• Fri. Mar 29th, 2024

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The moving, and often humorous, memoirs of one soldier serving in the Middle East during the Second World War have been published as a lasting reminder of the experiences of a generation of young men.

The book, ‘Memoirs of a Not Too Serious Hussar’, written by Dennis Middleton decades after he served in WW2, details not only the horrors of war, but also the jokes, japes and comradeship they shared. It also contains many photographs from the time, which illustrate the social history of the time.

Dennis joined the South Notts Hussars, a Territorial Army artillery unit, before war was declared as he never believed Chamberlain’s claims of ‘peace in our times.’ Proved right, Dennis went to war a few months later, telling his mother he would be back in a couple of years. In fact it was five years later he returned home.

In that time Dennis was one of the few to serve under both Field Marshall Wavell and Field Marshall ‘Monty’ Montgomery. He saw action in at least six major battles during the desert campaign and was at the Siege of Tobruk for the entire 240 days of the campaign.

Dennis’s recollections include the tragic death of his best friend, his own capture, and release, but also memorable encounters with extraordinary individuals.

He writes ‘I shall never forget sitting at trestle tables in an olive grove under the stars. Exceptionally, because she was English although not an officer, they invited a Miss Travers, who sat next to me; an English woman in the Foreign Legion!”

Dennis also describes one of his most emotional moments which took place in Naples: ‘As he reached me I stopped and stared. He stopped. And I gasped ‘Peter?’ It was indeed my brother Peter, whom I had last seen as a boy of 16, and now miraculously stood before me as a young man of 21.’

Dennis prepared the handwritten memoir in the mid-1990s, as a record for himself and his family. It is now being published by his son Jeremy, who runs a successful investment firm, as a tribute to his father who was born and brought up in Nottingham.

He also left a hand-written note listing seven times he had a narrow escape:

  • Machine guns from German bomber in Tobruk
  • Rifle fire on the wire aimed at him
  • Shelling of OP – 20 minutes accurately on his trench
  • Knightsbridge near miss
  • Captured and later released
  • Bomb 6fr away on gun position
  • Machine gun at night mending wire in the salient, forward of front line trench

Jeremy said: “When I read it I can hear my father’s voice. He didn’t talk about the war much and, although we had heard the odd story, I had no idea what it was really like until I read his memoirs. I decided to publish it as it brings history alive by recounting at first hand the real experiences of that generation, experiences my generation has been spared, and that I hope and pray my children will be spared too.’’

The book is published by Sunderland-based Remember Media for £19.95 and available on Amazon.

Remember Media managing director Chris March says: “Memoirs of a Not Too Serious Hussar is a remarkable book: exciting, moving and often very funny. Dennis Middleton comes across as an ordinary man who was made extraordinary by the way in which he rose to the challenges of war. His essential humanity is always present, and his sense of the ridiculous is never far away.’’

Video can be found here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAbV5QY1ijw&feature=youtu.be

Ends

Distributed on behalf of Jeremy Middleton

For more information, contact Caroline Walker on 01325 363436

Memoirs of a Not Too Serious Hussar

By: Dennis Middleton with Jeremy Middleton

ISBN: 978-0-9933710-3-5

Available on amazon kindle for £9.95 and in hard copy from Remember Media at £19.95

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=a9_sc_1?rh=i%3Astripbooks%2Ck%3Amemoirs+of+a+not+to+serious+hussar&keywords=memoirs+of+a+not+to+serious+hussar&ie=UTF8&qid=1524667842

https://www.remembermedia.co.uk/product/memoirs-not-serious-hussar/

About the Author

Dennis Middleton joined the Territorial Army in 1939 knowing that war was coming. He fought with the South Notts Hussars (107th Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery) and the 76th Artillery Regiment in nine countries during WW2, including Egypt, Italy, France and Germany.

In civilian life, he worked for Barclays Bank before and after the war, where he went on to become a senior manager before he retired. In later life, he spent more than two decades travelling the world with his wife Vivienne until his death in 2005 at the age of 85.

Middleton Enterprises is an investment firm that represents the business interests of Jeremy Middleton. Its portfolio includes listed companies, venture capital and property investments.

It makes investments throughout the UK, with a particular focus on the North East from its office on the Quayside in Newcastle.

The team of 8 investment professionals work with successful entrepreneurs, helping them to grow their business. We have extensive experience in marketing, investment and finance.

http://www.middletonenterprises.com/jermy-middelton.html

https://twitter.com/JMiddletonCBE

https://www.facebook.com/JeremyMiddletonCBE