An Englishman Abroad

"Based on 20 years of research, Gianluca Barneschi has uncovered the true story of a real-life James Bond."

I found this to be one of those fascinating finds that you come across now and then that are a pleasure to read. This one is about Richard 'Dick' Mallaby, who was raised in Italy after being born in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and tragically losing his mother the following year to complications during her second pregnancy.. His father then moved with him to Italy where he grew up until the outbreak of the war, when they both traveled to England where the younger Mallaby enlisted to fight with the Allies. He figured he could use his ability to speak Italian and a couple of other languages to best effect if he were perhaps used as a spy in Italy.

His suggestion wasn’t taken at first, and he was just doing normal things. But eventually they realized his value and began training him for a bigger role. He was put to work an agent for SOE (Special Operations Executive,) a secret organization whose existence was only officially acknowledged in the 1980s. They carried out a broad range of activities, like sabotage, terrorism, and support for clandestine movements, all prohibited by international conventions, wherever local circumstances would allow. Their life expectancy while on a mission was quantified in terms of weeks, rather than years partly because of the fact that according to international convention, execution was legitimized in event of capture in enemy territory without uniform.

He trained and was set up for a secret mission to be parachuted into Italy behind enemy lines by parachute during the night by plane, the first Briton to do so. He even had some gadgets with him that surprised me for the time. His first mission went all wrong when he landed and was caught right away, with no opportunity to ditch much of his gear. But later he managed to avoid being executed, and circumstances happen for him to be released and able to play a larger role than just a prisoner. He played a key part in securing Italy's unconditional surrender. Mallaby goes on to have another mission with similar astounding results.

I enjoyed this story very much and recommend it for those who like WWII stories, and stories about spying and WWII. It held my interest well. Advance electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, author Gianluca Barneschi, and the publisher.