'Train to Nowhere speaks of another mood, a different time and a
grittier generation...This, surely, is the second world war we want
to rediscover in print' Robert McCrum, Observer
'If Evelyn Waugh's Mrs Algernon Stitch had been possessed of a
heart, a sense of humour, and a glorious prose style, it could be
said that she was a dead ringer for Anita Leslie. Train to Nowhere
is a glorious book, brought back to vivid life.' John Banville,
Booker Prize winning author of The Sea
'Train To Nowhere is the most gripping piece of war reportage I
have ever read: particularly affecting is Anita Leslie's account of
the Battle of Colmar, where her descriptions are almost too
unbearable to take in. What a writer! Her observations, mixed with
dry humour and compassion, place her at the heart of the conflict
and somehow apart from it, as a good historian should be.
Remarkable.' Joanna Lumley
Introduction by Penny Perrick
Part I: Middle East
1. Mechanized Transport Corps
2. Step Off
3. Cape to Cairo
4. Souls in Khaki
5. Desert’s Edge
6. Eastern Times
7. Beirut Base
8. Syrian Kaleidoscope
9. Transjordania
10. Ladies of Lebanon
11. Good Works and Bad
12. Goodbye Middle East
Part II: Italy
13. Spring in Italy
14. ‘Air Evac’
15. ‘Simple Soldat’
Part III: France and Germany
16. My Kingdom for an Ambulance!
17. Debut in the Vosges
18. Le Repos
19. Alsace at Last
20. Beside the Rhine
21. Christmas 1944
22. Winter Wait
23. Hospital
24. Battle of Colmar – Snow
25. Battle of Colmar – Thaw
26. Aftermath
27. Home
28. Bullets in Our Bonnets
29. We Finish Pétain’s Wine
30. The Murder of Lucette and Odette
31. ‘Der Krieg ist Beendet?’
32. Occupation
33. Extermination Camp
34. And so to Potsdam
35. White Wine on the Moselle
36. All Change
A Note on the Author
Index
Anita Leslie (1914–1985), daughter of Shane Leslie (Sir
John Randolph Leslie, 3rd Baronet) and first cousin once removed of
Sir Winston Churchill, was a writer of memoir and biography. She
joined the Mechanised Transport Corps as a fully trained mechanic
and ambulance driver during WWII, serving in Libya, Syria,
Palestine, Italy, France and Germany. She wrote letters home from
Hitler's office in the Reich Chancellery and took part in the
Victory parade in Berlin. In the latter part of the war she drove
an ambulance for the Free French Forces, and was awarded the Croix
de Guerre in 1945 by General Charles de Gaulle.
Leslie later married Commander Bill King and had two children. She
published seventeen books, the last in 1985 – the year she
died.
Train to Nowhere is the most gripping piece of war reportage I have
ever read: particularly affecting is Anita Leslie's account of the
Battle of Colmar, where her descriptions are almost too unbearable
to take in. What a writer! Her observations, mixed with dry humour
and compassion, place her at the heart of the conflict and somehow
apart from it, as a good historian should be. Remarkable.
*Joanna Lumley*
A vivid memoir, beautifully crafted, by a remarkable woman at a
unique period in modern history. Her skills of observation are
penetrating and make this book a marvellously accessible account of
WWII. Unputdownable
*The Mitford Girls*
Anita Leslie was a lionhearted heroine of the first order, whose
extraordinary bravery and sangfroid knew no bounds...An astonishing
life and a fascinating book
*Anjelica Huston*
In this remarkable memoir, originally published in the UK in 1948
and appearing in the US for the first time, Leslie writes with wit
and candor of fulfilling her patriotic duty as a female ambulance
driver
*Publishers Weekly*
A triumph of a memoir. Anita Leslie bears testament to the many
courageous women who lived and fought in World War II
*author of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire*
For every distressing episode there is the leavening effect of
Anita Leslie’s indomitable spirit, her canny observations and wry
sense of humour in the face of unimaginable adversity, all of which
turned the book into something quite unexpected and
extraordinary
*Dovegreyreader*
A vivid reminder that a woman can experience and write about a war,
and seventy years on, her words stand the test of time: precise and
compelling
*BBC broadcaster*
It's glorious! Had me utterly gripped, I couldn’t put it down. I
wish I’d been able to meet her and ask her a thousand questions
about the war
*BBC War Correspondent*
The emotional truths of front-line war revealed – a charming
writer, bold, female and brave
*Author of Death of a She Devil*
Train to Nowhere speaks of another mood, a different time and a
grittier generation...This, surely, is the second world war we want
to rediscover in print
*Observer*
If Evelyn Waugh's Mrs Algernon Stitch had been possessed of a
heart, a sense of humour, and a glorious prose style, it could be
said that she was a dead ringer for Anita Leslie. Train to Nowhere
is a glorious book, brought back to vivid life.
*Booker Prize winning author of The Sea*
Gripping…concise, brisk, funny, vivid and honest
*Daily Mail*
Anita Leslie's dispassionate account of her own extraordinary role
in World War II is a rediscovered gem, and her harrowing
description of the fighting in Alsace particularly stands out as
one of the finest pieces of war reporting to come out of that or
any other conflict.
*Author of Reporting War How Foreign Correspondents Risked Capture,
Torture and Death to Cover World War II*
A sharply observed account of one woman’s unique war. Surreal,
funny, dark, and profoundly moving. Gold dust
*Author of Lonely Courage*
Train to Nowhere is a delightful read and very enlightening,
Anita's obvious bravery and dedication is evident. I finished it
with a feeling of admiration for Anita.
*author of Rifleman*
Nobody else has written about the war like this, a mixture of
savagery and fun; perhaps Evelyn Waugh comes closest
*Author of Telling Tales: The Fabulous Lives of Anita Leslie*
It remains one of the most remarkable insights into life on the
frontline, offering a sometimes harrowing, sometimes heartwarming,
but always candid account of five years fighting the Nazis
*Daily Express*
Calm, youthful candour ... forthright acceptance of the whole duty
of war service
*Observer, 1948*
A terse, keen reticence and the summing up of deadly situations in
a line or two
*The Times, 1948*
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