Like most youngsters, the first stories I heard of the Second World War came from my grandparents. Although only children in the days when war raged across the continents, the effect lasted throughout their lifetime, pressing upon mine. The second imprint came through war films. At the age of 12, when Saving Private Ryan was shown on TV I was still too young to stay up and watch it. My dad, however, a fan of the film himself, recorded it to VHS for me to watch the next day. I remember kids at school describing the scenes portraying the invasion of Normandy; the action and bloody details. Today…
