At the Fifth Attempt: An Escape Story

The story told in this book is so remarkable that some may find it hard to believe that the author has not allowed the passage of years to embellish his memory of the events he describes. A little research, however, will soon dispel this idea.

As a private soldier serving with the Welsh Guards, John Elwyn was taken prisoner before the evacuation from Dunkirk. At once his mind turned to thoughts of escape and it was not long before he was on the run. The cycle of recapture, retribution, and repeated escape which followed would have persuaded most prisoners that it was easier to sit out the war wherever one found oneself. But Elwyn was not cast in that mold and, not content with simply escaping, at one stage falls in love with and marries a Polish woman, a romance that sadly ended in tragedy.

But the way had to go on and Elwyn had to keep, or was kept, on the move, aided by some very remarkable and courageous people who could easily have paid with their lives for what they were doing - John Elwyn makes no secret of his deep admiration for the people of Poland.