Herbert Kenny, an army dispatch rider, was the first ally to push open the gates at Belsen Concentration Camp, in April 1945.


He kept his story from the world until a chance correspondence with a trainee journalist brought it to light. Now, forty years on, that reporter is ready to share Herbert's incredible tale with the world.


With unprecedented access to Herbert's diaries, letters and interviews, Mark Hodkinson brings to life the harrowing conditions of Bergen-Belsen and its eventual liberation. From the events leading up to its gruesome discovery, to the trauma Herbert faced and his abandonment in the aftermath, this is a testament to the power of one person in the face of unimaginable darkness.


This is the tale of an ordinary man thrown into an extraordinary, life-changing situation. How can a person cope when they come face-to-face with history's darkest moment? Herbert Kenny was that man. This is his story.

A vivid and generous memorial. * The Sunday Telegraph *

Mark Hodkinson is an experienced investigative journalist and author, having written for The Times for two decades. He has contributed to The Observer, The Guardian, FourFourTwo, among others. He has published several acclaimed football books, including Blue Moon: Down Among the Dead Men with Manchester City and Believe in the Sign, which was long-listed for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year. His debut novel, The Last Mad Surge of Youth, was nominated as Q's 'novel of the year' in 2009, and his latest novel, That Summer Feeling, received critical acclaim.