Having never left Yorkshire before joining the Royal Marines at 17, Geoff was initially stationed at the Yangtze River, where he saw Royal Navy ships fired upon during the Amethyst incident.

After the Korean War began, Geoff was sent to shell North Korean supply wagons and then to Camp McGill in Japan to join US raiders. His unit made a decoy landing at Inchon, which he survived uncaught against all odds. Without backup, he fought his way to assist in the capture of Kimpo airfield.

Geoff recalls seeing his friend killed in an explosion, engaging in hand-to-hand combat, and sustaining a bayonet injury at the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, after which he was airlifted to hospital. He describes the vast Chinese troops, the terrible condition of the bodies returned for burial and how the dead were piled up in makeshift defensive barriers.

Many decades later, South Koreans welcomed Geoff warmly when he visited the now-flourishing country, yet he feels that people at home know little about the sacrifices British troops made in Korea.

Geoff’s animated and reflective account vividly conveys the chaos of Korea’s battlefields and the challenges marines faced upon returning to civilian life.