Overview

Just before dawn on May 10, 1940, German parachute troops rain down on Holland. Watching them from his home on the Dutch coast is former international footballer Billy Marsden. It is ten years to the day since the Germans saved his life in a Berlin hospital after he suffered a devastating injury while playing for England - and now it is the German invasion of Holland that is putting his life in jeopardy. In The Hague, Margot Fonteyn and the Sadler's Wells Ballet company watch the dogfights from the roof of their hotel. In Amsterdam News Chronicle journalist David Woodward and his American wife, NBC war correspondent Margaret Rupli, are trying to find a way to file the story of the invasion, while young British Vice-Consul Peers Carter is attempting to organise an evacuation just eight months into his diplomatic career. In nearby Haarlem Bob Glendenning, the manager of the Dutch national team, is one of a dozen British football coaches looking for a way to flee the country. Set across one weekend in May 1940, this is the story of how these people - and many others - came together to escape with the last official boatload of British evacuees out of Holland before the country capitulated. This is not just the tale of their escape, but the story of why these fascinating characters were in Holland to begin with. A few of them were well known at the time and others made their names later, such as the photographer who became an Oscar nominated cinematographer, the journalist who inspired the creation of James Bond, and the dancer who portrayed Chitty Chitty Bang Bang's iconic Child Catcher.

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9781919271835

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Chris Hunt writes about football and music. His touchline memoir Doing It For The Kids told the story of his journey through grassroots football with his son, while World Cup Stories was published to accompany a BBC television series. He once wrote a monthly column titled 'My Life with Stalin' for Your Cat magazine. His sporting encyclopedia, The Complete Book of Football, was published in the UK, Australia, the USA and in five foreign language editions, including Russian and German. He has also been the editor of numerous special editions of Mojo, Q, NME and Uncut, including five magazines about The Beatles.

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