Army life has come full circle for Matt Limb – veterans inspired him to join up five decades ago and retirement has seen him working to preserve their stories.
With a career traversing the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and Royal Logistic Corps, the ex-colonel served on deployments from Northern Ireland to the Balkans and the 2003 war in Iraq.
Now a historian, his latest projects include his Veteran Voices podcast as well as a new book – Valour: The Victoria Cross and The Lincolnshire Regiment.
Soldier caught up with him to find out more…
How did veterans first fire your interest in the army?
My parents were hill farmers and as a child I remember an old man in a tweed suit coming by and sitting down with us. My dad would make him a cup of tea and he would chat about his time as a soldier. It was only in later life I realised he was talking about the First World War, and the Somme. Along with others, speaking with him really inspired me.
So you’ve always loved your military history?
I’m fascinated how modern conflicts have shaped our lives and a world that has changed so much since it was dominated by the British Empire in the First World War. My interest, though, is in the people involved – there are some unlikely soldiers who did amazing things.
How did you get the idea for your latest book?
I was leading a tour of the First World War battlefields in Belgium and heard the story of Lt Col Pugh Evans. He was the commanding officer of 1st Battalion, The Lincolnshire Regiment and was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions at Zonnebeke in 1917. By chance I then kept hearing tales about VC recipients from the regiment – there are ten in all – and thought that, collected, they’d make a good read.
What about the podcast?
When I was researching an earlier book about the Second World War, I’d heard stories that I couldn’t use because they happened after the conflict. The podcast features interviews with people who served in theatres such as Malaya and during the Cold War. I’m hoping to bring it more up-to-date and am currently looking for people who were deployed to places such as Northern Ireland.
You must have seen your own share of history over the years…
Yes, I have been around the world a bit. But my first involvement in anything was on home soil in 1977 when I was called to help cover a fire service strike Retiring as a colonel after serving in the regulars and reserves was a highpoint. I also commanded a Territorial Army unit– 165 Port & Maritime Regiment RLC – on Operation Telic 1 in Iraq.
