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A Collection of Untold Stories
Those who lived through the Second World War have many stories of bravery, sadness, horror, doubt and longing. Inspired by conversations with veterans following the publication of her grandfather’s wartime memoir, Victoria Panton Bacon has gathered a moving collection of their experiences. Their recollections tell of a different time and reveal the courage, actions and sentiments of those whose wartime experiences changed the course of history; stories of ordinary people who lived under the long shadows cast by the war and whose young lives were changed irrevocably. Though many tales are sad, describing being sent into war and the loss of friends and family, there are also stories of joy and love found in the darkest of times. For them, war, the ultimate leveller, threw them into remarkable times, whether they were a merchant seaman, army officer, pilot, young Jewish girl, code breaker or Home Guard recruit. From one extraordinary story to the next, Remarkable Journeys of the Second World War immerses the reader in the lives of real people who lived through conflict.
These remarkable military journeys stand to inspire the next generation.
LT GEN (RETD) JAMES BASHALL CB CBE,
. . this fascinating and touching book . . .
JOANNA LUMLEY OBE,
. . . a unique insight . . .
TERRY WAITE CBE,
This collection of World War Two memories is a gem
JONATHAN DIMBLEBY,
In Remarkable Journeys of the Second World War, Victoria Panton Bacon captures the vulnerability of the human spirit – at sea, on land and in the air. Her book is full of remarkable testimony, a series of remarkable journeys.
SIMON PEARSON,
As the Second World War passes from living memory, Victoria Panton Bacon presents an extraordinary cast of characters who reveal what it was like to take part in the fight for freedom. Their stories are exciting, heart-breaking and vitally important.
JOSHUA LEVINE,
Remarkable Journeys of the Second World War is an outstanding book which deserves to become a classic of the period. Victoria Panton Bacon’s narrative gets up close and personal to her truly remarkable interviewees. Her sympathy for and interaction with these individuals creates honest and gripping revelations.
EDWARD WILSON,
20th January, 2025 in Biography & Memoir, Military
‘Before leaving, we were issued with rations for about two and half days. The weather was terrible, and very, very cold. We arrived at a place called Winterveldt. We had covered a distance of about twenty miles and our resting place was a barn with cold floors, with just a bit of…
2nd September, 2024 in Military, Society & Culture
Eighty-five years ago, the outbreak of the Second World War was confirmed. Author Victoria Panton Bacon asks, what have we learnt? Colin Bell, now 103, recollects the announcement of the Second World War. Colin was 18 years old at the time, living with his family in East Molesey…
5th June, 2024 in Biography & Memoir, Military
‘Good God!’ I thought after being shown a map with a small area on it that we had taken back, ‘We’ve just taken part in D-Day!’ Flight Lieutenant Noble Frankland (DFC CB CBE) is one of those for whom 6th June 1944 might have been just another ‘ordinary day’ in the operational c…
5th June, 2024 in Military, Women in History
‘I remember one particularly badly injured pilot amongst the others being brought in. Because of his multiple injuries he was taken straight to the consultant surgeon for examination and treatment, but he was still conscious as he was taken to surgery. There was nothing anyone co…
15th January, 2024 in Military, Women in History
Author of Remarkable Women of the Second World War, Victoria Panton Bacon, remembers Pat Rorke. Pat died on 9th December 2023, aged 100 years and five weeks. ‘After the war, you have to learn to live together, remember that you are all human … behind all the bare recounted facts…
22nd June, 2022 in Biography & Memoir, Military, Women in History
If I may say so myself, as author of the twelve stories (and epilogue) about the Second World War contained in Remarkable Women of the Second World War, anyone with an insatiable appetite for knowledge about World War Two must read this book. It does not have to be read in…
