Philip Pardoe was at the Siege of Calais during the Battle for France. This was in 1940, just before Operation Dynamo at Dunkirk. Unfortunately, Pardoe was captured and spent the rest of the war in different prisoner of war camps.
He doesn't just sit around waiting for the war to end. He's very active in the escape committees and makes it out a couple of times before ending up at the camp in Colditz. It's basically a place where repeat escapees and prominent prisoners are sent.
I really enjoyed this memoir. Pardoe is straightforward about not only what he goes through, but what others around him deal with as well. The mental strain was heartbreaking to read about. He saw some of his good friends break close to the end of the war, and that is so sad. There are a lot of people mentioned in this book I want to learn more about.
This was well written, and the only criticism I would have would be the length of the chapters. I would have liked more sections within the chapters, but I completely understand why the book is structured the way it is. Also, the story ends once he's been liberated and he goes home. There isn't any real follow-up in his own words (there's a bit of his family background written by his son in the beginning), and I always prefer to learn what happened later on. That's a personal preference.
It's unfortunate Pardoe spent so much time as a prisoner, but he kept his character through the whole thing. He was a brave individual, and I believe it's one of the better ones I've read. Good Book!
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