Read more
This is a pioneering history of the experience of captivity of British prisoners of war (POWs) in Europe during the Second World War, focussing on how they coped and came to terms with wartime imprisonment. Clare Makepeace reveals the ways in which POWs psychologically responded to surrender, the camaraderie and individualism that dominated life in the camps, and how, in their imagination, they constantly breached the barbed wire perimeter to be with their loved ones at home. Through the diaries, letters and log books written by seventy-five POWs, along with psychiatric research and reports, she explores the mental strains that tore through POWs' minds and the challenges that they faced upon homecoming. The book tells the story of wartime imprisonment through the love, fears, fantasies, loneliness, frustration and guilt that these men felt, shedding new light on what the experience of captivity meant for these men both during the war and after their liberation.
List of contents
Introduction; 1. Capture; 2. Imprisoned servicemen; 3. Bonds between men; 4. Ties with home; 5. Going 'round the bend'; 6. Liberation; 7. Resettling; Conclusion.
About the author
Clare Makepeace is an Honorary Research Fellow at Birkbeck, University of London, and a guest lecturer at the Institute of Continuing Education, University of Cambridge. She is a historian of British servicemen's experiences in the two World Wars. She has published in numerous academic books and journals, as well as History Today, BBC History Magazine, BBC news online and the Daily Mail. She works with media professionals in a consultancy and on-air capacity, and has contributed to programmes for BBC One, BBC Radio 5 live and local radio outlets. Her work on prostitution in World War One recently inspired an Arts Council-funded regional theatre production.
Summary
A pioneering study of the experiences and emotional lives of British prisoners of war in Germany and Italy during the Second World War. Clare Makepeace tells the story of wartime imprisonment through the love, fears, fantasies, loneliness, frustration and guilt that these men felt and the challenges that they faced upon homecoming.
Report
'Clare Makepeace is a rare historian able to combine depth of knowledge with exquisite sensitivity. By delving into the intimate lives of prisoners of war, Makepeace reveals the primacy of domestic ties in the inner lives of these captives, and emphasises the range and complexity of different masculinities. The book is a 'must read', not only for people curious about war and captivity, but also for anyone interested in the history of everyday lives.' Joanna Bourke, Birkbeck, University of London
