This is the very personal account of a young Polish man's experiences of living in and escaping from a country whose greedy and pugilistic neighbours constantly threatened his homeland's sovereignty. Waldek's first "escape" was from the Bolshevik invasion of Poland in 1920 and this experience is described through the eyes of a four and a half year old child. As a young airman Waldek once again witnessed how easily his country could be overrun by aggressive invaders and also how resistance can be quashed. His second "escape" was from this tyranny into the comparative safety of neutral Romania; however, this 'safety' took the form of incarceration in near-prison conditions. This led to his third "escape" which took him on travels through eastern Europe,across the Mediterranean to France,thence to Africa and the Atlantic Ocean before finally landing in Britain.Waldek's account of all this makes particularly absorbing and sobering reading. The tale then chronicles his wartime experiences travelling from base to base throughout Britain with 304 Squadron (Coastal Command)-from Cornwall to the north of Scotland - and nearly everywhere in between. He tells of conflict and friendships - fellow countrymen and new friends...and of one new friend in particular. Young love blossomed - Waldek 's final "capture", setting him off on an entirely new course - one which leads to the present day and culminates in the publication of this book - Waldek's story.