Book brings soldier’s perspective to Battle of El Alamein

MEDIA RELEASE

16 October 2012

Book brings soldier’s perspective to Battle of El Alamein

Seventy years after surviving the Battle of El Alamein, Charlie ‘Pop’ Knill has put an ordinary soldier’s perspective on one of the fiercest battles of World War II.

Pop Knill’s life story of an ordinary man’s progress through the extraordinary events of nearly 100 years was recently published, coincidentally at the same time as commemorations start to take place for the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Alamein.

In the book ‘A Soldier’s Life’, Rotorua man Lou Geraets tells the story of his father-in-law from his birth in the early 1900s, through the struggles of the Great Depression, the battles of World War II and a myriad of social and economic changes along the way.

Lou says doing the book over more than a year with 97-year-old Pop saw his father-in-law reveal a remarkable memory for events stretching back in time.

The unearthing of a hitherto unknown chronicle of events during the Battle of Alamein in North Africa in 1942 was a highlight.

“We found Pop and other soldiers had written notes and poems about their experiences as the battle in North Africa unfolded,” said Lou.

Pop Knill’s ‘Events Book’, as the note book was dubbed, appears to have started life as a German note book and been picked up from the battle field.

“The writing unveils how ordinary soldiers felt about the war, the death of mates, and feelings about those who stayed at home.”

For his part, Pop Knill has always taken a somewhat different view of the world and this is conveyed in regards to the battle.

“I always wanted to tell the story from the soldier’s point of view rather than from the officers telling it,” Pop says.

Lou started the book as a record of Pop’s life for the family but transformed it into a highly readable tale about one of life’s soldier’s - how he lived, fought, and loved his family.

“I have had absolutely fantastic feedback from the family,” Lou says, noting some have been in tears as they read through details of Pop’s life and times.

The book is also full of personal photos from each of the eras, including the war years, as well as those from approved sources.

Pop now lives in a retirement village in Orewa, north of Auckland, and when presented with a copy of the book recently he recalled many things from his memory – every one of them in the book.

“That is amazing and rewarding in itself,” Lou says.

Veterans Affairs is planning a commemoration in Wellington on 23 October 2012 and a group of vets will be going to Egypt for a special commemoration visit.

ENDS

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