Sean Longden (born 1965 in

Clapham, Bedfordshire Clapham is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Bedford in Bedfordshire, England. It had a population of 3,643 as at the 2001 census, increasing to 4,560 at the 2011 Census. Points of interest RAF Twinwood Farm, a disused airfield o ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

) is an author and historian who specialises in British social history during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, his work extensively uses oral history interviews and first person accounts. He was educated at Sharnbrook Upper School and The School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES),

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

Bibliography

*''To the Victor the Spoils'' (Arris Books, 2004). :A social history of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

between

D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D ...

and

VE Day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945, marking the official end of World War II in Europe in the Easter ...

includes stories about the sex life, crime and fashion of soldiers in the British Army. *''Hitler's British Slaves'' (Arris Books, 2006). :This book deals with the brutal treatment of British

POWs A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war ...

who worked in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

agriculture and industry during World War Two. The book overturns the "Great Escape Myth" that most prisoners lived in POW camps which were a cross between a harsh boarding school and a holiday camp. *''Dunkirk, The Men They Left Behind'' (Constable Robinson, 2008). :A history of the 40,000 soldiers of the British Expeditionary Force who were left behind following the evacuation of the BEF from the port of

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in 1940. * ''T-Force: The Race for Nazi War Secrets, 1945'' (Hachette UK, 2009 ). :The first history of the

British Army unit Target Forces, also known as T-Force, that was created in 1945 to search for German military researchers and scientists.

T-Force T-Force was the operational arm of a joint US Army–British Army mission to secure German scientific and industrial technology before it could be destroyed by retreating German forces or looters during the final stages of the Second World War an ...

's creation was inspired by the work of

Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer who is best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., a ...

who had previously helped to found the Royal Marine unit 30AU, which did similar work in France in 1944. * ''Blitz Kids: The Children's War Against Hitler'' (Hachette UK, 2012 ). :A history of the experience of English children during World War II, this book includes accounts of evacuation, blackout, rationing and air raids.

References

British writers British historians Living people 1965 births People educated at Sharnbrook Academy People from Clapham, Bedfordshire {{UK-writer-stub