The Last Para
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Narrated by:
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Peter Noble
About this listen
Brought to you by Penguin
A powerful and authentic account of one soldier's war from Tobruk to Arnhem and all points in between.
John Humphreys was just a boy soldier in the Royal Engineers when war was declared in 1939. By the war's end he had jumped into Arnhem with the Parachute Regiment to spearhead the attack on the bridge. For days Humphreys and the rest of his squad held on, outnumbered and outgunned by the German army fighting to the last bullet, and refusing to surrender.
But the Bridge Too Far is only the climax of Humphreys’ remarkable war. Twice captured as a prisoner of war, he twice escaped from the enemy to make his way back to Allied lines in order to rejoin the fight.
Aged 101, Humphreys began to pen his extraordinary story, with the help of bestselling author and former paratrooper Stuart Tootal. The Last Para is Humphrey’s parting gift, and the final time we will read an account from soldier of our Greatest Generation bearing witness to the heroism and sacrifice of this legendary action – told with incredible honesty and irrepressible spirit.
'The last of the legends. A gripping, visceral and immensely moving read. Courage beyond measure, coupled with humility to act as a lesson to us all. No more fitting tribute - we remember them.' DAMIEN LEWIS
What listeners say about The Last Para
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- Mr Wallis
- 31-01-25
A great recollection of events of a brave hero serving king and / queen and country
I enjoyed John Humphrey’s book the last para it was narrated well and offered an insight into his life as a boy then a solider during world war 2
As he moved through training and then seeing combat in the African war , being captured then escaping a testament of the man and his bravery. Arnhem a well documented failure of allied planning and execution ended up in another capture.
My only reservation with the book John described in detail the intricate details of that training and weapons used , looking back I don’t think that information is necessary and padded out the book a bit in my honest opinion.
Also some of the conversations he had I’m sure were made up for the book as I can’t remember what I said yesterday to someone let alone 80 years ago , but taking everything into consideration it’s a good read and reminds people of the gratitude we owe those that served us and gave the ultimate sacrifice during theses conflicts.
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- MR L D Guttery
- 13-01-25
Amazing and calling it a story is would do it discredit
This really is an amazing first person account of John E Humphreys. A true hero who should never be forgotten
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- Morag Bocking
- 28-12-24
Brilliant
What an adventure, so much detail, so much action on my second listen, we must never forget the sacrifice so many did.
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- Stewie
- 05-01-25
Sets the standard…
I really enjoyed this book. It often describes incredulous acts of daring on the author’s part, during his wide and varied service. A man who was not one to give up in the face of adversity.
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- R
- 21-11-24
A life well lived
A brilliant piece of literature of a man we should be proud of. I worked with two ex Para’s who were at Arnhem and there was something about them, you knew they were special and yet they never spoke of what they went through only that they lost good friends and they were lucky. You know they special when the children of Oosterbeake plant a flower on their graves every year and these flower children pass this on to the next generation and here we are 80 years on still they carry on with this as respect for the men who died there. This book is a must, the story of one brave Sapper among many - Woha Mohamed
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- Anonymous User
- 22-01-25
Wow what a story, what a life! Chapeau Sir
Superb and humbling. The best book I’ve read on this subject. Well written and bought to life glad Stuart Tootal got it down on paper so his story and sacrifice of his mates won’t be forgotten.
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- DSLR enthusiast
- 13-09-24
Fantastic!
A brilliant listen. Enthralled from start to finish. I have read a lot of material on Arnhem/Market Garden and this is one of those that stand out. It also a fantastic story of the journey that led up to this famous battle. Don’t take my word for it- read/listen for yourself you won’t be disappointed 👍😃
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- Nick
- 18-11-24
Pure honesty
It was fantastic start to finish, will listen again, such a remarkable man and amazing life . So in-depth from a soldier’s perspective. And the narrative was superb as he is always!
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- Patricia Walker
- 08-01-25
How young those brave men were
an incredible story brought to life by the memories of a gentleman who dedicated his life to the service of his country
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- AG60
- 13-11-24
What a Remarkable Man
Absolutely brilliant. The story of an incredibly brave and selfless man. Words cannot describe the admiration that I have for this man and his comrades, nor the debt we owe to them.
Read it or listen to it, and marvel at the courage and resilience.
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