Hugo, her father, her mother's two brothers and her godfather, Sydney Butterell, all saw very active service during WW2 and were lucky that they remained out of the clutches of the Germans and the Japanese.
Read this book and wonder at the bravery and courage of the people who lived in occupied countries who, despite risking their own and their families lives, joined the Partisan and Resistance movements in order to save the lives of allied aircrew and troops.
It was published September 2017.
Go to www.channel4.com/programmes/wwiis-great-escapes-the-freedom-trails/episode-guide
'Escaping Hitler' by Monty Halls is not the first book on the second world war that she has read but it is without doubt the first that made her think the following.
Just how many of the thousands of allied aircrew and troops, with the help of resistance and partisan fighters, ever made contact after their safe return with their saviours to express their gratitude?
In Part 2 of the book, Monty writes about the escape from Camp 78 in Italy of a man called Len Harley and I'm cutting this very short but Len and another man are cared for and sheltered from the Germans for six months by a family called Spinosa.
They are guided out of the German occupied part of Italy down into the south which was under the control of the Allied Forces.
Upon Len's safe arrival back England, he writes to them and receives a letter back so both families know the other is safe. Both letters are copied in the book and you have to have a heart of stone not to be touched by them.
They are guided out of the German occupied part of Italy down into the south which was under the control of the Allied Forces.
Upon Len's safe arrival back England, he writes to them and receives a letter back so both families know the other is safe. Both letters are copied in the book and you have to have a heart of stone not to be touched by them.
Len returned twice to the village of Sulmona to find the family but they weren't there, they had moved, like thousands of other Italian families, to America after the war and he was unable to find anyone who knew where they were.
And I quote "this deeply honourable man had never known in the 73 years since he had left the care of the Spinosa household, whether his eternal
gratitude was truly understood or acknowledged".
gratitude was truly understood or acknowledged".
However, they did return to their village and then Monty returns to Sulmona in 2017 with a piece of technology and hopes it won't let him down.
He was greeted by Bruno, who had been his guide when they retraced the steps that the escapees had taken to evade the Germans, and introduced to Rosina Spinosa.
The laptop was put on a coffee table in front of Rosina and Monty commenced the call.
Yes.. you've got it! With a wireless connection and after 73 years, this 98 year old man, for whom this family had risked everything, was finally going to be able to say "thank you" in person.
The last page of this chapter is enchanting beyond belief.
My next post will about a famous man who went 'a little bit' beyond letting the French resistance know he was home safe!
She isn't going into work today, it would be deeply unkind to give anyone else this bug which she reckons she caught on Sunday, her glands are up and her throat is sore and swollen, she's got ginger
powder to kill the pain, me to sit on her head to keep her warm and Debbie's brilliant hot water bottle snake to snuggle with.
powder to kill the pain, me to sit on her head to keep her warm and Debbie's brilliant hot water bottle snake to snuggle with.
Read this book and wonder at the bravery and courage of the people who lived in occupied countries who, despite risking their own and their families lives, joined the Partisan and Resistance movements in order to save the lives of allied aircrew and troops.
It was published September 2017.
Go to www.channel4.com/programmes/wwiis-great-escapes-the-freedom-trails/episode-guide
These are programmes that retrace the original escape routes that Monty has done with the help with locals, some of whom were very young Partisans or members of the Resistance in WW2.
GeeGee Parrot.
February 28th, 2018.
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