THE incredible stories of nine Second World War survivors have been revealed in a new book.

Sussex War Heroes, which is released this week, explores the lives of soldiers, pilots, prisoners of war and a Holocaust survivor.

The book has a foreword by wartime songstress Dame Vera Lynn and is written by Argus assistant news editor, Ben James.

He said: "The nine men and women featured are truly inspirational and it is important we recognise them before they are gone.

"They are the unsung heroes of one of the most defining periods in history. But given how modest and humble they are, many of their stories are being told for the first time."

Among those featured in the book include Bill Lucas, who was one of the best Bomber Command pilots having flown on 81 daring raids.

The Cowfold veteran was also one of the country's leading middle distance runners and was aiming for gold at the 1940 Helsinki Olympics.

When they were cancelled because of the war, he "decided to bomb Hitler instead."

Also featured is former artillery officer Patrick Delaforce who helped liberate the notorious Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.

He describes the scene as he entered the gates to be confronted with thousands of bodies rotting in the midday sun.

The Brighton veteran, who was involved in countless battles across Europe, was also chosen to sit on a war crimes jury after the war and sent numerous concentration camp guards to the gallows.

Arthur Ayres, from Portslade, tells his story which starts at the drill hall in Brighton's Queen's Square.

He was involved for all six years of the war and was present at some of the most decisive battles.

He was evacuated from Dunkirk after fighting in France before being shipped over to Africa to fight Rommel at El Alamein.

After retraining as a paratrooper, he then dropped into Holland for the failed mission to take a number of key bridges - Operation Market Garden.

Sussex War Heroes is available in all good bookshops, online (amazon.co.uk) and by calling 01235 465500.

To buy the book online click here

Argus readers can get a special £3 discount on the £12.99 rrp by quoting code HPHERO10 when calling 01235 465500. Postage and packaging is free.

EXCLUSIVE BOOK EXTRACTS

Arthur Ayres

Arthur Ayres, from Portslade, was involved in some of the most decisive battles of the war, notably the evacuation from Dunkirk.

The Argus:

"Soon after I got there I heard the sound of aircraft approaching. There was a mad panic as men tried to find cover before the clatter of their machine guns.

"I saw bodies falling face down in the sand, lying still in grotesque positions. A few brave souls raised their rifles and fired at the aircraft but there was little chance of them hitting anything.

"The planes came back over again and I could clearly see the pilots hunched over in the cockpits. They had a free run at us, there was no protection. Then came the cries for medics to attend to the dying and wounded."

But despite the dire situation, Arthur remembers a sense of calm and order on the beach as men queued for the next available ship.

"They were coming in all shapes and sizes. I was amazed at the organisation; there was no pushing or rushing toward the next boat. Everyone waited their turn, nobody tried to jump the queue, it was all very British.’ Before long the Stukas were back and, as they screeched towards the beach, Arthur dived for cover.

"I saw the bombs leave the planes and saw the clouds of sand mingled with human bodies that were flung into the air.

"One small boat loaded with men received a direct. Seconds later the sea was littered with pieces of timber and broken human remains. This was the first time I had witnessed carnage of this nature. I felt sick."

With the attack over, Arthur spotted a merchant ship preparing to leave the harbour.

"I ran as quick as I could and, as I approached, it started to pull out and I was left with a 6ft gap to jump in order to make it to a rope hanging down the side.

"I couldn’t swim so if I missed it, I would be dead. I took a run-up and jumped. I managed to grab the rope and clung on for dear life. My rifle fell from my shoulder into the water. My fingers tightened on the rope and I hung on grimly. I shuddered; if I lost my grip and fell into that murky blackness I would drown."

Maurice Macey

Maurice Macey, from Eastbourne, was a skilled Spitfire pilot. But on his 64th mission he was shot down over enemy territory.

The Argus:

Maurice swooped down to strafe a line of tanks. But as he pulled up, there was a terrific bang under his feet, which caused his knee to jolt up and hit him in the chin.

Momentarily dazed, he composed himself before he felt a strange sensation in his legs. When he looked down he saw flames licking up towards his knees.

"I was doing a good 350mph so I didn’t have much time to react. I didn’t really feel anything, I was just thinking 'I need to get the hell out of here as soon as possible'."

