Ticket to Hell via Dieppe, from a prisoner's wartime log 1942-1945

by A. Robert Prouse

Robert Prouse was one of 5000 Canadians who volunteered for the disastrous August 1942 raid on Dieppe. Pinned down as soon as they hit the beach, Prouse was one of the many Canadians captured that day: they spent the rest of the war in German prison camps.

In a secret diary, Prouse kept a faithful record of three years' captivity. Drawn from that log, this account offers an unusually honest, accurate picture of captives and captors. Prouse tells of the horrors faced by those in the German camps, of his two escape attempts, of courage, bravery, tragedy--and the remarkable spirit of men trapped together under inhuman conditions.

Ticket to Hell is a gruelling account of war and captivity, and of the qualities of the human spirit that endure it.

Genres: Nonfiction, World War II, History, Canada

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1983

Reviews

[Mark Sewell]

This book is vital if one is looking into the memoirs of WW2 soldiers who survived the Raid on Dieppe.

The author managed to keep notes during his imprisonment, and this leads to the inclusion of certain details that are not in any other Dieppe memoir I have encountered. I won't give any spoilers, but you'll probably pick a few out upon reading, even if this is the first Dieppe memoir you read.

Survivors of the Raid and POW camps did not lie when writing their memoirs, but memory is an odd beast. The notes this author managed to keep from the time it happened provides a valuable resource for us today.

[John]

This book is a fairly brief and well written account of one Canadian soldier's POW experience. Typical of most POW books it is about harsh treatment, scrounging for food and forced evacuation marches. The author did escape twice but was recaptured both times. The book is filled with 59 pages of photos, documents and illustrations

[Ramona Chanderballi]

The writing in not very appealing but the story is harrowing. While reading the book,you might get bored but the storyline is intriguing and captivating. If you ever want a mild play by play of what prisoners of war go through- read this book.