The Solitary War of a Sniper

Growing up in a working-class family in Manchester, Harry Furness joined the army in 1939 at the age of 16. Having always been captivated by the stories of First World War snipers, he immediately volunteered for sniper training when the army began to recruit soldiers in 1941. He did exceptionally well, qualifying as a marksman whilst a pre-war army cadet and was quickly promoted to lance corporal. Just prior to D-Day, he was promoted to corporal in the Green Howards Regiment and landed at Gold Beach on 6th June 1944. Together, he and his comrades began a hard fight across North-West Europe, gradually moving through Northern France, Belgium, Holland and eventually into Germany as they pushed the Germans back towards the Rhine. The manifold dangers and occasional humour of Harry Furness's experiences of war come across in a very matter-of-fact but compelling way in the dozens of previously unpublished letters, personal interviews and images that make up Martin Pegler's fascinating, moving biography of Furness and his extraordinary life. AUTHOR: Martin Pegler is Britain's foremost authority on military firearms and specialises in the subject of military sniping. His professional, hands-on knowledge of the development of military firearms, ammunition and ballistics, gained during twenty years as Senior Curator of Weapons at the Royal Armouries Museum, is unparalleled. He is the author of more than a dozen books about firearms. He now lives in France with his wife.