Despite the inferno in the cockpit, his engine was still working fine and so he pulled up to 3,000ft so his parachute would have enough time to slow him down before he hit the ground.

He followed his training and reached up for the little black handle on the side of the cockpit, which when yanked released the canopy.

But with his legs now on fire, the canopy release handle jammed.

Not only was Maurice concerned about the damage the flames were doing to his legs, he was also worried what state of his parachute.

With the flames rising and the Spitfire falling, he finally managed to rip off the canopy. He flipped the Spitfire on its back, shifted the controls forward and dropped out of the cockpit.

As he tumbled towards the earth his Mark IX exploded behind him. He pulled the ripcord, praying his parachute was still in one piece.

"I felt a huge jerk on my body and then it opened in a big white dome above me. It was the most glorious feeling. My legs were badly burnt, as was my face, my eyebrows have never fully grown back.

"But despite that I felt a calm, there was a great silence that was only broken by the strange sound of a skylark.

"I have no idea where it came from, but that was all I could hear, it was beautiful."

Maurice floated towards the earth with no fear or pain – he was in a world of his own. That was until the morning song of the skylark was interrupted by the sound of rifle fire.

Patrick Delaforce

At just 21 years of age, artillery officer Patrick Delaforce, from Brighton, was one of the first inside inside Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.

The Argus:

The convoy continued up the road and the men arrived at the gates of Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Inside the 12ft barbed-wire fences were some 60,000 political prisoners, many Jewish.

More than 13,000 corpses remained unburied and those who lived were half starved and half delirious.

"I remember arriving outside the gates in a Sherman tank. I just remember seeing all these rags scattered all over the place.

"But when I looked closer I could see that they weren’t rags, they were bodies – thousands of them.

"The stench was awful – it will never leave me. It was a rotting smell. It was rotting flesh. They were hardly alive; there was little expression on their faces. They were walking dead, it was just awful."

While most of the guards had fled for their lives, some had remained – many of them defiant.

Patrick came across some still clenching their guns and even pointing them at the dying prisoners, while others performed Nazi salutes upon seeing the British soldiers.

Patrick surveyed the scene, one that would stay with him for life, and waited for the British medics to arrive. It was then that he came across the three ringleaders of the camp, who had committed some of the most appalling war crimes in history.

"They were the three main villains and they were just standing there, watching us.

"There was Josef Kramer, the camp leader; Irma Grese, an SS warden; and the camp’s doctor, Fritz Klein.

"Nobody knew anything of these concentration camps; we had absolutely no idea before that day. I think more were killed at Auschwitz, but in a way I think Belsen was worse.

"Auschwitz was a murder camp where you were gassed and killed; you were put out of your misery.

"In Belsen you died through neglect and mistreatment. It was a slow, painful death for them. Belsen was a blot in human history.

"From that day on we had a new anger about us, we got more and more careless let’s say as we went on."

Shindy Perez

Shindy Perez, from Hove, was just 16 when she arrived at the gates of Auschwitz with her two aunts, grandmother and granddad.

The Argus:

Thousands of weak and emaciated bodies poured out of the wagons and began to line up outside of what they assumed would be some sort of working camp.

Barbed wire surrounded the perimeter and all they could see were a series of barracks and huge chimneys pumping out smoke.

“We were then separated into two lines: men and women. It all happened in a second, I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to my grandfather. I thought I would see him inside.”

As the four women – Shindy, her grandmother and two aunts – moved further forward in the queue, they came across a group of SS officers keeping a close eye over proceedings.

One slim, tall man appeared to be of particular importance. Shindy would later come to recognise him as Adolf Eichmann, one of the architects of Hitler’s Final Solution.

Another order was given to form two lines: one for 18 to 45 year olds and another for all those younger and older. Still clenching her grandmother’s hand, 16-year‑old Shindy went to join the second line.

But sensing what was ahead – seeing the weak and frail grouped together – her grandmother shoved the teenage girls towards the other line and told the SS guard they were all 18.

Shindy tried to run back but she was pushed into the line again by her grandmother.

“I didn’t get the chance to say anything to her, it all happened in seconds. She went off in her queue and we were in ours.

“I thought I would see her inside.

“When we got past the gate I remember asking someone who had been in Auschwitz for some time when we would see them again. They replied, ‘See them? What are you talking about, can you not see those chimneys up there?’ But we didn’t believe it.”