About this ebook
This is the story of John Searancke’s parents, told mostly from the side of his father, Eddie Searancke, from the time of his calling up in early 1940 to his release from a prisoner of war camp in Germany in 1945, thence his return to England to try to pick up the pieces of his old life. Nothing could ever be quite the same afterwards.
The letters take readers through five captivating years, telling of the ups and downs, the plots and counterplots, as Eddie rose through the ranks to end his war as a captain, elevated to that rank in the field as his troops faced the formidable might of the SS Panzers. The letters also reveal where his battle came to an abrupt end, in an orchard surrounded by the enemy and captured after a series of bloody skirmishes as the British army spearheaded its way from the beaches of Normandy. The journey as a prisoner across France and Germany in a truck, with comrades dying each day, may be as hard to read as it is to tell, particularly when a new life and new harsh rules had to be learned and rigidly enforced in a prison camp in northern Germany, the final destination.
This is written as part memoir, part fictionalised retelling and partly in letter format; John draws together all sources to recreate the five years of war and hardship that the letters span.
The letters take readers through five captivating years, telling of the ups and downs, the plots and counterplots, as Eddie rose through the ranks to end his war as a captain, elevated to that rank in the field as his troops faced the formidable might of the SS Panzers. The letters also reveal where his battle came to an abrupt end, in an orchard surrounded by the enemy and captured after a series of bloody skirmishes as the British army spearheaded its way from the beaches of Normandy. The journey as a prisoner across France and Germany in a truck, with comrades dying each day, may be as hard to read as it is to tell, particularly when a new life and new harsh rules had to be learned and rigidly enforced in a prison camp in northern Germany, the final destination.
This is written as part memoir, part fictionalised retelling and partly in letter format; John draws together all sources to recreate the five years of war and hardship that the letters span.
Ratings and reviews
5.0
1 review
Sarah Jane Butfield
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April 16, 2016
Prunes for Breakfast which may be perceived as a WW2 memoir from its synopsis, is very much more that that. It is a personal, detailed and touching memoir and as such it will appeal to memoir readers across a wide range of interests. The WW2 descriptions and facts as portrayed to the author from letters written by his father, Eddie during that period, articulately depict the horrors of war, but also clearly reflect love, honour and commitment. The superb use of vocabulary and the diarised style of collating this story, even when there must have been missing elements, is carefully and skillfully crafted and the author deserves credit for achieving this. Even though it is a memoir, there is a true sense of anticipation and almost plot development in that it keeps the reader captivated and eagerly awaiting the next episode.
About the author
John Searancke is restaurant reviewer for the Canary Islands newspaper Island Connections. He also provides independent book reviews for an English publishing house. Born in 1943 he lived his early life in Ashby-de la-Zouch. Later commissioned into the Territorial Army, he has been variously a hotel and restaurant owner, director and chairman of a marketing consortium, and latterly a partner in a commercial legal services company. He now lives with his wife Sally in northern Tenerife. This is his second book; Dog Days In The Fortunate Islands (Matador, 2014) was his first.
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