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WOOD, J.E.R. (ed.)
Detour. The Story of Oflag IVC.
Drawings by Lieut. J.F. Watton, Border Regiment.
First edition. Handsomely produced - by the standards of the day - souvenir of Colditz Castle in Saxony, the infamous 'bad boys' POW camp. This copy inscribed by the editor on the front free endpaper; " For Pte. Tindall of 2 GHQ Press RASC, Yrs. J.E.R. Wood Lieut, R.C.E. Brackwide 23 May '46." In his acknowledgements Wood explains the complex process by which the book printed and published, printing and binding being undertaken by 2 GHQ Press RASC of the Printing and Stationery Service, HQ, BAOR, with Pte. Tindall obviously one of those involved in the process. The book was compiled from a large number of narratives contributed by ex-inmates, and largely illustrated with portraits by another. Wood himself was a Canadian mining engineer who was captured at Dieppe, and became an inveterate escaper. In the "thumb-nail sketch" accompanying Wood's portrait, Capt. Pemberton How, RASC, explains how "Jerry [Wood] never let up in Germany and in a most extraordinary way mixed studying with escaping. Jerry was often to be seen disappearing into a tunnel with tools in one hand a German Grammar in the other. In this way he wasted no time … This book is a great tribute to his perseverance … Jerry is a great character …one of the most popular personalities of the camp."
Quarto. Original red cloth backed grey boards, title gilt to spine and upper board. Remains of dust jacket loosely inserted at the rear. Coloured portrait frontispiece and 29 other coloured plates, most of them portraits, numerous black and white plates, illustrations to the text. A little rubbed and mottled, marginal browning, overall a very good copy.
