Almost a Lifetime

Book review by Joel
I was looking for local authors and found this book in Ganges on Salt Spring Island. If you ever get the chance to go there, don’t hesitate, it’s worth a look-see.

This is the story of John McMahon (Paddy Mac as he’s known in the barracks) and his experience in World War II; it is an homage to his friends and fellow airmen who were with him. The story starts with him joining up with the RAF (Royal Air Force) and an introduction into his life in Northern Ireland. His buddies in the town of Belfast were joining the RAF to become officers and he decided to do the same. After his basic training, he was home with Alice (his girlfriend) and saw in the paper that his friends had been killed in the war.

He described vividly the aircraft training and the inherent dangers in it--as a plane “goes burton” or crashed as they started flight training. It was scary yet exhilarating as they took off from the runway in a plane that was barely safe to fly, engines close to the red lines to overheating.

Then, he went on to operational flights. On the first mission, his plane was shot down and he is the only survivor. Quickly captured by the Germans in Holland, he was taken by railway to Stalag VIIIB near Lamsdorf. From this point, he was a prisoner of war and he described in detail his first three days and then two years of living in a German prison camp with bare sustenance and cold winters. He was paired up with a “Mucker”, someone to share food with, and base emotions could well up to destroy fragile bonds of humanity if they weren’t vigilant.

Just when it couldn’t get worse, as the Russians were pushing in from the east, their captors decided to move them by marching 300-400 miles in the worst part of winter to the west. John is very honest about the trek and what it caused in the men who made it. If it weren’t for an unknown woman who helped him to a med station, he would have died on it.

He is a great storyteller--he really brings his experience to life. He doesn’t shirk back and romanticize the war or his fellow soldiers. He also includes follow up accounts of the main characters and how they are doing today (in 1985).

There is a blurb on the back of the book that says you’ll feel sad when it ends because you’ll want more. It’s really true. I found I really cared for the characters and the struggle. Which was unexpected and truly appreciated.

Joel.