Blighty or Bust is Private Raymond Bailey’s own account of his dramatic escape in 1940 from a Nazi prisoner-of-war column – and his daring 2,000 mile journey from northern France to the safety of British Gibraltar.
Along the way Ray has nerve-shredding encounters with German soldiers and the Spanish Civil Guard. Often he is exhausted and starving. Youthful energy and unfailing optimism are all that keep him going. At other times Ray is enveloped in kindness. He is aided and befriended, concealed and cared for, by ordinary French and Spanish people at risk to their own safety.
Ray’s escape is remarkable. So too is his memoir. It was written within a year or two of the events it describes, when Ray was just 22. In this book we hear the true voice of a young working-class conscript: simple, straightforward, immediate. And thrillingly readable.
Blighty or Bust may be the earliest Second World War soldier’s memoir to have been written. Its author is surely the youngest ever to describe his wartime experiences at such length. Found in a rural auction sale in 2018, it is a treasure unearthed.
The original manuscript has been skilfully edited by David Wilkins. David has added just enough background material to place Ray’s experiences in context without intruding into his absorbing story.
