Understanding the Midhurst District in WW2 needs appreciation of how WW2 formed over the 1930s. Hitler's rise to absolute power by 1933 started his insane plan to build a 1000yr Third German Reich by heinous means, including educating German boys to become dispensable soldiers, and the nation's girls to be mothers of his master race.
Book 2 explores how Hitler brought about WW2 through dishonest political manoeuvring, and military force not seen before. Why did Britain hold back its condemnation and retaliation? Who were the Good and the Evil combatants as the world was dragged back into all-out war?
Peter Sydenham digs deep to explain the impact of war on life in the Midhurst District as war was developing. German Fascism was operating just a few miles away. Goering and Ribbentrop are said to have come to town! Who were the forgotten local heroes?
Born in London in 1937 Peter Sydenham was evacuated to Midhurst in West Sussex. With his family he migrated to Adelaide, South Australia in 1951, where he still lives. His working life began in Australia as an electrical trades apprentice, merging into an academic career in Engineering from 1961. Upon gaining the BE (Hons) and ME at University of Adelaide, with his wife and baby daughter, he moved to Warwick University for a PhD research period in the early 1960s. After a decade as an academic in applied geophysics at the University of New England, NSW, he returned to Adelaide as a Professor of Electronic Engineering. In 1986 he was awarded the DSc, in Engineering, by the University of Warwick. He took early retirement in 1998 to allow him to follow writing and handcrafts. He, and his wife Pat, then spent five pleasant years in the Cotswolds, England. Whilst being a prolific author of academic material Peter has always been attracted to non-fiction writing. His technical hands-on background led him to freelancing popular technical articles in the monthly magazine, Electronic Today International. During his 35 year academic career he has also authored or edited over 20 text and research books, and the usual 100 plus scholarly papers. He was a book-series Editor for John Wiley, in Chichester. Writing far away in Adelaide, Australia, has not been a problem; the Internet, and its email, provide most of what is needed today. He has visited Midhurst many times, the latest being in 2014 and 2015 to build up research on the Midhurst District during WW2. His interests have covered just about all handcrafts - with mixed successes. His 1958 electronic base-guitar was a failure; his classic decorated wrought iron balustrades received acclaim - outside of the family! He has constantly been building onto their home to provide for their 6 children who now live in Adelaide, Dubai and Melbourne. Pat and he, now have 9 grandchildren. Today he is a co-editor of The Midhurst Society Magazine and is on The Midhurst Society Committee.
