Preface
Growing up, I was blessed with the friendship of many people who were happy to share their experiences. No more so than the old Scouts from 1st Chesham Bois Scout Group near Amersham. To a lesser extent, I also had the opportunity to talk with people who lived through many of the key histories of the period in mainland Europe.
This story developed from excerpts that I heard from people who experienced similar journeys, both interwar and post-war, along with my experiences.
Using my understanding of Europe, and having done similar journeys myself, I have created a story around a pivotal period in world history. I suppose I am also jealous of the experiences offered to those earlier generations. Having said that, I had my own historic events, such as the fall of the Iron Curtain, having been in Eastern Europe, and East Berlin, in particular, just weeks before the momentous events.
The events leading up to the Second World War, and the recent horrors of the Great War would have, I think, made such a trip quite a scary undertaking. The fear of the opponents (or disinterested) of the National Socialists (Nazi) in Germany, the reclaiming of the Rhineland buffer with France and the general fear of having its neutrality ignored in Belgium all played a part.
I hope you enjoy this journey through Europe and history.
Thom Poole – January 2018
