The Children Who Fought Hitler: A British Outpost in Europe

by Sue Elliott, James Fox

Few people know that Ypres, center of First World War remembrance, was once home to a thriving British community that played a heroic role in the Second World War. This expatriate outpost grew around the British ex-servicemen who cared for the war memorials and cemeteries of Flanders Fields. Many married local women and their children grew up multi-lingual, but attended their own school and were intensely proud to be British. When Germany invaded in 1940 the community was threatened—some children managed to escape, while others were not so lucky. Armed with their linguistic skills and local knowledge, the pupils of the British Memorial School in Ypres were uniquely prepared to fight Hitler in occupied territory and from Britain. Still in their teens, some risked capture, torture, and death in intelligence and resistance operations. An exceptional patriotism spurred them on to unparalleled feats of bravery. While their peers at home were being evacuated to the English countryside, these children were directly exposed to danger in one of the major theatres of war. This is their story: a war story about people from an unusual community, told from a fresh and human perspective.

310 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

An engaging look at the children of the British colony in Ypres before, during, and after WW2. I was surprised by how interesting the history of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission was, and the superb storytelling made it clear that life for the British settlers of Ypres/surrounding area was unique and well-worth reading about. Fans of "Outpost of Occupation" by Barry Turner will certainly enjoy this book!

[Trevor Harvey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review contains spoilers.

The title is a misnomer as the activities were carried out when the children had become adults.

This book explores an aspect of post World War One history that, I venture to suggest, very few people know about.

After the end of World War One in 1918, a sizeable population of British soldiers remained in Ypres. They became gardeners who tended the new graves and plots erected by the Imperial War Graves Commission. Many had married French or Belgian women. A British enclave emerged with its own church and school.

The book covers the setting up of the school, the emergence of the first visitors to the battlefields in the 1920s leading up to the evacuation of the area in May 1940 and the contribution made by the children as adults in various capacities during the next five years; for example, being part of the Resistance or members of the SOE.

The main source material is people's personal memories which gives the book an immediacy. The book is both harrowing and uplifting; it brings home what people can achieve when forced out of their comfort zones.