Published by Woodfield in 2001, 202 pages. Paperback N8056)
From the rear side cover: When World War Two began, 19-year-old Alec Waldron had to choose between the pacifist beliefs he had been raised to espouse as a member of the Exclusive Plymouth Brethren and his desire to serve his country in the armed forces. He chose the latter, eventually joining the Ist Battalion (later renamed No.2 Wing) of the Glider Pilot Regiment.
As a pilot, he took part in the airborne invasions at Sicily (July 1943) and Arnhem (September 1944) and his first-hand accounts of these engagements - both infamous for ending in defeat for the Allied forces - make for fascinating reading. He was also closely involved in planning for the highly successful glider operations that took place in June 1944, capturing strategic targets in Normandy prior to D-Day.
But it was during 'Operation Market-Garden' - the greatest airborne invasion ever mounted - that Alec faced the most daunting challenge of his wartime career. After successfully landing his Horsa glider in its target zone near Arnhem, he found himself in the midst of a furious battle. Over the following days as enemy forces closed in on all sides, No.2 Wing HQ lost its RSM and every officer killed or wounded, and Alec, a Staff Sergeant, became highest-ranking survivor and was required to take command. By this time his unit was surrounded and under intense enemy fire. Just when all seemed lost, a bridgehead was opened up which allowed Alec and the last few able-bodied members of his unit to make a perilous crossing of the Rhine to safety. (Alec was later awarded a Mention in Despatches and a Commission.) From Pacifist to Glider Pilot tells his remarkable story....
The condition of the book is generally very good. The covers are clean and bright, the spine is intact, and all pages are intact, unblemished and tightly bound.