Anita Leslie (1914-1985), daughter of Shane Leslie (Sir John Randolph Leslie, 3rd Baronet) and first cousin once removed of Sir Winston Churchill, was a writer of memoir and biography. She joined the Mechanised Transport Corps as a fully trained mechanic and ambulance driver during WWII, serving in Libya, Syria, Palestine, Italy, France and Germany. She wrote letters home from Hitler's office in the Reich Chancellery and took part in the Victory parade in Berlin. In the latter part of the war she drove an ambulance for the Free French Forces, and was awarded the Croix de Guerre in 1945 by General Charles de Gaulle.

Leslie later married Commander Bill King and had two children. She published seventeen books, the last in 1985 - the year she died.

'Train To Nowhere is the most gripping piece of war reportage I have ever read: particularly affecting is Anita Leslie's account of the Battle of Colmar, where her descriptions are almost too unbearable to take in. What a writer! Her observations, mixed with dry humour and compassion, place her at the heart of the conflict and somehow apart from it, as a good historian should be. Remarkable.' Joanna Lumley

Train to Nowhere is a war memoir seen through the sardonic eyes of Anita Leslie, a funny and vivacious young woman who reports on her experiences with a dry humour, finding the absurd alongside the tragic.

Daughter of a Baronet and first cousin once removed of Winston Churchill, she joined the Mechanized Transport Corps as a fully trained mechanic and ambulance driver during WWII, serving in Libya, Syria, Palestine, Italy, France and Germany. Ahead of her time, Anita bemoans 'first-rate women subordinate to second-rate men,' and, as the British Army forbade women from serving at the front, joined the Free French Forces in order to do what she felt was her duty.

Writing letters in Hitler's recently vacated office and marching in the Berlin Victory parade contrast with observations of seeing friends murdered and a mother avenging her son by coldly shooting a prisoner of war. Unflinching and unsentimental, Train to Nowhere is a remarkable memoir of World War II.

For fans of To War With Whitaker: Wartime Diaries of the Countess of Ranfurly, 1939-45 by Hermione Ranfurly, who features in Train To Nowhere.

Train to Nowhere is the most gripping piece of war reportage I have ever read: particularly affecting is Anita Leslie's account of the Battle of Colmar, where her descriptions are almost too unbearable to take in. What a writer! Her observations, mixed with dry humour and compassion, place her at the heart of the conflict and somehow apart from it, as a good historian should be. Remarkable.

A vivid memoir, beautifully crafted, by a remarkable woman at a unique period in modern history. Her skills of observation are penetrating and make this book a marvellously accessible account of WWII. Unputdownable

Anita Leslie was a lionhearted heroine of the first order, whose extraordinary bravery and sangfroid knew no bounds...An astonishing life and a fascinating book

A triumph of a memoir. Anita Leslie bears testament to the many courageous women who lived and fought in World War II

For every distressing episode there is the leavening effect of Anita Leslie's indomitable spirit, her canny observations and wry sense of humour in the face of unimaginable adversity, all of which turned the book into something quite unexpected and extraordinary

A vivid reminder that a woman can experience and write about a war, and seventy years on, her words stand the test of time: precise and compelling

It's glorious! Had me utterly gripped, I couldn't put it down. I wish I'd been able to meet her and ask her a thousand questions about the war

The emotional truths of front-line war revealed - a charming writer, bold, female and brave

Train to Nowhere speaks of another mood, a different time and a grittier generation...This, surely, is the second world war we want to rediscover in print

If Evelyn Waugh's Mrs Algernon Stitch had been possessed of a heart, a sense of humour, and a glorious prose style, it could be said that she was a dead ringer for Anita Leslie. Train to Nowhere is a glorious book, brought back to vivid life.

Gripping.concise, brisk, funny, vivid and honest

Anita Leslie's dispassionate account of her own extraordinary role in World War II is a rediscovered gem, and her harrowing description of the fighting in Alsace particularly stands out as one of the finest pieces of war reporting to come out of that or any other conflict.

A sharply observed account of one woman's unique war. Surreal, funny, dark, and profoundly moving. Gold dust

Train to Nowhere is a delightful read and very enlightening, Anita's obvious bravery and dedication is evident. I finished it with a feeling of admiration for Anita.

Nobody else has written about the war like this, a mixture of savagery and fun; perhaps Evelyn Waugh comes closest

It remains one of the most remarkable insights into life on the frontline, offering a sometimes harrowing, sometimes heartwarming, but always candid account of five years fighting the Nazis

Calm, youthful candour ... forthright acceptance of the whole duty of war service

A terse, keen reticence and the summing up of deadly situations in a line or two