An interesting and moving account of the World War Two experiences of Margaret and John Winter. Margaret was a despatch rider in the WRNS and John served in submarines and detroyers.

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

Another Scarborough author joins the Scarborough Literature Festival 2009 BookCrossing event!

I picked up this book by a local author at the Scarborough Literature Festival - great fun - watch out for the next festival April 2010! it is a husband and wife memoir of their experiences in WW2- she as a motor cycle despatch rider, he in submarines. Very readable and interesting, with Margaret's superb poems an added bonus.
I am leaving this book in a shelter in the South Cliff Gardens in Scarborough for another visitor to enjoy.

CAUGHT IN SCARBOROUGH NORTH YORKSHIRE ENGLAND

I caught the book one sunny Saturday in Scarborough. It had been placed on a bench in a park that I'd never bothered to wander into before, despite having visited Scarborough many times. The park is Shuttleworth Gardens on Esplanade Crescent. My husband and I have visited Hunmanby many times over the last 25 years and discovering that Margaret and John settled here on their return to Britain, we wondered how many times they, like us, had enjoyed walking on the wonderful stretch of beach to Filey. I'm still reading the 3rd section of the book; I think Margaret's memoirs would possibly have made for a more lively read had she written them nearer the time of those days despatch riding, as I thought her poetry poignant. I'm enjoying reading about John's adventures, intrigued that he could sleep through the head-on collision with the trawler. I'm lending this book to a friend before sending it on its travels again! I have now released the book (on 29th Oct)and left it in the porch of St Mary's church in Masham. It has been the venue for a superb art exhibition as part of the Masham Arts Festival and there will be plenty of people about! I had intended leaving it at a war memorial in the hope that the next reader would be able to relate more knowledgeably to the technical details of John's sea-faring exploits. However, Masham (like Humnamby) has special memories for us and hence my choice.

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

I hope the next reader will have lived through the events of World War II as I'm sure John and Margaret's stories will bring back many memories.

I caught this book on Friday the 22nd of January when I was photographically recording Masham church. I noticed the book next to the church Visitor's Book. I'd read about Bookcrossing when it first started but had completely forgotten about it until I looked at the title page of this book. I thought I may as well join up and write a diary entry.

I'm sorry Kaye56 but I am nowhere near old enough. I do however come from Perth WA, so the letters in the 2nd part of the book where they get to Fremantle were slightly interesting.

I have just about finished the book now and on the whole I found it disappointing, mainly because the authors felt they had to change the names for no obvious reason - there is nothing scandalous in the book! - and also because the letters seem to have no context in which to set them (who is Robert? Or did I miss something somewhere?)

As the book contains a chapter dealing with a trip to Perth/Fremantle I decided it might be nice to bring the book with me on my visit to Perth. I left it on a table near Wombat Lodge in the shopping centre. It was gone by the time I passed by 30 minutes later (hopefully not into a bin).