Nobber's Boy

by Lynne Lambert

368 pages, Hardcover

Published February 1, 2022

Reviews

[Keith Annis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have sat so many times to write my review of Nobber’s Boy. I found it an emotional insight into a closed part of our Forest of Dean history, so closed that I have never heard any Forester talk openly at length or read any school text that focused upon the Glosters campaign in Korea. Oddly I did know of the Imjin River battle well or so I thought. Having been an army cadet in Cinderford I associated the back badge of the Glosters with the Imjin battle. Alexandria was never mentioned to our cadet unit; it was the back to back fighting at the Imjin River which gave us the right to a second badge. I guess it was both but Imjin was clearly foremost in the minds of the adults marching us around the Triangle on Armistice Day. Yet I’m ashamed to say that we really knew nothing of this war and this book is a welcome glimpse into the bravery and sheer gutsy persistence of those who fought to lay down the 38th parallel.

I should first explain that I was born in Cinderford in 1955 and like many had nothing connecting me to the Second World War let alone the distant fight in Korea. Like Nobber’s Boy I played among the oaks and fields of the Forest of Dean, never happier than running after a football or slogging a cricket ball. The references to Ruardean touched me deeply as I had friends from there and Ruardean Hill.

I thought I had no link to Korea, or any war after WWII. My father like many Foresters was required to stay in the mines during the Second World War, and to be honest war was not a common topic of conversation in our house. We focused mainly on the football results but there were times when a hush would blanket the room as I walked in from kicking a ball in the garden. I didn’t realise why the quick silence fell when a 10 year old entered the room.

I realised later, much later, that the war had touched my family too. I have a distant memory that a family member had fought with the Chindits in Burma and, though it was never spoken outright, I believe he and his mates felt abandoned after VE day. Sometimes he had a vacant look in his eyes, a quietness, but never complained or spoke of his involvement in Burma.

It was this feeling that struck me when reading this emotionally powerful book. The feeling of isolation and loss, but also the just get on and do it attitude that so many showed. Heart breaking to think of the youth slaughtered on either side and I am so fortunate not to have been a part of that cruel world.

It was this family memory that gave a backdrop when I started reading this book and the brief stories of the Imjin River from my cadet days. Though I have to say war is not the first shelf I visit in a library, I started reading as I would any war story. The detached reader with some local interest but no more. As I read more I became more engaged with Nobbers Boy and his mates. I felt their camaraderie strengthen their commitment and I felt pain with their loss. It is a very human account.

Some way through the book I realised that I knew one of the men who was in the prisoner of war camp with Davy - Mick Turley, or Mr Turley to me. I believe he was with Davy pretty much throughout.

Mr Turley played cricket for Cinderford St Johns and I was privileged to play with him on a few occasions. I can’t say I knew him well as I was barely 18 and he was a good 20 years older than me. The etiquette of the mid 70s meant the youngsters would wait to be asked to talk to older people and to be honest Mr Turley was a very self-contained man. I remember him as a nice bloke but not one of those who went drinking after the game nor was he loud in any way. My Dad knew him quite well and hinted that Mr Turley had had a hard time in the war so we all just gave him space and time. No one sought to intrude and ask anything of his experience, our conversations if any were focused on the way the wicket was playing or the lack of cucumber in the sandwiches. My memory of our cricket matches is full sun all summer long so I may not be a faithful recorder of those brief times. There was though a bond securing our team and I believe we all respected Mr Turley.

This book delivers the horror of his youth in a relentless onslaught. I can recall lying in a ditch on Salisbury Plain, playing soldiers as a cadet and having the Gloucester boys charging up the slope at us Foresters. They over ran us easily. To think of Davy and Mick defending the hill for days firing Bren guns into the night the recoil thudding against young shoulders and bullets ripping mercilessly through their foe. As a 14 year old I could strip and rebuild a Bren gun blindfold and load the curved cartridge with .303 bullets in the dark. It is a heavy weapon so I hated having to carry it. Davy was barely 5 years older and had to use such skills to defend himself and his mates for days. I am not sure I could have lasted as long as they did.

I know in those childish war games I played in the cadets it was the team that got me through. This writing brings out so clearly the warmth and deep friendship Davy, Mick and the others had for one another. They were a damn good team. I am honoured to have known one of them.

