March past: A memoir

by Simon C.J. Fraser Lovat, Iain Montcreiffe (Introduction)

Signed 'To Ralph from an old friend – Lovat 1980'. 1979 Second edition, dust jacket price clipped, worn and torn with some fading to the spine, pages 398 and 399 have hand torn edges.

399 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Brigadier Simon Christopher Joseph Fraser, 15th Lord Lovat and 4th Baron Lovat, DSO, MC, TD

Reviews

[Bill Harper]

Very interesting book, everyone who has ever seen the movie, "The Longest Day" should remember Peter Lawford (portraying Lord Lovat) coming off the landing craft on Sword Beach and telling Piper Bill Millin to play his bagpipes. This book is a collection of essays about Lord Lovat (Shimi Lovat) from his growing up in the Highlands of Scotland until the moment he was wounded by friendly artillery fire protecting the Orne River Bridgehead. It is an honest upfront book. His essay on the Dieppe Raid is one of the best stories about the only successful part of the raid. Then the story about the D-Day landings and the fighting along the Orne River and the bridgeheads and the advance, fills in a missing part in regard to the fighting on the left flank of the invasion. I do highly recommend the book but I recommend an English-Scottish Highland dictionary because the first part of the book has plenty of words you have to look up to understand, lol

[David]

Mentioned by the author's sister in her memoir, Past Forgetting.

Perhaps was written for author's friends and relations. Interesting but lots that was difficult to comprehend, possibly because much knowledge was assumed -- or maybe only Scots understand. I made ample use of the internet for background.

Lots of reminiscing about his youth. Had to skip some of that because the book could not be renewed. Takes us only through WW II and that not completely, as Lord Lovat was seriously wounded following the invasion of Normandy. Much of what I know about him thereafter comes from his sister's book.

At several points the author quotes at great length from the writings of other witnesses of events in which he was involved. Makes it more objective . . . maybe. Strange in any event.