Overview

On 6th April 1943, Ian Reid, an officer in the Black Watch, was captured by the Germans in Tunisia and sent off to an Italian prisoner of war camp. Five months later, as the Germans took over the camp after the Italians pulled out the war, he escaped. So began a life or death game of hide and seek in the heart of the beautiful Italian countryside, living in barns, sleeping in ditches and scavenging for food. He was recaptured twice - and escaped yet again. ow, nearly sixty years later, Howard Reid quite literally follows in his father's footsteps, making the same journey across Italy - though in a rather more relaxed fashion. Starting near Modena, he travels to Florence and through Chianti, Siena and Orvieto to Rome and beyond, painting an intimate portrait of his extraordinary father and getting closer to the truth of his amazing escapades (which were the subject of a bestselling book in the 1950s). long the way, as we take in the real, modern Italy, Howard muses on father-son relationships, and the deep but invisible scars which two World Wars have left on each of our personal histories. This poignant and engrossing book is a must for everyone who has ever asked (or wanted to

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9780553815542

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Reviews

'Thrilling and poignant' Daily Mail 'Enthralling...a moving story' -- Blake Morrison 'A fascinating pilgrimage... a worthy filial tribute to a brave and good man' -- Christopher Hibbert 'A haunting memoir of a father, a son and the legacies of war' -- John Nicholl, Co-Author Of Tornado Down

In October 1943, Ian Reid made the first of several daring escapes from German forces in Italy, and thus embarked upon a dangerous journey south towards the Allied forces near Rome. An officer with the Black Watch, Ian was captured in North Africa and sent to a POW camp in Italy, seizing his opportunity to escape with two other young officers, when the Germans took control of the camp. Their odyssey from Northern Italy, through the beautiful countryside of Tuscany and Umbria, meeting nothing but kindness and compassion from the Italian families who sheltered them on their perilous journey, forms the basis of this moving book. Sixty years on, Howard Reid, Ian's son and an experienced traveller and film maker, finally decides it is time to lay old ghosts and retrace his father's footsteps. He sets off to travel the same roads, on foot as far as possible, and to revisit the places and the people that meant so much to his father. It is a journey of discovery, as Ian finds a father who inspired unswerving affection and loyalty in the families who sheltered him; who displayed immense courage in the face of appalling dangers; who was a man who suffered betrayal and yet valued loyalty above everything. Dad's War is the poignant account of the devotion between a father and his son, and how the bond between the two is infinitely precious. It is also a remarkable tribute to the unsung Italian heroes and heroines of the era, who risked their lives to shelter not just two or three but hundreds of allied soldiers like Ian Reid. Time and again, Howard is stunned by the small kindnesses he receives from the families and their descendants when he returns to Italy on his journey of discovery. His father before him was similarly moved by the seemingly endless generosity of the Italians - this powerful book is a thank you to them as much as the memoir of a brilliant man. (Kirkus UK)

Author Information

Howard Reid is an award-winning film-maker, anthropologist and writer. Before completing his Ph.D. he lived for two years with hunter-gatherers in the Amazon basin, and as a film-maker he has spent several months with the Tuareg people of north Africa as well as undertaking many other assignments around the world. His previous books are In Search of the Immortals, about mummy cultures around the world, and Arthur the Dragon King, which traced the roots of the King Arthur legend back to the nomadic warrior peoples of central Asia.

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