I can only thank the author for opening the door to shine light on this part of the Forest’s history.

[June Burford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nobber’s Boy is a compelling read that transports you to early 1950’s, war torn Korea. Real historic events are brought to life through the eyes of a private solider, whose first-hand stories have been relayed throughout this novel. Vivid descriptions bring the locations alive. The moving account of life as a POW is told with love and compassion.

Davy, a newly trained recruit to the 1st Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment 29th Infantry Brigade, finds himself in South Korea during the Korean war. After a month of travelling, he and his regiment are there to defend the 38th parallel and aid the UN in defending Seoul. It soon becomes apparent they are to play a pivotal role in the Battle of the Imjin River. During the long wait; the following conflict and ultimate capture, Davy finds comfort in memories of his home and family in his beloved Forest of Dean, whilst at hand, he finds true friendship and brotherly love in the commitment shown by the soldiers to each other.

The story of Davy, Roy, Blondie and others in the close-knit regiment, unfolds sensitively. The eagerness to face the enemy and see action; the reality of close-hand combat then the deprivations of capture are portrayed with compassion. Each stage of the story is gripping. Some parts are harrowing but constantly captivating. Pride, loyalty, friendship, resilience and determination in the face of abject desperation are key themes. This novel is based on real events, real people with real names, in real places that through the retelling have added to the legend of the ‘Glosters’.

Davy’s well-drawn character as a pro-active instigator of problem solving under the pressure of combat is brought alive through his interaction with his fellow soldiers, and a complex combination of dialogue, description of actions and Davy’s related thoughts. Their humour and frustration, under duress, is shown through the wonderful dialogue and their actions, so the reader feels they know each character and becomes evermore bound to their fate.

Lynne Lambert has drawn upon stories told by her family, their friends and comrades in arms and woven a rich tapestry of factual research into the fabric of this novel. Expertly, she brings each character and location alive so the reader in drawn inexorably to follow their journey.

By reading Nobber’s Boy I have learned much of this aspect of World War II that was played out long after war in Europe ended. Today, it seems almost unbelievable that when others were celebrating their freedom and families were reunited there was still fighting on an enormous scale, hardships and deprivation, so many miles away.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is 1951. Davey, a young man from the Gloucestershire countryside, signs up with the Gloucester Regiment, hoping for an adventure. He finds himself one of a very small group of soldiers left to protect a strategically important hill in the Korean mountains. Adventure is something of an understatement!
If, like me, you knew very little about the Korean War – other than occasionally watching the TV series ‘MASH’ in the 1970’s - this book gives us an in-depth view of what the battlefield, and it’s aftermath, was actually like.
I am not normally drawn to tales of war, but this memoir was a revelation: a moving but gripping account told with love and respect. The descriptions of how ordinary young men fought for their survival, far from home, are detailed and sometimes shocking. Whilst written directly from the accounts given by the author’s uncle, it is clear that it has been well-researched.
An important reminder of what war actually entails, to the men who actually do the hard graft, and who suffer the physical and mental consequences. It’s especially pertinent when we realise that the conflict has never been officially concluded. 

[Susan Runciman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it. It tells the story of the author’s uncle’s experiences of the Korean War. As well as learning a great deal from it, I really enjoyed the descriptions of the terrain, the battles, but above all the camaraderie between the men and the way they looked after each other in the prisoner of war camp.
The book has clearly been minutely researched, the detail in it is fascinating and the writing is excellent. I couldn’t put it down, actually. Having started it on New Year’s Day and read a couple of chapters, I was then busy and had to stop for a few days. On Jan 10th I picked it up and read the rest of it in one long sitting. Fantastic.
It is my understanding that one or two of the main characters in the book are still alive, contributed enormously to the book and are rightly considered celebrities in their villages. They are absolute heroes, and the book reflects this in a wonderfully understated way.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is very well written and an excellent read. Not only is it historically accurate it is written in an engaging style and from the perspective of an ordinary soldier - not an officer behind the lines.

It tells a story of ordinary boys from a close community enduring the unimaginable with a fresh - female - voice.

[Stella Claridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a story! and brilliantly told. I hesitate to say I 'enjoyed' it because at times the subject matter is so horrible but it was totalling absorbing and made a very strong impression on me. There are many very moving sections about the camaraderie that existed between the men. It's a real tour de force. I will never forget it.