Once A Hussar

This WWII memoir offers a vivid chronicle of combat in Egypt with the 107th Royal Horse Artillery and a daring escape from an Italian POW camp. When the Second World War broke out, Ray Ellis was a patriotic teenager eager to serve his country. Once a Hussar is Ellis’s gripping account of his wartime experiences. A gunner for the 107th RHA, South Notts Hussars, he fought in the Western Desert Campaign and distinguished himself as the last soldier to fire on advancing German troops in the devastating Battle of Knightsbridge. Captured by the Italian Royal Army, Ellis suffered harrowing deprivation as a prisoner-of-war before executing a daring escape to join the partisan forces in the Apennine Mountains. Told with self-deprecating humor and a keen eye for detail, Ellis’s story honestly depicts the horror of war, but also reveals the triumphs of the human spirit in times of great hardship.

Once a Hussar is a true account of the wartime experiences of Ray Ellis. As an impressionable teenager, fired with national pride, he was eager to join the army and fight for his country. He enlisted in the South Notts Hussars at the beginning of World War II and began a journey which would take him through fierce fighting in the Western Desert, an Italian prisoner of war camp and a daring escape to join the partisan forces in the Apennines. His story is an honest and moving memoir of the unimaginable horrors of warfare but also reveals the surprising triumphs of the human spirit in times of great hardship. Ellis's self-deprecating humour skilfully counters the harsh realities related in a personal recollection of a war that claimed so many young lives.

Always a Hussar continues the chronicle of Ray Ellis's life. His previous book, Once a Hussar, describes his exploits during the Second World War. He picks up his story again at the end of his overseas service. After his years of fighting in the western desert and the deprivation suffered during his time as a prisoner of war, he is suddenly returned to an England that is unfamiliar to him. This happened in the days before Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome was a recognised condition and restorative treatment, such as rehabilitation, was not yet an available option. Ellis leads us, unsparingly, through the harrowing personal breakdown of his selfhood and documents the painful results of his disturbing behaviour. However, this is not merely a story of bitterness and regret. Instead, it charts his journey through his darkest days, his self-generated recovery and his eventual arrival at a state of contentment and peace of mind. Always a Hussar is a celebration of the resilience of the human spirit.

Corporal Harold J. Skaarup of Carleton County, New Brunswick was a Sherman tank commander in A Squadron of the 5th Armoured Regiment, 8th Princess Louise's New Brunswick Hussars during the Second World War. On the morning of the 31st of August 1944, he and his tank crew were fighting the Germans in Italy near a hill known as Point 136. His Squadron had already lost twelve of 19 tanks, ten to German 88mm anti-tank shells and 2 to breakdowns. That morning, Harold's tank was hit by a shell fired from a German 88mm anti-tank gun, and Harold was badly injured. Although he and his tank crew bailed out of the burning Sherman, mortar rounds began to land on them. Harold was hit again, this time taking shell fragments in his chest. He was evacuated to a field hospital in the rear area, but died later from his wounds on the 6th of September 1944. He was 24 years old. Today he lies buried in a Commonwealth War Grave in Montecchio, Italy. He never got home to tell his story. This record is a partial chronicle of his service, by his nephew. We never met, but I do carry his name.

Exploiting Muscovy's Time of Troubles, Poland has invaded the chaotic country. Twenty-two-year-old Jacek Dąbrowski is an honorable, ferocious warrior in a company of winged hussars-an unrivaled, lethal cavalry. When his lieutenant dies in battle, Jacek is promoted to replace him, against the wishes of his superior, Mateusz, who now has more reason to eliminate him. Jacek dedicates his life to gaining the king's recognition and manor lands of his own. Consequently, he closely guards his heart, avoiding lasting romantic entanglements. Unscathed on the battlefield, undefeated in tournaments, and adored by women eager to share his bed, Jacek has never lost at anything he sets out to conquer. So when he charges toward his goals, he believes nothing stands in his way. Upon his return from battle, Jacek deviates from his ordinarily unemotional mindset and rescues enemy siblings, fifteen-year-old Oliwia and her younger brother, Filip, from their devastated Muscovite village. His act of mercy sets into motion unstoppable consequences that ripple through his well-ordered life for years to come-and causes him to irretrievably lose his heart. Oliwia has her own single-minded drive: to protect her young brother. Her determination and self-sacrifice lead her to adopt a new country, a new religion, and a new way of life. But it's not the first time the resilient beauty has had to remake herself, for she is not what she appears to be. As Jacek battles the Muscovites and Tatars threatening Poland's borders for months at a time, Oliwia is groomed for a purpose concealed from her. All the while, Mateusz's treachery and a mysterious enemy looming on the horizon threaten to destroy everything Jacek holds dear.

This is the official tie-in edition to the BBC adaptation of War and Peace with an exclusive introduction written by Andrew Davies. Tolstoy’s beguiling masterpiece entwines love, death and determinism with Russia’s war with Napoleon and its effects on those swept up by the terror it brings. The lives of Pierre, Prince Andrei and Natasha are changed forever as conflict rages throughout the early nineteenth century. Following the rise and fall of some of society’s most influential families, this truthful and poignant epic is as relevant today as ever. This six part adaptation has been written by Bafta-winning author Andrew Davies and will be directed by Tom Harper (Peaky Blinders, The Scouting Book for Boys, Woman in Black: Angel of Death). Accompanied by a stellar cast including Paul Dano (12 Years a Slave, Prisoners, There Will Be Blood) as the idealistic Pierre, James Norton (Happy Valley, Belle, Grantchester) as the ambitious Prince Andrei and Lily James (Cinderella, Downton Abbey) as the impulsive beauty Natasha. It also features the legendary Jim Broadbent (Moulin Rouge, Harry Potter, Longford), Gillian Anderson (The Fall, The X-Files), Greta Scacchi (White Mischief, Presumed Innocent) and many more.