Through St. Dunstan's to Light

Private James Rawlinson recalls the sudden roar of a German plane over a working party on Vimy Ridge, the burst of shells that left him unconscious and his world blackened. He survives the frantic scramble to a field hospital, where the steady hands of medics and an attentive ambulance driver bring him back from the brink. In these early pages the chaos of the front and the thin thread of chance that spares a life are felt with vivid immediacy.

After the wounds heal, Rawlinson is transferred to St. Dunstan’s, the wartime haven for soldiers who have lost their sight. There he learns Braille, joins a workshop of carpenters and weavers, and discovers a new kind of battle—one of skill, humour, and shared determination to reclaim independence. The memoir paints a gentle portrait of community and resilience, showing how light can be found even when the world has gone dark.