
The Last Para
Michael Joseph Ltd (Publisher)
Published on 29. August 2024
Book
Hardback
432 pages
978-0-241-68632-4 (ISBN)
Description
READ THE FINAL FIRSTHAND ACCOUNT OF THE BATTLE OF ARNHEM BRIDGE FROM FORMER PARATROOPER JOHN HUMPRHEYS, AND BESTSELLING AUTHOR STUART TOOTAL
'The last of the legends. A gripping, visceral and immensely moving read. Courage beyond measure, coupled with humility to act as a lesson to us all. No more fitting tribute - we remember them' - DAMIEN LEWIS
'The determination of John Humphreys and his comrades of 1st Airborne Division in both attack and defence is legendary. This is a tale as brave as it is tragic' - SGT DAN MILLS, author of Sniper One
'From the fall of Tobruk to the bridge at Arnhem, few can compare to John Humphreys' war . . . Honest, insightful and sometimes painful. I enjoyed it very much indeed' TOM PETCH, AUTHOR OF SPEED, AGGRESSION, SURPRISE
----
A powerful and authentic account of one soldier's war from Tobruk to Arnhem and all points in between.
John Humphreys was just a boy soldier in the Royal Engineers when war was declared in 1939. By the war's end he had jumped into Arnhem with the Parachute Regiment to spearhead the attack on the bridge. For days Humphreys and the rest of his squad held on, outnumbered and outgunned by the German army fighting to the last bullet and refusing to surrender.
But the Bridge Too Far is only the climax of Humphreys' remarkable war. Twice captured as a prisoner of war, he twice escaped from the enemy to make his way back to Allied lines in order to rejoin the fight.
Aged 101, Humphreys began to pen his extraordinary story, with the help of bestselling author and former paratrooper Stuart Tootal. The Last Para is Humphrey's parting gift, and the final time we will read an account from a soldier of our Greatest Generation bearing witness to the heroism and sacrifice of this legendary action - told with incredible honesty and irrepressible spirit.
'Told with incredible honesty and an irrepressible spirit, this is the final firsthand account of the battle at Arnhem bridge' SUNDAY EXPRESS
'A remarkable tale' MARK URBAN
'The last of the legends. A gripping, visceral and immensely moving read. Courage beyond measure, coupled with humility to act as a lesson to us all. No more fitting tribute - we remember them' - DAMIEN LEWIS
'The determination of John Humphreys and his comrades of 1st Airborne Division in both attack and defence is legendary. This is a tale as brave as it is tragic' - SGT DAN MILLS, author of Sniper One
'From the fall of Tobruk to the bridge at Arnhem, few can compare to John Humphreys' war . . . Honest, insightful and sometimes painful. I enjoyed it very much indeed' TOM PETCH, AUTHOR OF SPEED, AGGRESSION, SURPRISE
----
A powerful and authentic account of one soldier's war from Tobruk to Arnhem and all points in between.
John Humphreys was just a boy soldier in the Royal Engineers when war was declared in 1939. By the war's end he had jumped into Arnhem with the Parachute Regiment to spearhead the attack on the bridge. For days Humphreys and the rest of his squad held on, outnumbered and outgunned by the German army fighting to the last bullet and refusing to surrender.
But the Bridge Too Far is only the climax of Humphreys' remarkable war. Twice captured as a prisoner of war, he twice escaped from the enemy to make his way back to Allied lines in order to rejoin the fight.
Aged 101, Humphreys began to pen his extraordinary story, with the help of bestselling author and former paratrooper Stuart Tootal. The Last Para is Humphrey's parting gift, and the final time we will read an account from a soldier of our Greatest Generation bearing witness to the heroism and sacrifice of this legendary action - told with incredible honesty and irrepressible spirit.
'Told with incredible honesty and an irrepressible spirit, this is the final firsthand account of the battle at Arnhem bridge' SUNDAY EXPRESS
'A remarkable tale' MARK URBAN
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Penguin Books Ltd
Dimensions
Height: 164 mm
Width: 244 mm
Thickness: 41 mm
Weight
674 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-241-68632-4 (9780241686324)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Stuart Tootal is an ex-Parachute Regiment colonel, a best-selling author, former corporate global head of security, and currently runs a change management consultancy. He served in Northern Ireland, the Gulf War, Iraq, and let 3 PARA into Afghanistan in 2006.