|
Iron memorial fund |
|
in honour of those that gave their lives |
|
BEHIND THE LINES : THE STORY OF THE IRON |
|
Hedley Malloch has written a full and detailed account which captures all the dangers faced by the soldiers and the villagers of Iron and bravery of all the characters involved. It has been published in three parts and each part (and the complete story) is available in PDF and can be downloaded by clicking on the links on this page.
Part One: On the Run. This part introduces the story, describes the sources of information used and outlines what is known about the eleven British soldiers. It then identifies how it was so easy for so many British soldiers to lose contact with their units and to hide from the Germans in the woods of L’Avesne. It ends with the soldiers about to make contact with the village of Iron.
Part Two: Shelter, Betrayal and Execution. The soldiers are discovered by Vincent Chalandre who takes them to the Logez family, millers and smallholders in Iron. This part describes the Logez and Chalandre families, their motivation for caring for them, and the organisation of their care. The circumstances surrounding their betrayal and capture are accounted for, together with a description of their execution.
Part Three: The Aftermath. Here we describe what happened to the survivors in the Logez and Chalandre families, and the man who betrayed the twelve. It then moves into an account of how the British Government bestowed honours on the two French families. It closes with answers to two unanswered questions about the affair:
Was there a twelfth British soldier who escaped the clutches of the Germans at the last minute?
Why did the soldiers stay in Iron rather than trying to escape back to the UK?
It ends with some general conclusions that can be drawn from this remarkable incident.
If you want to download the complete story in one hit (total size, 9.4MB) click here
|
