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Description
Archie Gibson’s initiation into desert warfare almost proved to be his last. Barrelling through the sand dunes at the wheel of his truck, Gibson spied a searing flash of light up ahead, the signature of a feared German 88mm gun firing … right at him.
He leapt from his speeding vehicle just before it was torn apart and turned into a flaming inferno. Gibson’s response to his near-death experience was typical: his next vehicle he christened ‘Wha Daur’ – a phrase culled from the Scottish ballad, Who dares meddle with me? Wha Daur proved to be the slowest, most ugly and unwieldy of their Long Range Desert Group patrol – the unit that served as the forerunners of the SAS – but that didn’t stop Gibson from spearheading a string of daring and audacious missions. Miraculously, Gibson survived the war.
Decades later, he went on to write his wartime story – twice – and at the urgings of his children. While it was never meant to see the light of day, Gibson’s family decided that their father’s tale – one paying tribute to duty, true grit and undying brotherhood, and laced with typical humility and humour – must be told. Now, acclaimed historian Damien Lewis brings Gibson’s story to life, as if his voice speaks from beyond the grave.
