Outnumbered by at least three to one they held out for four days against the might of the 10th Panzer Division until, having run out of ammunition, they were forced to surrender.
Local author, Carole McEntee-Taylor, 54, speaks of the forthcoming launch of her new book, featuring the fascinating real life story of a Harlow war veteran, and supporting the Rifles Benevolent Trust.
‘The Weekend Trippers’ is based on the diaries of the author’s father-in-law, ‘Ted’ Taylor of 1st Battalion, The Rifle Brigade, who was sent to France on 23rd May 1940 as part of the Calais Force. Nicknamed ‘The Weekend Trippers’ due to their short stay in Calais, the next five years were certainly not a holiday as Ted found himself part of the huge slave labour force in Poland.
Ted, who lived in the Cooks Spinney, Harlow from December 1962 until his death in 2009, was also the Standard Bearer for The Roydon and Old Harlow Royal British Legion for many years.
This historical author, in her own words, ‘‘combines her love of writing with a long-standing interest in world politics, history and Britain’s military campaigns, particularly the forgotten battles and their participants.’’ The perfect read for anyone interested in the Second World War and local history, this first-hand account provides an insight into the harsh reality of life in a POW camp, which bore little resemblance to the cheerful films of the 1950s.
Published by Bank House Books, with 75 per cent of author royalties from book sales going to the Rifles Benevolent Trust, the book was launched at the Royal Green Jackets Museum in Winchester on Saturday 29 October.
Besides writing, Carole, who lives in Tollesbury, Essex, with her husband, also finds time to work at the Welfare Department of the Military Corrective Training Centre (MCTC) in Colchester and is currently writing a book about its history.
Field Marshal Lord Bramall, who has written the Foreword for ‘The Weekend Trippers’, claims that it ‘‘captures brilliantly the Rifleman’s view of the epic and heroic defence of Calais’’, describing the book as ‘‘a human story, one well worth the writing and certainly well worth reading.’’
‘The Weekend Trippers’ can be ordered in advance from www.bankhousebooks.com/books/forthcoming-titles and will be on general sale from late October 2011.