I noticed in yesterday's Daily Telegraph that Sidney Jary died on 5 August. Sidney was a splendid man and the author of the excellent '18 Platoon', which recounted his experiences as a platoon commander in the 4th Battalion The Somerset Light Infantry in NW Europe from July 1944 to 1945. Mandatory reading for anyone interested in how things were at bayonet level. I went on a battlefield tour to Normandy with him in 1996 and it was a privilege. He will be sorely missed by all who knew him. John
Always meant to get his book to add to my collection of 43rd Div books but so far haven't got one. RIP Mr Jary.
That is sad news. "18 Platoon" is definitely a worthy addition to any WW2 library, and particularly for understanding the day to day grind of the infantryman's war. Gary
Recommendation for Award for Jary, Sydney Walter Rank: Lieutenant Service... | The National Archives Reference: WO 373/52/695 Name Jary, Sydney Walter Rank: Lieutenant Service No: 296864 Regiment: 4 Battalion The Somerset Light Infantry Theatre of Combat or Operation: North West Europe 1944-45 Award: Military Cross Date of announcement in London Gazette: 22 March 1945
Dr Robert Lyman's latest email concerns Jary and his book. Worth a peek: The Essential Humanity of Soldiering There several threads about him and the book, I chose this one as the most recent.