Yorkshire born writer Bryn Evans finds a mystery letter leads into his fifth book

It began in the pandemic, amid despair and anxious uncertainty that was eroding the soul. At some point I read once more the mysterious letter, which my wife Jean had found after her father’s passing in 2003. The hand written letter was inside the cover of a dusty old book, The History of the East Surrey Regiment – Volume IV, in which her father Harry Skilton had served in North Africa and Italy, and post war had reached the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major.

Yet this letter is not written by Harry, nor is it addressed to him. It is written by someone signing their name merely as ‘Bill’, while at sea escaping from the Japanese conquest of Malaya and Singapore in 1941-42. It is addressed to ‘Tommy’, but without any surname or an address.

How was the letter in Harry’s possession? Who were ‘Bill’ and ‘Tommy’? No-one in Jean’s family know who ‘Bill’ and ‘Tommy’ might be. But I kept that letter – I had an uncanny feeling about it. The letter and related research would become the catalyst for my latest book, Escape, Survive – or Die.

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By 2021 the pandemic was affecting nearly everyone in some way, if not physically then mentally to some degree. There seemed to be no end in sight to constraints and lockdowns, In Australia to leave the country one required formal government approval, which was granted only for essential work or compassionate grounds. We felt marooned. With my wife Jean’s exhortation I duly submitted an application to the Australian Government, substantiated by an invitation from my publishing manager at Pen & Sword, Brigadier Henry Wilson, to meet with him in London to discuss my next proposed book, Escape, Survive – or Die.

The mystery letter was pivotal to my proposal, and the journey of researching the mystery letter, and writing my fifth book began. The book may have been conceived in the pandemic, but its collection of true stories belong to the men and women who endured extraordinary struggles to survive in the Second World War.

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Millions in both the armed forces and civilian life found themselves in life or death situations. They suffered far worse conditions for far longer than in the pandemic, and lives were lost in much greater numbers. Escape, Survive – or Die is a collection of stories from across all three services, and civilian life, where men and women faced extreme adversity, and a fatal choice they could not avoid.

Escape, Survive – or Die brings to life extraordinary true stories of men and women, who faced impossible odds during the Second World War. From dense jungles and scorching deserts to icy seas and enemy prison camps, these gripping personal accounts span every corner of the globe. Each story is a testament to the courage, resilience, and unbreakable spirit of ordinary people forced to make the ultimate choice: escape, survive—or die. Their struggles reveal not just the harrowing reality of war, but also the enduring human will to fight for freedom. As relevant today as ever, these stories echo the courage of those in the world still battling for liberty. It is a must-read for anyone who values bravery and the human spirit.

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How did I get here, my fifth book on the experiences of those caught up in the turmoil and horror of WWII. My father served in RAF Bomber Command, and in my childhood in the 1940s and 1950s I overheard reluctant conversations on ‘the War’ between my parents and other adults. It left a subliminal memory, and an awesome respect for their generation.

I was born in 1944 in Doncaster, and at age 11 moved with my parents and sister to Bradford, where I attended Belle Vue Boys’ Grammar School. On leaving school at 18 I trained as an accountant with Bradford City Treasury, before in 1968 a work opportunity took me to Zambia, which had become independent in 1964 and renamed from Northern Rhodesia. I took up a position in the City Treasury of the capital city Lusaka, where I worked for six years and met Jean from Dumfries in Scotland. We married in 1971, and returned to UK in 1975. After a few years working in Devon we emigrated to Australia, and within a couple of years became citizens.

I have since followed a varied and diverse professional career in senior management, finance, information technology, and consulting in Australia and worldwide, that has included assignments and projects in UK, Germany and the UAE. At the same time I have written extensively across a wide range of categories, management, travel, military history and fiction, and some years ago was awarded Second Prize in the Catherine Cookson Short Story Competition, named after the UK’s notable and prolific novelist.

Prior to Escape, Survive – or Die, my four previous books with Pen and Sword were, Airmen’s Incredible Escapes, Air Battle for Burma, The Decisive Campaigns of the Desert Air Force 1942-45, and With the East Surreys in Tunisia, Sicily and Italy 1942-45.

Somehow an invisible hand has led me into writing these histories, of people whose spirit and stoicism did not waver, and left a unique legacy to the generations that have followed.

Jean and I live with our two Blue Burmese cats in Queensland, Australia.

Bryn Evans, November 2025

Scarborough, Queensland, Australia

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