THE silence of a man who spent more than a year of his life as a prisoner of war in Stalag Luft III has been broken with the release of a book, Survival.

Based on the life of Bill Johnston, in the late 1930s and 1940s, the tale spans from his marriage in Thirsk, North Yorkshire, to Joan Bradley, to his involvement in Bomber Harris's blitz on Germany.

Thirsk author Geoff Moore met Mr Johnston in the 1970s while teaching in the Midlands, but it was not until recently that his fascinating war stories were recollected and recorded.

Mr Moore said: "When I mentioned that I would be interested in writing about his experiences, he wasn't sure at first.

"I don't think he had ever really talked about them.

"After persuasion he agreed, and the book has taken two years of solid research and many interviews to complete."

Many of the interviews proved to be traumatic for 83-year-old Mr Johnston.

"I remember some of them being terribly emotional for him," said Mr Moore.

"There were long periods of silence where his memories clearly troubled him. He was very brave to help make this book."

Mr Johnston was shot down while bombing Magdeburg, Germany, in 1944, and spent the remainder of the war as a PoW in Stalag Luft III.

"He was there during the Great Escape, and although he was not directly involved, he remembers acting as a lookout on one occasion," said Mr Moore.

"His time there was horrendous - with little food, medical assistance or warm clothes."

Mr Moore, who has published a series of books on rural science, will be signing copies of Survival with Mr Johnston at White Rose Books, Thirsk, tomorrow, from 5.30pm.

To reserve a copy of the book, call (01845) 524353.