Hello Everyone;
I wanted to take this opportunity to update you with some recent news.
You’ve likely noticed that a blog has not gone out recently. We are not discontinuing the publication of our blogs. Rather, we are taking a pause. The reason is that Sandy and I have decided to leave Florida and move back to the Nashville area.
As many of you know, we lived in Nashville for ten years before moving to Punta Gorda, FL in 2016. The Florida move was precipitated by our desire to be near my elderly father who lived alone in Venice, north of Punta Gorda. He passed away last March and as such, there really is no longer any reason for us to stay. We are building a house in the community of Franklin (south of Nashville) with a target move-in date for some time in the fall. So, one of the byproducts of this move will be disorganization or better stated, “it’s boxed up.” This will affect our ability to produce the blogs. As soon as we get settled and I get my library back in order, we’ll start pumping out the blogs like before. In the meantime, we hope you will enjoy our catalogue of more than ten years worth of bi-weekly blogs. As always, we very much appreciate those of you who reach out to us.
On a very sad note, I regret to inform you that Stanley Booker, RAF (ret.), MBE, Légion d’honneur, passed away peacefully on 26 January 2025 at the age of 102. As most of you know, Stan has been the focus of several blogs in the past beginning with The Last Train Out of Paris (click here to read the blog). He was the last surviving member of the 168 downed Allied airmen sent to Buchenwald to be executed under Hitler’s orders.
In America, Stan’s generation is affectionately known as “The Greatest Generation.” I don’t know if England has a similar moniker but regardless, Stan and millions of other men and women are members of this exclusive club. Unfortunately, we are losing them quite rapidly and soon, only memories will remain. I am in constant awe of the hundreds of organizations around the world such as Secret WW2 Learning Network that devote themselves to keeping these memories alive.
I invite you to click on the link below for Stan’s obituary. Written by Paul McCue, executive director of Secret WW2, it is an excellent summary of Stan’s remarkable life. According to Stan’s daughter, Pat Vinycomb, a memoir of her father’s life is in process.
Click here to read Stan’s obituary.
As Paul points out in the obituary, Stanley Booker’s favorite mantra was “It is the duty of the living to honour the dead.”
Next Blog: “TBD”
Correspondence and Commentary Policy
We welcome everyone to contact us either directly or through the individual blogs. Sandy and I review every piece of correspondence before it is approved to be published on the blog site. Our policy is to accept and publish comments that do not project hate, political, religious stances, or an attempt to solicit business (yeah, believe it or not, we do get that kind of stuff). Like many bloggers, we receive quite a bit of what is considered “Spam.” Those e-mails are immediately rejected without discussion.
Our blogs are written to inform our readers about history. We want to ensure discussions are kept within the boundary of historical facts and context without personal bias or prejudice.
We average about one e-mail every two days from our readers. We appreciate all communication because in many cases, it has led to friendships around the world.
★ Read and Learn More About Today’s Topic ★
Burgess, Colin. Destination: Buchenwald. Nashville: Kangaroo Press (1995).
Dorsey, Mike (producer and director). Lost Airmen of Buchenwald. Marauder Works (2011).
Marshall, Bruce. The White Rabbit: The Secret Agent the Gestapo Could Not Crack. London: Cassell & Co. (2007). Originally published by Evans Brothers in 1952.
Moser, Joseph F. and Gerald R. Baron. A Fighter Pilot in Buchenwald. Chicago: All Clear Publishing (2009).
Pedersen, Hilary and associated writers. ‘I Would Not Step Back . . .’: Squadron Leader Phil Lamason RNZAF, DFC and Bar. Bomber Command Books (2018).
Disclaimer:
There may be a chance that after we publish this particular blog, the video links associated with the blog are no longer accessible. We have no control over this. Many times, whoever posts the video has done so without the consent of the video’s owner. In some cases, it is likely that the content is deemed unsuitable by YouTube. We apologize if you have tried to access the link and you don’t get the expected results. Same goes for internet links.
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Hope to see you and Sandy when you relocate to Franklin!