After a lifetime of telling stories, Bill Dugdale has finally written his own story. It s a riveting tale spanning most of the twentieth century through both war and peace. Bill s war began in 1940 in his teens. With total recall, he gives an astonishingly vivid account of the campaigns in North Africa and Italy. His bravery shines through in this modest, humorous description of the life of a young officer, mentioned in despatches and awarded the Military Cross. From near death experiences of the front line to high jinks in the fleshpots of Italy, from encounters with Montgomery, Eisenhower, Noel Coward, the Pope and others to the poignant deaths of his closest friends, this is a gripping tale of a young Guards officer who had luck on his side. Back in peacetime Britain, Bill s thrills included riding in the Grand National and flying small aeroplanes in races round the world. But there was also a more serious side.