Normandie A la Recherche de Sidney
Normandie A la Recherche de Sidney by Thomas J. Bates is a first edition published by Bates Books in 2000, featuring 201 pages in English. This dual-language book presents the Normandy campaign of 1944 in parallel columns of English and French, focusing on the battlefield experiences of Corporal Sidney Bates of the 1st Battalion The Royal Norfolk Regiment, who earned the Victoria Cross posthumously on August 6, 1944. The narrative not only recounts the military events but also delves into the personal history of Bates, a young soldier from Camberwell, as part of the preparation for a forthcoming biography.
Readers will find an exploration of the Normandy campaign intertwined with a critical examination of historical representations in media, specifically addressing inaccuracies in Daryl Zanuck’s film adaptation of Cornelius Ryan’s The Longest Day and Chester Wilmot’s The Struggle for Europe. The book aims to shed light on the realities of war and the legacy of those who served, while also engaging with themes of history and conflict. This edition serves as a resource for those interested in World War II, particularly the European Theater, and offers insights into the personal stories behind the larger historical narrative.
Official synopsis Publisher
A dual-language, English and French in parallel columns, book about the Normandy campaign in 1944. It tells of the search for the battlefield in the Norman bocage on which Corporal Sidney Bates (no relation) of the 1st Battalion The Royal Norfolk Regiment of the British 3 Division earned the posthumous award of the Victoria Cross on August 6, 1944. It is also a ‘search’ for the personality of this brave cockney boy he was 23 years old when he died in preparation for the forthcoming biography about him to be titled: Sidney Bates, VC, A True Camberwell Boy.
The book also exposes slanders perpetrated by Daryl Zanuck in his movie of Cornelius Ryan’s splendid book, The Longest Day, and by Chester Wilmot in his much-acclaimed book, The Struggle for Europe.
It has been well received by such noted authors of the Normandy campaign as Carlo D’Este, Sir John Keegan, Paul Fussell, Sir David Fraser and others.
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