Book Review – Walking With The Wounded

The Incredible Story of Britain’s Bravest Warriors by Mark McCrum (Sphere) ISBN 9 781847 444868

It is incredible what the human body can contend with especially if you use your mind to overcome terrible injuries caused by war.

Four of Britain’s brave young soldiers, two with only one leg, a third with a paralysed arm and one with a badly injured back, are led by a guide to the North Pole. This is a 200 mile trek over treacherous ice and snow.

Each of them pulled a sled weighing over 100kg. They set off in 2010 after rigorous training and meticulous preparation. It was to be one of the most extraordinary expeditions ever tackled by badly injured men.

Prince Harry joins them near the end of their journey for five days but says he is not as well prepared as they and gets a helicopter ride out. The journey to the North Pole can only be made in March or April. It is hostile landscape; polar bears are extremely dangerous animals. Loose ice rubble fields stretch for miles. An Artic summer’s night is where the sun is still bright on an empty white landscape, making sleep difficult in the bright tents.

This is an inspiring true story about the bravest of men.

Dee Andrew
5/5