ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First and foremost I would like to thank Lofty Carr, Mike Sadler and James Patch, three of the handful of LRDG veterans who, 75 years later, still talk with pride and affection of their time in the unit. This book is dedicated to you, and your former comrades, who served with such gallantry and guile in the Long Range Desert Group.

I am also grateful to Grenville Bint for his assistance in my research, particularly in the supply of some many of the wonderful photographs in the book, and my thanks, too, to the SAS Regimental Archive, who allowed me access to their treasure trove of LRDG records.

Similarly, I am indebted to Jonathan Pittaway, author of the excellent history of the Rhodesian members of the LRDG, and John Valenti, who does such a fine job running the LRDG Preservation Society, and who generously granted me permission to reproduce some of his photos in this book.

Thank you to the staff at the Imperial War Museum, the National Archives in Kew and the Churchill Archives in Cambridge.

Several relatives of LRDG personnel exhibited great kindness during my research in unearthing documents and diaries, notably Barbara Atherton, daughter of Harry Horton, one of the unit’s most efficient signallers, and Ian Chard.

Thank you to my agent, Felicity Blunt, and her assistant, Jessica Whitlum-Cooper, at Curtis Brown for their diligence on my behalf.

Finally, I’d like to thank the team at Osprey on must be congratulated for their enthusiasm, efficiency and editing. Thanks for an excellent job.