The Weekend Trippers - A Rifleman's Diary

Book excerpt: Ted Taylor, 1st Battalion, The Rifle Brigade, was sent to France in May 1940 as part of Calais Force. Outnumbered by at least three to one they managed to hold out for 4 days against the might of the 10th Panzer Division until they finally ran out of ammunition and were forced to surrender. Nicknamed 'The Weekend Trippers' as a joke because of their short time in France before they were captured, the next five years were certainly not funny for them, as Ted found himself part of the huge slave labour force in Poland under the administration of Stalag XXA and Stalag XXB. Life in the POW camps bore little resemblance to the cheerful films of the 1950s and time spent in Majdanek Concentration Camp and a Polish salt mine were things Ted buried deep in his subconscious and never spoke about. The Weekend Trippers is based on Ted's diaries written at the time. 75% of the author royalties from each book sold will be going to the Rifles Benevolent Trust.