Publications
Not Forgetting the Ninth: The War Diary of Sgt Cyril Grimes 1944-45, edited by Sylvia Fox, published 2013 (164 pp., Timebox Press, ISBN-10: 095502191X & ISBN-13: 9780955021916)
Review by Wendy Muriel in Sussex Past & Present no. 135, April 2015:With the wealth of commemorations marking the 100th anniversary of the start of WW1 it is easy to overlook that this year is the 70th anniversary of the end of WW2. This book chronicles the last year of the war through the daily experiences of a soldier of the Royal Sussex Regiment as they travel to India, Burma and Malaya to take part in the campaign against the Japanese.
As he writes he tells us where he went, transport used, his duties and, of course, the weather. His concerns about his health, enjoyment of sport, visits to the cinema, dances, together with an overriding concern to keep himself and his clothes clean paint a picture of the man and what the realities of life were like in that theatre of war.
There are clear maps which detail their manoeuvres and photographs which convey the euphoria felt after the Japanese surrender. A very poignant account of a less well known aspect of the war.
As he writes he tells us where he went, transport used, his duties and, of course, the weather. His concerns about his health, enjoyment of sport, visits to the cinema, dances, together with an overriding concern to keep himself and his clothes clean paint a picture of the man and what the realities of life were like in that theatre of war.
There are clear maps which detail their manoeuvres and photographs which convey the euphoria felt after the Japanese surrender. A very poignant account of a less well known aspect of the war.