checks out some 10/15mm railroad tracks for wargaming.
Escaping Has Ceased to be a Sport
A Soldier's Memoir of Captivity and Escape in Italy and Germany
by Frank Unwin MBE
Frank Unwin sadly passed away in February 2019. His obituary appeared in The Times:
Soldier who escaped from a prisoner of war camp in Tuscany in 1943 and never forgot the Italian peasants who befriended him.
About Frank's Memoir:
After being taken prisoner at Tobruk and transported to Italy, the author was determined to escape and learnt Italian by talking to the sentries. His first escape lasted just one week. He then joined a tunnel party and escaped again. After six weeks on the run, he was offered shelter in a Tuscan hilltop village, Montebenichi. There he enjoyed five months of freedom, living the lifestyle and ancient customs of these peasant people.
While attempting to re-join the Allied armies, Frank and two fellow POWs were re-captured and sent to a brutal work camp in Germany. His defiant attitude exacerbated an already difficult situation. In March 1945, with the Allies closing in Frank took part in 'The Long March', walking for several weeks before being released by American troops.
The title of this remarkable and moving memoir results from a notice posted to Frank's amusement in all POW camps saying 'Escaping has ceased to be a sport'. This is an exceptional Second World War POW account by a man who refused to accept captivity.