Steve Milnthorpe

Steve comes from Leicestershire, and trained and worked as a mechanic / technician. From an early age he collected Second World War RAF items, and his hobby later developed into a full time occupation. Steve’s collection began with the acquisition of a wartime RAF flying helmet, and has gradually increased in size and scope to encompass military vehicles and aircraft.

Over the years, Steve has featured in various military and militaria magazines, and has been involved in providing props for TV programmes and films. He remains a keen collector of all things RAF, and now specialises in prisoner of war material, and escape and evasion equipment.

A Wartime Log:

Falling away from his fatally damaged Lancaster, Flying Officer Richard ‘Dick’ Woods turned to see it explode into a ball of flame, killing his trapped crew mates. After safely landing by parachute in enemy territory, he was soon captured by the Germans. After his interrogation, he was escorted on a long train journey to the German Baltic coast where his permanent prisoner of war camp, Stalag Luft 1 awaited.

To pass long hours during his captivity, Dick wrote and sketched in his YMCA supplied diary, which is faithfully reproduced here for the first time. This remarkable diary provides the reader with an intimate glimpse into his life as a prisoner of war. Original and mostly complete diaries containing artwork of high quality are extremely rare, and so here is an opportunity to fully appreciate a prime example of great talent and ingenuity of those who remained steadfast and undefeated in captivity.