Return Ticket

by Anthony Deane-Drummond, Bryan Lubrani (Illustrator)

The series of escape stories published since the war have shown that truth is not only stranger than fiction, it is much more exciting. This contention is certainly borne out by the experiences of Anthony Deane-Drummond, so simply and yet so convincingly told in RETURN TICKET. Deane-Drummond was one of the first parachutists to land in enemy Italy on a raid in 1941, and was taken prisoner after his mission was completed. Twice he made ingenious and daring escapes;once from a prison and once from a military hospital. On each occasion he reached the heavily guarded Swiss frontier and on the second, he managed to cross it. Thence he traveled through war-time France and back to England.He then promptly joined the First Airborne Division and was dropped with that immortal body of men on Arnhem. There he was taken prisoner once more, and having spent 13 days and 13 nights hidden in a constricted wall-cupboard in a German guard-room, he escaped yet again, recovered in the house of a courageous Dutch family from this truly astonishing feat of endurance and crossed back into the British lines.As a stopry of ingenuity, courage and determination, this is difficult to equal.

Genres: Nonfiction, World War II, War, Historical, Biography, History, Autobiography

160 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1956

Reviews

[JD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anthony Deane-Drummond was a master escaper who learned from his experiences and fine-tuned his techniques. First captured during Operation Colossus in Italy, he then escaped twice from his POW camps and made it to Switzerland the second time round. After returning to England through Vichy France and Gibraltar he joined his paratroop unit again to take part in Operation Market Garden.

During the heavy fighting in and around Arnhem he was captured again after the failure of the operation, and this time escaped from his German captors by standing in a cupboard for 13 days!! with limited water and food supplies and in the end crossing the Rhine again with dozens of other fugitive paratroopers to join the fight again. The book is well written and has great detail on lesser-known events and subjects of the War. Highly recommended if you can get your hands on a copy of this old book first published in 1953.

[Bev Walkling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anthony Deane-Drummond was a parachutist who initially was dropped into Italy and captured after completing a mission. He escaped twice and twice made it to the Swiss border actually succeeding in crossing over second time round. He made it back to England and then was dropped into Holland as part of Operation Market Garden, was captured and then escaped by staying locked in a hidden wall cupboard in a room the Germans were using for interrogations. He spent 13 days in the cupboard - standing - with very limited water and food and successfully got away and made it back to his own side. This book has an important place in the list of books detailing the experiences of captured military in wartime.

[Josiah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. What an incredible story- a real hidden gem in WW2 heroism. Highly recommend reading this- I have such a respect for the author, who only passed away a few years ago. May we never forget our Allied heroes who not only saved their respective countries, but the world and ensured freedom for generations to come.

[Steve822 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very readable account of one man's experiences during WW2, one can only respect the fortitude and resilience of the author. What struck me most was the apparent reality of warfare - out of ammunition, he and his men hid in a toilet for 3 days and when captured he hid in a closet for 13 days before making his escape. It's not all steely bravery charging at the enemy, people do things just to survive and the author must be commended for his honest account.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

An incredible story of indomitable human spirit written by an absolute legend.

Definitely worth a read.