Böcker av Peter Hurdwell

The life of a small boy living in a London suburb which sustained heavy damage from enemy bombing where over a hundred of its citizens were killed and only ten percent of its buildings survived the war unscathed. He recalls the terror of lying in a cupboard under the stairs as the Luftwaffe bombed his suburb and later devastation caused by V1 flying bombs and long range V2 rockets. His account encompasses a short period of evacuation to the safety of a country village and the relief experienced by a war torn populace when news of Hitler's death heralded the end of the Third Reich and the Second World War. The reminiscences also include details of his family's friendship with German prisoners of war. The main thread which weaves the narrative together lays in the many humorous episodes which punctuated his early years, particularly whilst in the British Army which at the time appeared to have changed only marginally since the carnage of the First World War.

Overland on A ShoestringIn 1960 a young Englishman decided to invest ten pounds for the opportunity to travel to the other side of the world on a cruise liner, the trip being heavily subsidised by the Australian Government. He was to become one of the many 'Ten pound Tourists' to migrate from Britain to Australia following the Second World War. Within a week of his arrival in Australia he had managed to secure a flat at Bondi Beach, a job in Sydney's business district and had also met the girl he was to marry two years later. Little could he have foreseen at that time that these events would prove to have such a profound effect not only on their lives but also those of other family members. Shortly after he and his fiancée had married they decided to travel to England to meet his family and enjoy a two year stay before returning to Australia. However, after a few months in England, whilst enjoying a few drinks in a local pub with friends, his younger brother mentioned the idea of an overland trip back to the Land Down Under. The idea of 'Overland on a Shoestring' was born. It took over two years to prepare for the journey, during which time the party of eight purchased two 1942 vintage ex World War II Willys Jeeps and an old Bedford van that cost fifty pounds. Thus, in June, 1964 they set off on a journey which would take them through Scandinavia, Europe and Asia where their adventure would be punctuated by numerous vehicle breakdowns. There were also other surprises including waking up one morning in the desert to behold vultures circling above them and on another occasion, having set up camp one evening, they found that the field that they had chosen was in fact a Turkish artillery range that was to be bombarded minutes later. They eventually arrived in Australia in December, 1964, fit and well in spite of having shed almost a third of their bodyweight. Every member of the party remained in Australia to become Australian citizens.