On Going to the Wars

A PRESENTATION COPY FROM THE AUTHOR WITH HIS SIGNED HOLOGRAPH INSCRIPTION ON FRONT FREE ENDPAPER. LOOSELY INSERTED ARE (1) AN A.L.s FROM THE AUTHOR ON DAILY EXPRESS STATIONERY, (2) A SIGNED PHOTOGRAPHIC PORTRAIT OF WINN; (3) A CUTTING FROM THE SUNDAY EXPRESS NEWSPAPER OF MARCH 29 1942 CONTAINING AN EXTENDED BYLINED ARTICLE BY WINN. THE PIECE IS ENTITLED 'WORKER OF MIRACLES' AND DESCRIBED IN MOVING FASHION WINN'S ATTENDANCE AT AN OPERATION TO SKIN GRAFT A BADLY BURNED AIRMAN [THE SURGEON PORTRAYED MAY WELL HAVE BEEN MCINDOE HIMSELF]. The field of plastic and restorative surgery held a constant fascination for Winn, who would cover this topic several times during the war years. Winn's first book of WWII includes twenty-nine essays arranged in four sections: 'The Air Force', 'Naval Occasions', 'The Army' and 'Home Front'. One of Britain's leading WWII and post-war journalists, Godfrey Winn (1906-1971) enlisted as an anonymous ordinary seaman after three years as a war correspondent. After training at Ganges and service abroad HMS CUMBERLAND he was invalided from the service. He then joined the Merchant Navy and served aboard POZARICA throughout PQ17. His well-known account of this ill-fated convoy forms a separate work. After the war he resumed his career as journalist, principally with the Express Newspapers Group, and developed parallel careers as novelist and actor. A SPLENDID ASSOCIATION COPY DEEPLY EVOCATIVE OF THE EARLY YEARS OF WWII. Enser p.350.