I was passed this book by my mum, who was in the same crown green bowling club as the author. There’s a lovely dedication in the front to my parents, and it really is a fantastic memoir.
It is a disarmingly simple read but tells the author’s quite frankly amazing experience of the war. Joining the RAF, becoming a gunner on a Lancaster bomber, surviving crash landings during training, and then participating in many terrifying raids over Europe until getting shot down.
He then recounts movie-like escapades… being on the run in Belgium, assistance from the underground, betrayal and capture by the Germans.
Then life in a POW camp, bartering, boredom, starvation, a forced march in deep winter fleeing the approaching Red Army.
A 3-day ride on a cattle train, life in another camp right at the end of the war, frustration at lack of release leading to a night time escape, and a chaotic journey westwards, until finally a flight home.
The book’s title is encapsulated in the final sentence – stating that Russ was still 6-months away from his 21st birthday when he finally arrived home to Blackburn.
