Richard Garrett (15 January 1920 – 29 July 2008) is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

and an ex-

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...

Biography

Richard Garrett joined up in 1939 and was made a second lieutenant in the Notts and Derby Regiment (the

Sherwood Foresters The Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence for just under 90 years, from 1881 to 1970. In 1970, the regiment was amalgamated with the Worcestershire Regiment to f ...

) at the outbreak of war. In 1940 he formed part of the ill-fated Allied campaign in Norway. After an abortive action near

Lillehammer Lillehammer () is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. Some of the more notable villages in the municip ...

, in which unprepared British troops underwent a determined aerial attack by the Germans, he found himself, with fifteen other men, separated from the main British force. It was decided to make for the North Sea coast, a 300-mile trek across the highest mountain range in Scandinavia. Travelling only at night the men reached the

Sognefjord The Sognefjord or Sognefjorden (, en, Sogn Fjord), nicknamed the King of the Fjords ( no, Fjordenes konge), is the largest and deepest fjord in Norway. Located in Vestland county in Western Norway, it stretches inland from the ocean to the smal ...

on Whit Sunday 1940. Since the Germans were already there, it was decided to continue to Eikfjord where a fishing boat was acquired on the strength of a £100 iou (which was honoured at the end of the war). From there they crossed the North Sea back to the Shetland Islands. During his time stationed back in Britain he suffered a fall from a horse leaving him with severe concussion, but was finally passed as fit for service and took part in

Operation Torch Operation Torch (8 November 1942 – Run for Tunis, 16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of secu ...

, the invasion of Tunisia. On 28 February 1943, whilst attempting to help one of his men who had been wounded, he was taken prisoner. Initially handed over to the Italians, he was held prisoner in Capua, Italy and near Modena. With the fall of Mussolini, prisoners of war were transported to Germany and Garrett spent most of the remainder of the war in Oflag Va, Weinsberg (see

List of prisoner-of-war camps in Germany For lists of German prisoner-of-war camps, see: * German prisoner-of-war camps in World War I * German prisoner-of-war camps in World War II Nazi Germany operated around 1,000 prisoner-of-war camps (german: Kriegsgefangenenlager) during World War ...

) near Stuttgart. In late spring 1945 the prisoners were moved to Moosburg, near Munich, where they were Liberated by American troops. His return to England was featured in the documentary "The Day the War Ended" on BBC television. His postwar career included founding and running a company producing house magazines for large corporations and an involvement in the British motor racing scene of the sixties and seventies. He has written forty-five books. He died on 29 July 2008.

Publications

*''Great Sea Mysteries'' (1971) *''True Tales of Detection'' (1972) *''Narrow Squeaks: Real Life Stories of Miraculous Escapes'' (1973) *''Famous Characters of the Wild West'' (1975) *''Stories of Famous Natural Disasters'' (1976) *''Famous Rescues at Sea'' (1977) *''Scharnhorst and Gneisenau: The Elusive Sisters'' (1978) *''Hoaxes and Swindles'' (1979) *''Aliens from Outer Space'' (1983) *''Atlantic Disaster: Man's War Against the North Atlantic'' (1986) *''Flight into Mystery: Reports from the Dark Side of the Sky'' (1986) *''Great Escapes of World War II'' (1989) *''Voyage into Mystery: Reports from the Sinister Side of the Sea'' (1991)

External links

* British Army personnel of World War II World War II prisoners of war held by Germany English non-fiction writers 1920 births 2008 deaths English male non-fiction writers 20th-century English male writers {{UK-writer-stub