This first book by the author describes history in the making. It is a first hand account of a man's journey from adolescence into the life and death realities of World War II. As a member of the First Special Service Force -- a unique international commando unit later nicknamed The Devil's Brigade -- the author experience the war from unusual angles. His various wartime travels took him to locales as different as the Aleutians and the Atlas Mountains, and ultimately to Italy and southern France. The author's "baptism of fire" included the siege of LaDifensa, the landing at Anzio, the hard-fought road to Rome, and the French Riviera. His tale is a compelling one, of high adventure and the camaraderie of youth, of tragedy and triumph, of the near misses that only a survivor can tell about -- all of it told from the perspective of age.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
Cottingham's Once Upon A Wartime is a vivid and compelling account of the author's time as a member of the First Special Service Force (an elite international commando unit nicknamed 'The Devil's Brigade' during the second world war. It is most impressive in the way the author ia able to recall and record events in considserable detail yet still reflect (and write) with the kind of perspective which time lends. Once Upon A Wartime is both an engaging adve adventure story full of riveting episodes and colorful characters, and a mature, considered work showing profound understanding of the personal and social effects of international conflict. Despite this, Mr Cottingham does n does not aim to lecture his readership: this work is first and foremost a personal memoir, and a well-construct- ed and energetic one at that. His facinating, eventful life gives him ample material on which to draw, but it is his abilty to write in a lucid and entertaining manner that makes Once Upon A Wartime so successful.
Evidently Mr. Cottingham is a natural communicator. The literary style he adopts is fluent and the tone of the manuscript - warm but not excessively intimate - entirely appropriate for a work of this nature. In short this is a professional, accomplished and consistently engrossing submission. -- Angelina Anton - Minerva Press Review
This book is a very personal account of one man's war. Much of it is told in the style of a detailed and descript- ive report which war veterans in particular will appreciate. However, Mr. Cottingham's distinctive story teller voice reveals itself in such passages as "long lines of bodies waiting to be outfitted in the 'King's Burlap' as the uniforms were referred to. Or in another passage ".some idiot on one of the naval ships decided to fire a round from a very large calibre gun. That really started the old adrenalin flowing." And another.."we found ourselves cowering stricken while all around us there was burning armor, ... Mechanized Gladiators in a hellish melee of fire and steel and noise." War transforms for good or evil those who have been touched by it and does it often in a single day or even a single moment, Cottingham writes, "That was the night which changed our outlook on this world forever.:" It was probably on the night of horrifying shell fire when he and his comrads faced death not for moments but for "what seemed like an eternity-" that Cottingham changed from a young man full of bravado and the desire for adventure to the young man who, on returning home, was perceptive enough to write the following: "Upon siding up to the pier in Halifax, Nova Scotia those of us who had experi- enced the faces of war torn Britain and Europe could only stare in wonder at the worry free faces looking up from the crowd below us on the dock."
Once Upon A Wartime was written for the author's family and descendants. It will also appeal to friends and old comrades. Veterans will read it and feel they are walking in their own shoes. Schools should use it, for although it is impossible to teach the meaning of war, like many impossible tasks it still needs to be attempted. -- Margot Coulter - Neepawa Press Book Review
About the Author
Peter Layton Cottingham was born in rural Manitoba, Canada,on the 23rd of November 1921. Was educated in Swan River school and St. John's College School in Winnipeg, Manitoba. In 1940 He joined the Canadian Army as Canada was at war with Ger,many.
He subsequently managed to transfer into an international parachute commando unit known as the First Special service Force. During his time with the Force (known as the Devil's Brigade) he served in the Aleutian Islands against the Japanese.
From there he shipped to North Africa and finally Italy where he saw action on several fronts including the liberation of Rome. After a short respite his unit made an assault on the South Coast of France which included the liberation of Grasse, Nice and Menton and many villages in between. Following the war he beacame a salesman and developer of a ski resort. Once Upon A wartime if his first book.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Brief well paced narrative,
By Hugh Rooney (Glenview, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Once Upon a Wartime: A Canadian Who Survived the Devil's Brigade (Paperback)
Cottingham does a very good job of tracing his war experiences from the Aleutians to Italy and France. His description of a naer attack of walruses in the Bering Sea is facsinating as well as his near death in Italy under tank fire. The only weakness is the inability to develop the profile of his friends and fellow soldiers. A good well paced narrative.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Devil's Brigade-One man's story,
By Wesley L Krause (Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Once Upon a Wartime: A Canadian Who Survived the Devil's Brigade (Paperback)
A very well written book that follows one man through his training and fighting with the First Special Service Force. There are a lot of mini stories that show the bravery and tenacity that these hardened and well trained men possessed. This is not the glossy, "hell is for heroe's" kind of story, but it tells of the boredom and fear of waiting for combat and combat itself. The movie(Devil's Brigade) shows just a portion of what these soldiers went through..."Once Upon A Wartime" gives it a face and a shot of reality. Hats off to Mr. Cottingham and his fellow "Forcemen". Well worth reading
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Valuable and Personal History,
By "blc1959" (Vancouver, BC Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Once Upon a Wartime: A Canadian Who Survived the Devil's Brigade (Paperback)
Having read almost every available book and text published about the First Special Service Force, this book is not only one which I found hard to put down but is also one of the few that I look forward to re-reading.Mr. Cottingham's recollections are obviously the product of a sharp mind and are doubly valuable when recounted through his clear and concise writing style. The historical events described are obviously important in and of themselves, but the reader becomes much more engaged by the fact that Mr. Cottingham and his fellow Forcemen are sympathetic men rising to face the extraordinarily difficult demands made of them. This is not a "blood and guts" book thrusting the subject before the reader and attempting to impress by grandious "war stories". Rather, this is a personal recollection presented in a self-deprecating style that allows readers to come to their own conclusions that these men were true heroes at a time in our history when they were needed. We should be thankful for the wartime contributions of the men of the First Special Service Force and grateful to Mr. Cottingham for this historically valuable, well-written contribution to the topic.
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