Publisher's Synopsis
This is a true story which has been hidden since 1942.
Revised edition
Government war records have not been updated, the government tribunal went against all the evidence from war records, maritime records, German government wartime records, the Jewish Memorial in San Francisco, holocaust museums in Israel and Canada and much more. Germany awarded compensation to the few British victims, young lads, of Drancy Concentration camp. However, the British government tribunal refused to give them their share of the compensation that Germany had awarded them. in the tribunal's own word, "Israel and Germany's definition of a concentration camp differs from ours" and this despite all the evidence, eye witness accounts, the Weiner Library, the German government admission and much, much more. Where did the compensation go? Not back to Germany and not to the ones the German government awarded it. Why is there no mention of these young British lads being in a concentration camp? In order to ensure accuracy throughout the author has consulted war records, maritime archives in Liverpool, personal letters, holocaust museums in Israel, Germany, USA and Canada and more in order to bring the truth out.
All that is asked of you is that after reading this book that you voice your opinion in your review regarding this grave injustice to these young British lads so that the truth about the evil deeds that went on at Drancy concentration camp be brought out into the open and the war records adjusted accordingly.
'Drancy - Journey's End!' - over 53,000 words, is based on the true account of Thomas Roscoe that stretches from 1937 - 1993. The book attempts to view things as he would have done at such a young age. At the age of 14 years and 6 months, Thomas joined a small cargo ship to fulfill a childhood dream, to see the world. He was on that ship illegally by means of his older brother's birth certificate. Little did he know that dream was to be cut short a few years later with the outbreak of WWII when his ship was mercilessly attacked by the German raider known only as ship 'D' to the British Admiralty. He and his surviving crew mates were taken prisoner aboard the raider and their cargo ship was sunk. After some months they were transferred to number of POW camps walking distances of up to 18 miles as they were force marched from one camp to another, including the notorious concentration camp Drancy at one stage under the control of SS First Lieutenant Klaus Barbie - the 'Butcher of Lyon'. In the early 1990s he and his surviving crew-mates applied for a share of compensation that the German Government had awarded them for their experience in Drancy. However, they were denied that compensation by the British Government tribunal who said, "Our definition of a Concentration camp differs from that of Germany and Israel." That disgraceful comment was insult not only to Thomas, but also to the innocent men, women, children and babies who were murdered, tortured and raped there. In addition, the House of Commons transcript of that meeting in the book shows that it was held late at night so the press wouldn't be there. That transcript exposes the lies that the tribunal spoke. This story needs to be told because of what happened during that time and in 1993 at that meeting. It still leaves questions that need to be answered; Why the denial about Drancy? Where did the compensation go that Germany gave? Why was this suppressed all these years? Why haven't governmental archives been updated? Why didn't the government effect a release of my father and his colleagues after the war instead of waiting nearly a year?
