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Leaders collects in one place for the first time the remarkably
personal and distinct stories from Pangbourne College of the
courageous men and women in war and peace - accounts that are in
danger of being forgotten today. Based on original research and
neglected first-person accounts, it covers the period 1917-2020,
with a particular emphasis on World War II, the Cold War, the
Falklands War and contemporary conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Leaders documents the courageous and singular actions during a
century of peacetime, as well as profiling the outstanding Second
World War heroes Mike Cumberlege, David Smiley, and GTS 'Peter'
Gray. A chapter recounting amazing exploits in the world of
international sport adds a separate dimension to the book. Authored
by a former foreign correspondent and leading corporate writer,
with a Foreword by a leading naval historian, the book has a global
dimension and perspective. This is reinforced by the author's years
of investigatory work, his experience covering wars and his
long-standing knowledge and understanding of the context.
The stories in this collection have slipped on a sunbeam, skidded
on the dew and sprinted fast as a fox to be here with you. Of
course, they're true, puffed on to the page with a hint of lavender
and a gust of sage. They tell of Sussex: its sparkling seas; chalk
giants; wise witches and crossdressing smugglers. Once you've heard
them, you'll know that when leaves skitter, it's Puck, the sprite
of Sussex, fighting with his sister the Fairy Queen. When you hear
laughter in the forest, it's Flint, the phantom highwayman making
his escape, and when you run over the Downs, you'll remember they
were shaped by the Devil's buttocks. These tales - specially chosen
for the enjoyment of 7- to 11-year-old readers - sparkle with magic
and explode with adventure. Not only will children love to read
them, or listen to them being read, these stories will also
stimulate an interest in the county and help children engage with
their own surroundings.
This first-ever biography of of Lt. Cdr. Mike Cumberlege DSO &
Bar, Greek Medal of Honour, murdered in Sachsenhausen Concentration
Camp in Feb/March 1945, recalls a man who was `truly Elizabethan in
character-a combination of gaiety and solidity and sensitiveness
and poetry with daring and adventurousness-and great courage.'
Cumberlege came from a maverick sea-going family. He was highly
resourceful and lived by his wits, skippering ocean-going yachts
for wealthy Americans before the war. In 1936 he married Nancy;
their relationship was close and, with the sea, forms a thread in
the book. From 1940 Cumberlege and served in undercover roles in
the Royal Navy in Marseilles and Cape Verde and was on the staff of
General de Gaulle in London. Posted to Egypt in 1941 in the SOE, he
formed a para-naval force of fishing vessels, took part in fighting
in Greece, attacked the Corinth Canal, escaped from Crete, was
wounded and returned three times to Crete clandestinely. On a
second operation to destroy the Corinth Canal in 1943 he was
captured. Tortured in Mauthausen concentration camp, he was
transferred to Sachsenhausen and spent 21 months in solitary
confinement. The book contains unique material gathered from the
family and from well-wishers in places as far apart as Ukraine,
Australia and the USA.
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