Simms and Medd were part of the mass-release of Allied prisoners when Italy surrendered in 1943. Their escape story – and the bravery and kindness of the Italians who helped them  on their route from the north to the Allied Lines in the south – is a neglected classic, fortunately reprinted now by an imprint of Eland Publishing. The book contains additional material by Marcus Binney, the son of Frank Simms, and by Andrew Adams.