A thrilling tale of incredible courage and resilience, a true wartime story of William Ash.
The Cooler King is at once uplifting and inspirational, and stands as a testament to the durability of decent values and the invincible spirit of liberty.
The Cooler King tells the astonishing story of William Ash, an American flyer brought up in Depression-hit Texas, who after being shot down in his Spitfire over France in early 1942 spent the rest of the war defying the Nazis by striving to escape from every prisoner of war camp in which he was incarcerated.
Alongside William Ash is a cast of fascinating characters, including Douglas Bader, Roger Bushell, who would go on to lead the Great Escape, and Paddy Barthropp, a dashing Battle of Britain pilot who despite his very different background became Ash's best friend and shared many of his adventures.
Using contemporary documents and interviews with Ash's comrades, Patrick Bishop vividly recreates the multiple escape attempts, while also examining the P.O.W. experience and analysing the passion that drove some prisoners to risk death in repeated bids for freedom.
- ISBN10 1782390227
- ISBN13 9781782390220
- Publish Date 3 September 2015
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 7 May 2021
- Publish Country GB
- Imprint Atlantic Books
- Edition Main
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 320
- Language English