On 22 May 1940 Alec Jay arrived in Calais with his Battalion, the Queen Victoria Rifles. After four days of intense fighting, he was taken prisoner of war along with those of his colleagues who were not killed. The Calais Garrison was not evacuated. His situation as a POW was exceptionally perilous as he was a Jew. Made to wear distinctive clothing, he was all too aware of the Nazis' determination to eradicate his race. Undeterred he made five escape attempts as well as leading a successful protest strike, one of the few during the War. When he finally escaped, he teamed up with Czech partisans and fought alongside them during the closing stages of the War. John Jay, a distinguished journalist and investment manager, has reconstructed his Father's war using the archive material from four countries and numerous other sources and POW accounts. The result is a fascinating and inspiring story.

Author Biography

John Jay was born in 1957 in Hampstead Garden Suburb, London, and was educated at University College School, Hampstead, and Magdalen College, Oxford, where he read Modern History. After graduating, he became a journalist, working initially for the Western Mail in Cardiff and Thomson Regional Newspapers' City desk. In 1986, he became City editor of The Sunday Times and between 1989 and 2000 he ran the business coverage of The Sunday Telegraph and then The Sunday Times. Since 2001, he has worked in the fund management industry and is currently development partner of Brompton Asset Management. In 1989, he published The New Tycoons with Judi Bevan, now his wife. They live in North London with their daughter, Josephine.