The Écrivélo Files

Journeys Through War-Torn Europe by Bike.

Pulled Loose Threads

Sometimes, during research, you come across a rabbit hole and simply dive in—because you can. The result may be a story with little, if any, connection to the Écrivelo story. But that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be told.

Birling Gap

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The South Coast of England. Birling Gap, near to Beachy Head 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. The RAF Bomber Command Memorial on Beachy Head. The RAF Bomber Command Memorial, located on[...]
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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

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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[...]
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Wilford L. Bollinger – The Absent Man

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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,[...]
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Defeat and Division.

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‘A clear-eyed, ambitious and myth-busting account that places the Fall of France in 1940 and De Gaulle’s Free French in a wider scenario that sees Vichy France and its colonial empire as a serious military player down to 1942. A tour de force by a historian who is a master[...]
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Air Force Records: A Guide for Family Historians

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If you are new to searching old records like me, then this is an excellent book . One of the first things I did when researching the Mosquito in the Forest was to buy the service records of the crew. Without this book I think it is fair to say[...]
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New website opening

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Today is a great day: Welcome to the newly designed website. In this new and fresh repository you will soon find all of our stories.  Those that where on our previous site, plus a whole lot more. We also thought, what a great opportunity for a whole new look. So, as[...]
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Six weeks of Blenheim Summer

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Six Weeks of Blenheim Summer Whilst researching the "Brechin War Hero" story I stumbled across an absolute gold mine. A book written by Alastair Dyson Panton and bought to life by his granddaughter Victoria Panton Bacon. Alastair Panton, was the pilot of the Bristol Blenheim on reconnaissance duties when it was[...]
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Lancaster – Reaping the Whirlwind

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Lancaster: Reaping the Whirlwind Written in English by Martin A. Bowman. This book details the Lancaster s history from 1942 through to  1945, this study brings everything together to tell a concise history of one of the world's most famous aircraft. A superlative and unique colour section of over fifty contemporary[...]
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Witness Report of Maquis Azergues

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Histoire vécue des maquis de l'Azergues This book is written by Roger CHAVANET a member of the Resistance under the code name Guerin.He was born in TROYES on April 30, 1915 and at the age of 16 he came to live with his uncle in LYON and work in the city.[...]
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What I experienced Resistance

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Ce que j'ai connu de la Résistance Written by Marcel Chadebech – ex Commandant Carron of the Maquis (resistance) in the Valley d’Azergues. This book, in French details the activities of Commandant Carron in Lyon and the surrounding area. Having narrowly escaped arrest on many occasions he  left Lyon in[...]
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