoured units in the British Army.
A junior officer at the beginning of the war, Christopherson became the commanding officer of the regiment soon after the D-Day landings. What he and his regiment witnessed presents a unique overview of one of the most cataclysmic events in world history and gives an extraordinary insight, through tragedy and triumph, into what it felt like to be part of the push for victory.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Reprint edition (24 April 2014), Transworld Digital |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| File size | 32677 KB |
| Text-to-Speech | Enabled |
| Screen Reader | Supported |
| Enhanced typesetting | Enabled |
| X-Ray | Not Enabled |
| Word Wise | Enabled |
| Sticky notes | On Kindle Scribe |
| Print length | 556 pages |
| Page numbers source ISBN | 0593068378 |
by David
PLEASE NOTE. In September 2021 James Holland will publish his account of the Sherwood Rangers under the title ‘Brothers in Arms’ Holland was the editor of Christopherson’s diaries now happily available again in paperback.
I fail to see how James Holland can do justice to the Sherwood Ranger’s history when we have the fulsome, authentic and real time voice of Stanley Christopherson telling the story in the greatest detail, during WWII, from the early Palestine days to the defeat of Germany.
One of the great accomplishments of Mr Holland was his brevity in editing, letting the author and events speak for themselves. I do not understand why Mr Holland needs to piggy back his own book off this definitive narrative, especially where one of his core sources must be this diary.
If you want to read the authentic history of the Sherwood Rangers I strongly suggest that this first person narrative is the best choice
******”””””””
I have a good grounding in WW II military history but not so much in tank warfare so I picked up a used ‘as new’ copy of ‘An Englishman at War’ from UKpaperbackshop on Amazon. I’d chosen this book for two reasons. First it was a war diary which covered the entire war and second it was a first person history of the evolution and fighting history of the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry, one of the finest tank regiments with over 30 battle honours, covering both the North Africa campaign through D Day and the Allied breakout to the end of the war.
Full praise to the editor of the diaries James Holland for resisting the temptation to give the reader a parallel history of the war, beyond short explanatory paragraphs setting the pace and context of the war in relation to the diary entries.
The rest is left to Stanley Christopherson to tell his own remarkable story from a subaltern in a mounted yeomanry in Palastine through a coastal defence role in the siege of Tobruk; as a mechanised squadron commander in North Africa including El Alamein and on into Europe, taking part in the D Day landing and the fierce fighting which followed. It brilliantly captures a regiment, its officers and men at war and at play.
Once I started reading I could not put it down. The first two thirds is war diary while the war in Europe from D Day and after is a full account written by Christopherson. You come to know and care for his brother officers and the men of the regiment as the diary unfolds. It is full of personal cameos, wit, wisdom and hard edged warfare, told by a man with a genuine curiosity for the people and events he encounters.
One word of caution to the reader. Stanley Christopherson is a modest man, particularly where his own actions are concerned. His positive attitude and determination to find humour in adversity sometimes downplay the awfulness of the events in which he took part,( such as the siege of Tobruk) mainly through his matter of fact writing style. Not once does Stanley mention his own decorations in the diary but is often so pleased when others are recognised for their contribution. This is where James Holland as editor does his job so well in providing just enough additional context to Stanley’s self-effacing reporting.
I do urge anyone who wants an end-to-end view of the mechanised war in North Africa and Europe to read the diaries of this remarkable man and to seek out a copy. It will be time well spent in the reading. The book is well illustrated so my recommendation is to avoid the Kindle version and go with the hardback. I picked up my mint copy for £6.00.
by Tim H
This must be one of the best ww2 diaries I have read. A truly magnificent log of someone extremely fortunate to have survived the war from begining to end when it is considered that he was on the frontline for much of it. The detail of life at the front, the actions in which he participated and his obvious concern for all the people in his command are remarkable. Read this if you are interested in what that generation did for those that followed
by Mark Chisholm
I think this is the third book I’ve read from tankermen of the Sherwood Rangers and at one point, I had to stop and check the others as some of the stories were so similar I thought I was re-reading a book. I did briefly wonder if that meant it was genuine or not as there have been plenty of recent books that are less than entirely honest.
However, as I continued to read and checked more, it is clear that this is a book of rare and genuine record. A book that wonderfully takes you into battle with a regiment of brave, capable and genuinely decent men.
Christopherson himself comes across as being a decent person in the best traditions of the British. Self effacing, modest and yet clearly had a backbone of titanium given that he literally fought from the beginning to the very end of WW2 – six years – in tanks where the chances of being hit were close enough to be 100%. That takes some level of bravery that I personally would struggle to find.
And yet despite the risks of death, the fear, the killing and losing of friends, Stanley Christopherson remains throughout a good human being. He retains a sense of humour a positive outlook and clearly cares for the men who served with and under him.
Of course along the way we, the reader, learn much about the day to day life of war. The randomness of death, the boredom and the times of terror and fear. Christopherson keeps things level throughout and does not resort to hyperbole or grandiose proclamations. He simply gets on with the war and his part in it.
Throughout the book James Holland adds additional information as required to ensure that the context of Stanley Christophersons writings are understood in the wider actions of the war. He keeps his comments short and to the point and overall it adds the exact amount of background you need without taking over.
For anyone interested in the human side of the tank war from the British perspective this book makes great reading. Highly recommended.
by Amazon Customer
A wonderful insight of a man, his absolute bravery and the regard for everyone in his care. Tremendous insight into the realities of war.
by Kindle Customer
This o ok is a picture of a regiment growing up during war time
In a little over 3 years the diarist can be seen growing from a junior officer interested in dancing and having a good time with his horses to being the officer in charge of a regiment of tanks and running that regiment professionally as an experienced officer tasked with hard and dangerous choices
In the form of a diary the insights it gives as to the mindset of the British army at the beginning of the war is edifying to say the least
It also charts the growth of the man who at the beginning has lots of comrades and friends in the regiment but at the end became I feel detached from the new replacements as the often only lived a few days or weeks
This is well worth reading