Author Topic: 23days a memoir of 1939  (Read 6752 times)

Jem

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23days a memoir of 1939
« on: April 13, 2014, 12:57:34 PM »
Hello all,

I am just posting this topic for anyone that is interested in ww2.

This is a self published book that I have been working on for a long time. In the 1980s my grandad dictated his memoirs and it was typed up by his solicitors audio typest. He tried to get it published at the time but did not really have much luck.
After he died in 1999 he left the "book" to myself and my brother.

So I, and other members of my family, have been working on getting this into book form from its rough draft state that it was in. It started as a vanity project just for the family but as we have done more work on the book it has really improved and its an amazing read and I think a story that should be out there.

So please have a look at the website:
 www.23days.eu

There are links to a Facebook group and it would be amazing if you could all like the group and share it with your friends. As this is a self publish book we don't have the budget for advertising so we are trying to use social media as much as we can.

Any questions feel free to ask,

Jeremy.

chrisc

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Re: 23days a memoir of 1939
« Reply #1 on: April 13, 2014, 03:42:34 PM »
Now this is most interesting and I enjoyed reading the excerpts.  I would have like to read a little more before parting with £10.00.  Even a PDF version could be offered for a nominal sum.

My own father, who was fluent in 6 languages, interviewed incoming "refugees" from Europe during the war trying to weed out the German spies and he said that (much to his horror) his team were successful several times, whereupon the unfortunate person was executed the next day.

Being subject to the Official Secrets Act, he would never speak of his experiences, and although one of his colleagues published a book in 1992, I only learned bits and pieces of his war-time career.  He died in 2005, aged 104
If music be the food of love, play on

Jem

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Re: 23days a memoir of 1939
« Reply #2 on: April 13, 2014, 06:34:58 PM »
Its an interesting subject and its a story that has never been published before.
We may at some point do a eBook but currently we have a stock of books arriving soon so we are putting our efforts into selling them first.

Thanks for your comments about the site and the free pages.

Jem

guest4631

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Re: 23days a memoir of 1939
« Reply #3 on: April 14, 2014, 02:27:38 PM »
Jem,

Very interesting, I look forward to reading the whole thing. It's great that your grandfather took the trouble to tell his story and you took the trouble to publish it. My father was in the RAF during the War and whenever I would probe about what he did he would just say he did 'various bits of training and then Hitler 'gave up' and it was the end of the War.'

At his funeral I spoke to someone who was in the RAF with him who laughed when I recounted my Father's comments. He told me that my father had actually spent much of the War out above the Atlantic hunting U Boats with 'secret equipment' from a Cornwall base before being posted to Bletchley Park as a Communications Technician.

Jem

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Re: 23days a memoir of 1939
« Reply #4 on: April 14, 2014, 02:44:47 PM »
Thank you for your reply.

This really is the only time that my Grandad "spoke" about his experiences during the war.  He never said much to us, his grandchildren, and from talking to my dad he did not say too much to them either. Only little bits here and there.

When my dad and his brother were young he just told them that he was a fighter pilot (p51-d Mustang) and thats all they really knew.

I was really moved when I first read the book. I wish I had read it while he was alive because there are bits in the book that I would love to have asked him about. But from what he says in his 'writing' it was very hard for him. The first part of the book as he did it, which covers a bit of family history but the years from 1939 to about 1941 it took him over 2 years to dictate.

Its a bit sad that he had this horrible few years of his life but in a weird twist of fate if all that had not happened to him and he had not found himself in England, where he met his wife, I would not be here.

I appreciate any feedback about the website.


guest4631

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Re: 23days a memoir of 1939
« Reply #5 on: May 07, 2014, 11:35:43 AM »
I've just finished this book and it is a great read. Joe Podolski suffered terribly at the hands of the Russians and I had to put the book down several times. This is a real 'gloves off' account with the narrator dishing it out in equal measure. Highly recommended, but not for the squeamish.

Jem

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Re: 23days a memoir of 1939
« Reply #6 on: May 07, 2014, 11:49:30 PM »
Thanks for your comments, I am very glad you enjoyed the book. It is an amazing story and I am looking forward to getting more feedback as more people begin to read it.

Jem

Jem

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Re: 23days a memoir of 1939
« Reply #7 on: May 19, 2014, 02:57:53 PM »
We have made it into the local papers about the book.

An online version of the article can be found here:

http://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/lifestyle/second_world_war_story_of_no_ordinary_joe_1_3606710

Jem

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Re: 23days a memoir of 1939
« Reply #8 on: May 30, 2014, 02:53:07 PM »
Just in case anyone is following my posts or is interested.

We are number one in the local best sellers at a local department store!

Now we just need to expand and build on that and hopefully start to get it out there.

http://www.jarrold.co.uk/departments/books/local-books

degzi

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Re: 23days a memoir of 1939
« Reply #9 on: August 19, 2014, 10:29:58 PM »
Very interesting.
My grandfather was in ww2. He never really wanted to talk about it.
He was a supply  driver, in Vietnam I believe. Lots of terrible things happened, everywhere but the japan / Vietnam is never talked about much.

I don't want to go into much detail but what I learnt is truly inhumane. Think along lines of bodies on roads and hung from trees. Do you get out the lorry and move them..? Not just a few.... Or drive........

It is true, we should never forget. But We haven't learnt much since then in the world by the seems of things in the Middle East etc..
As Einstein refused to be anything. I am a human being, not a nationality...


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