War veteran Guthrie Wilson wrote Brave Company to share an infantryman's experiences of World War II. Through the narrative he reveals what most soldiers did not write home about and although this perspective was somewhat contentious in 1951 when the book was first published, it soon became a best seller. Perhaps what captured readers' imaginations was that it presented a hard-hitting snapshot of what it was like to be an ordinary soldier in extraordinary times. It shared the terror of battle juxtaposed with the frequently dirty and dull tasks carried on behind the lines in-between skirmishes. The events are based on actual experiences and they are a tribute to the fortitude of spirit which can emerge as a result of war experiences. They bear witness to the impact of war on the individual and they reflect the eternal paradox of battle-weary men who carry memories of home in their hearts. A new introduction has been added to this second edition of Brave Company in which Julia Millen refers to Guthrie Wilson as an author who is well overdue for rediscovery and this book as one of New Zealand's most significant war novels.