Corporal James Thurlby, Coldstream Guards, and comrades, Hunstanton, Norfolk, 1943

Photograph, Huntstanton, Norfolk, 1943.

Corporal James Thurlby (1920-2002) (left, seated on a motorbike) with two of his comrades, one of whom (centre) is either John Whaley or Jim 'Sweeny' Todd.

James Trevor Thurlby (1920-2002) served during World War Two (1939-1945) and turned his talents as a journalist to describing his experiences as a soldier. His writings provide a visceral account of combat and a profound insight into the horrors of war, reflecting a personal need to process the terrible things he had endured.

Thurlby fought with the 5th Battalion, the Coldstream Guards, in Normandy in 1944. He was wounded in the hand in early July and returned to Britain. However, many of his comrades were not so fortunate. Four of his close friends including John Whaley and Jim 'Sweeny' Todd pictured here, were killed. The news hit Thurlby hard each time. Following the death of Sweeny he wrote in his diary 'I cannot find words to describe the shock, the loss and grief I feel'.

Donated by the family of James Thurlby