Eyewitnesses to World War II are a vanishing breed. Their value rises as the fascination with the war increases. It is noteworthy that three of the outstanding television documentaries of 2004 were devoted to retelling the fabled events of Dunkirk and D-Day. A new generation appears unable to get enough of Hitler's War and the eyewitness accounts of those who lived through it. Old soldiers never die, it seems. They simply learn to deliver a piece to camera.

Awe attaches too to those who had their youth during the war years. In the age of McDonald's-induced obesity, it is sobering and inspirational to be reminded that there were children who lived on a diet of Woolton Pie and dried egg, and did not know how to eat a