

From a Hard Place to a Rock (WW2) by Timandra Slade
Presented by the Surbiton and District Historical Society
Selected Performance
02 Jun 2026, 19:30 – 22:00
Surbiton, 116 Douglas Rd, Surbiton KT6 7SB, UK
About
From a Hard Place to a Rock
First-hand Accounts of Soldiers of the British Expeditionary Force on the Run in World War Two
This talk follows events in the summer of 1940 when two members of the speaker's family were captured separately by the Nazi Germans. Both men managed to escape and, together with fellow officers, make their way through France to Spain where they were again captured and held by the authorities. Whilst captive in Spain and with details of their endeavours still fresh in their minds, the speaker’s father and his partner wrote an account of their escape - possibly one of the very first such accounts to be written. Finally arriving in Gibraltar it was here, tragically, that events in west Africa led to a Vichy bombing raid and not all of the party were to complete a 'home run'.
The talk is presented by the Surbiton and District Historical Society. The speaker is Timandra Slade.
Further information is available by emailing Paul (paulhowardlang1011@gmail.com).
Doors open at 7 for a 7:30 start.
Non-members are asked to contribute £4 when they attend events.
