Don't Look Back

Sometimes life throws up those little moments that feel far too well timed to be mere coincidence. I was attending a family funeral in Leicestershire when my cousin introduced me to family friend, fellow author, and all round good chap, Keith Morley. We soon discovered a shared connection through our books, our publisher, Troubador Publishing and some of the wonderful team there, including the fab Andrea Johnson . Keith mentioned his book, the extraordinary story of his father Ron’s wartime escape from occupied Europe after being shot down while serving in a Lancaster bomber. It immediately caught my attention, and I knew I had to read it. What I hadn’t fully appreciated at the time was the sheer scale of Keith’s research. He not only painstakingly reconstructed his father’s perilous journey through occupied Europe to Gibraltar and eventual safety, but also met some of the very people who helped Ron along the way. This is a remarkable book, one that genuinely deserves a far wider audience. In fact, it would make a superb film. Keith’s attention to detail places you right alongside Ron at every twist and turn of his incredible journey. I couldn’t put it down. It is also written in the first person, a style I do not usually gravitate towards. Here, though, it is absolutely the right choice. It adds immediacy, tension, and keeps the suspense alive right to the final page. I cannot praise Keith highly enough. This is a deeply moving tribute to his father, and to the extraordinary courage, resilience, and selflessness of those who risked everything in the fight against tyranny. If you have any interest in the Second World War, stories of survival, beating impossible odds, or the sheer strength of the human spirit, both physical and mental, I wholeheartedly recommend it. Keith, thank you for telling this story with such care, such skill, and such respect for both the subject and the reader.

This is a wonderful book. I was interested to read it as my Father served in Bomber Command as a wireless operator. I can’t imagine the fear & stress this man had to endure. He was so brave during a terrible time! It was very well written & I really felt for him. I couldn’t put the book down. So much detail but never boring, I felt like I was living it with him! I will definitely read it again!

An excellent read! I must confess to having met Ron Morley when I was in the Air Scouts nearly fifty years ago. Ron, and another ex. RAF colleague Aurther Blow, come down one evening, and captured our imaginations, with tales of their wartime experiences. It was a fabulous evening, and when I heard all these years later, that Keith had written a book about his father's exploits, I just knew it would be good as I already had had a taste of it. What Keith does astonishingly well, is add a fantastic level of detail, without the narrative getting slow or boring. I genuinely could not put this book down!

An excellent read, painstakingly researched in immense detail and historically, it has no doubt filled in many blanks for people, myself included. From a literary perspective the descriptions of the environment and the characters, their thoughts and feelings convey not only the loneliness and fear of the unknown, but the extreme trepidation, bravery and desperation of the plight of all involved in the war. It reinforces with a genuine realism how such RAF evaders and the resistance fighters fought for their survival on a daily basis. Well written, I completed it within a few days and whether war stories are your genre, or not, you will be gripped by the human aspects of this exciting true story.

This is an incredible story, full of bravery, loneliness and despair, written in the style of a memoir, by the author about his father's experiences as a member of RAF aircrew, shot down over German occupied Belgium. It details his escape through Belgium, France and Spain, the hardships faced, and the challenges overcome. It is an inspirational account, and well worth reading.