Brendan O'Carroll

Captive Scorpion

The Story of POW Trooper Mick Holland of the Long Range Desert Group and His Nine Escape Attempts

• Gebundenes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

Trooper Mick Holland served seven months with the Long Range Desert Group as an interpreter, medical orderly, and gunner until his capture in September 1942. From there until the end of the war he spent more time 'on the run' than in PoW camps. He made seven escape attempts in Italy and two in Germany. Holland's accounts take the reader on an incredible journey that exhibit an exceptional man with great tenacity and determination. The story begins with his time in the LRDG and the events leading up to his capture. This is followed by an overview which describes the life and conditions in the PoW camps in Europe, subsequential chapters outline the dramatic stories of his nine escape attempts His evasion skills were reflective of the LRDG motto 'Not by Strength, by Guile'. Holland was a persistent and determined escaper who preferred to operate alone to bring less attention to himself. He gave his whole focus to the problems of planning escapes and was alert to seizing every opportunity and, if necessary, creating one. Holland spoke both German and Italian and was very stoic in all he did. He fought with the Italian partisans for several months and on another occasion was intercepted by a German unit in Italy and was given the option of being returned to a PoW camp or being imbedded with them as an interpreter. The offer was accepted but after six weeks he found the opportunity to escape again. Later in Germany he stole a Colonel's staff car and almost made it to the Swiss border before being captured at the final checkpoint. This is an engaging and dramatic story of an intelligent and resourceful man who utilised all his LRDG Special Forces skills to help evade the enemy and win his eventual freedom.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Pen & Sword Books
• Seitenzahl: 256
• Erscheinungstermin: 30. November 2026
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9781036146474
• ISBN-10: 1036146472
• Artikelnr.: 75283179

Autorenporträt

International star of multiple BAFTA-award-winning TV series Mrs Brown's Boys and Mrs Brown's Boys: d'Movie, Brendan O'Carroll's story begins very modestly. The youngest of eleven children, Brendan O'Carroll was born in Dublin's inner-city in 1955. His mother, Maureen, was a Labour TD (MP) and a huge influence on his life. He left school at 12 and worked as a waiter, trying many other occupations in his spare time - disco manager, milkman, pirate radio disc-jockey, painter-decorator etc. For a time he ran his own bar and cabaret lounge before being persuaded to try the comedy circuit. The gigs were small at first and even included his own version of 'Blind Date', but word soon got around about this original and outrageous funnyman: soon there was standing-room only. The real turning point in Brendan's career was his first appearance on The Late Late Show, Ireland's longest-running chat show: the studio audience and viewers loved him. His first video Live at the Tivoli went straight to No 1, knocking U2 out of the top slot and pushing Garth Brooks to No 3. In 1994 he was voted Ireland's No 1 Variety Entertainer at the National Entertainment Awards. He went on to make best-selling videos, and a bestselling record, as well as touring in Ireland, the UK and the USA. The radio show Mrs Browne's Boys, written by and starring Brendan, had a phenomenal daily audience on 2FM and led to the creation of Agnes Browne as the central character in Brendan's first novel, The Mammy, published in 1994. The book topped the bestseller charts in Ireland for months and the film rights were snapped up. The Mammy was followed by The Chisellers and The Granny: all three were huge bestsellers. Holywood came calling when Anjelica Huston read and loved Brendan's books: she made her directorial debut with Agnes Browne. Brendan toured several other stage shows with Agnes Browne as the central character, before a BBC producer saw the show and felt there was television potential. Initially broadcast in a quiet late evening slot, Mrs Brown's Boys quickly became a huge word-of-mouth hit, and quickly moved to primetime, including several Christmas Day specials. A huge success in Australia and other countries where it has been shown, the enduring appeal of Agnes and her family is secure. Brendan continues to write and perform as Agnes Browne, most recently in Mrs Brown's Boys: d'Movie (2014)