The House Where Commandant Guerin Recovered

Posted on April 22, 2026 • No Comments

One of a series of stories and place-based sketches exploring locations that sit at the edges of the narrative told in The Écrivélo Book. Georges Arnult, Un Chirurgien dans la Tourmente, Éditions Lavauzelle, Paris–Limoges, 1981, p. 92. A hamlet in the Rhône, a surgeon's memoir, and one night in April[...]

From St Cyr to Tempsford — The Road That Brought Them Home

Posted on March 26, 2026 • No Comments

One of a series of stories and place-based sketches exploring locations that sit at the edges of the narrative told in The Écrivélo Book. Remains of the Worry Bird in St Cyr de Valorges INTRODUCTION — A field near Mâcon There is a field, roughly 9 kilometres north-north-east of Mâcon,[...]

Bombing of Lyon by the Allied air forces, 26 May 1944: damaged sites recorded by the City Property Service — Nouveau cimetière de la Guillotière: graves bombed / photograph by Sylvestre Municipal Archives of Lyon; 3PH/126 Date 26/05/1944

Buried under the Bombs

Posted on January 2, 2026 • No Comments

One of a series of stories and place-based sketches exploring locations that sit at the edges of the narrative told in The Écrivélo Book. Bombing of Lyon by the Allied air forces, 26 May 1944: damaged sites recorded by the City Property Service — Nouveau cimetière de la Guillotière: graves[...]

Wilford L. Bollinger – The Absent Man

Posted on November 13, 2025 • No Comments

One of a series of stories and biographical sketches exploring the lives of those who stand at the edges of the narrative told in The Écrivélo Book. The Ambrose crew, photographed at Harrington by Sgt. James J. Heddleston. Those present include Left to right back row: Lt. George W. Ambrose,[...]

Lackey 3A

Posted on November 1, 2025 • No Comments

A series of stories and biographical sketches exploring the lives of those who stand at the edges of the narrative told in The Écrivélo Book. BEAUREGARD, ALCIDE “CYRANO” THE LACKEY 3A DROP SITE On the night of 27/28 April 1944, the aircraft Worry Bird of the 801st Provisional Bomb Group[...]

André Dammann

Posted on October 19, 2025 • No Comments

One of a series of stories and biographical sketches exploring the lives of those who stand at the edges of the narrative told in The Écrivélo Book. Andre Dammann 2 Introduction - A Tempsford Passenger On the night of 7 August 1944, a Hudson aircraft of RAF 161 Squadron approached[...]

Sgt R. W. Watson (RAAF)

Posted on October 17, 2025 • No Comments

Crew of Lancaster Mk I AS-Z Back row, left to right: F/O Geoffrey Vivian O’Brien – POW; Sgt Jack Marsden – Evaded; Sgt Ralph William Watson – Evaded; Sgt Terry Kelly – later replaced by Sgt Henry Pickford. Front row, left to right: Sgt Eric William John Ashford – POW; P/O Garnet[...]

The Croixault Aerodrome

Posted on September 8, 2025 • No Comments

L’aérodrome de Croixault sous l’occupation allemande, 1940-41 During the Battle of France, 53 Squadron was based here, engaged in reconnaissance duties to track the advancing German Army. One aircraft of the squadron was a Blenheim MK IV PZ¤C. The crew were Flying Officer Alastair Panton, Sergeant John Christie, and AC2[...]

Homage to the Airmen

Posted on August 30, 2025 • No Comments

On Saturday, August 30, 2025, I had the privilege of being invited by Les Amicale des Anciens des Maquis de la Vallée d’Azergues to pay homage to Flying Officers John Christie and Dennis Kieran Flaherty at their Commonwealth War Grave in Létra. It was a tremendous honour, and I extend[...]

The Pilot of The Admiral Prune

Posted on July 24, 2025 • No Comments

Context Thursday, February 4, 1943. It was 22:30 hrs, and Lancaster W4118 was four hours and twenty minutes into a mission to bomb the Industrial Italian city of Turin. Six Lancasters from 106 Squadron had left RAF Syerston as part of a bombing mission consisting of 188 aircraft. The last[...]