Why I became an X Troop commando - Helen Fry

A fascinating and moving biography of Colin Anson, the German refugee who became an elite British commando


Born in Germany in 1922, Colin Anson's (Claus Ascher) childhood was marked by the trials of Nazism. His father was arrested by the Gestapo in 1937 and transported to Dachau, where he died shortly after. Colin, aged just seventeen, escaped to Britain in the Kindertransport. As soon as he was old enough, Colin volunteered in the Pioneer Corps. Then, in 1942, he was recruited for the elite commando unit X-Troop.


Colin took part in the invasions of Sicily and Italy in 1943, where he sustained a near-fatal injury. But just months later, he returned to duty. He fought in the Yugoslav islands, became the first Allied soldier to liberate Corfu, and was stationed in postwar Frankfurt.


In this unique biography, Helen Fry traces the remarkable story of Colin's life. Drawing on extensive interviews, Fry recounts his actions in X-Troop and beyond in his own words-and sheds new light on the experience of refugees in the British forces.