The Boy Who Went to War - The TRUE WWII STORY of Jim Haynes

 

Jim was a thirteen year old butcher's apprentice in Nottingham when he first decided to go to war and serve his country. By the time he was seventeen he was in Special Forces in Malaya - a famously brutal campaign with details still secret to this day. Jim was an ordinary boy who lived through incredible experiences, like so many of his time. That's why I wanted to write his story and share it not just with his family, but with the world.

 

I first met Jim when I was walking our two Border Collie females around the neighbourhood. His gorgeous, young male dog, Neville came prancing out to greet them and we humans struck up a conversation. Some time later Jim agreed to tell his World War II story and have me write it for him. We spent five years teasing out the details and sometimes struggling with technology and mental health issues, bouts of Malaria and so on. It was at once painful, cathartic and meaningful. His family had never heard anything about his wartime experiences, although they had been affected by its impact upon Jim.  Buy the book here

 

At the book's release we held a big book launch in a beautiful old building and many friends and family attended. It was a very emotional day for us all. When Jim stood to speak and struggled though his tears the room was absolutely silent. In that moment, we all shared a tiny bit of his pain, but he bravely  spoke to the crowd. I think he was proud of himself for finally sharing his story and connecting his children and grandchildren to their heritage.

 

Every ANZAC Day I remember Jim. Both my grandfathers fought in WWII but I never got to tell their stories. Jim was like a surrogate grandfather to me. And I miss him. 

 

You can read all about his life in Nottingham and the various adventures and experiences of his war service, in so many locations. 

 

Buy the paperback of Jim's book HERE 

Buy the ebook HERE 

The Boy Who Went to War - One man's true story of WWII

I am SO excited to announce that my newest book, The Boy Who Went to War is here!
purchase from Amazon.com

I've been working on this project with 91 year old veteran Jim Haynes for five years, interviewing Jim, collecting documents and photos and writing his story. I am so privileged to be the guardian of this true life account of what it was like to be a boy in England at the start of World War II.

The son of a policeman, Jim joined the Royal Navy at age sixteen, trained at HMS Royal Arthur, HMS Drake, HMFS Paris and ended up on the brand new River Class frigate HMS Avon in the Atlantic, dropping depth charges on German U-Boats. Jim had many adventures. He saw ships blown up, picked up survivors of the Tonsberg Tarifa just as they ran out of water, saw a WRN (Women's Royal Navy) buried at sea, saw King Farouk's bombed palace in Alexandria and much more. As an inexperienced teen, Jim got into trouble in the out-of-bounds area of Alexandria markets and had to be rescued by a truckload of 'Red Caps'.

At nineteen Jim joined Special Forces fighting Japanese marines in the dense jungles of Malaya. In the jungles he fought malaria as well as the short, well-muscled 'unkillable' Japanese marines, often with insufficient weaponry or no guns at all! Finally his role was in transporting men, women and children from Japanese prison camps before settling to a new life in Australia. Making that choice meant Jim had to leave behind his entire family and sweetheart Olga in England. He never returned.

Jim has struggled with PTSD in his adult life as a result of what he witnessed as a young man. This story tells of his boyhood in Nottingham at the start of the war, the events which later shaped his future, the courage of these boys as they fought often invisible foes in the dark, the excitement of training with their mates and the resilience they developed to survive.

Nancy Wake

Jim witnessed cruelty, bravery, compassion and met extraordinary people along the way, including famous female spy Nancy Wake, The White Mouse.

Jim today

Our first event is as part of the ANZAC Day celebrations at two local schools. Jim is looking forward to meeting the kids, answering their questions and sharing his story.

On Saturday 30th April we will launch the book to the public. Everyone is welcome! This is a free event for kids and adults. See below for details.

If you are interested in meeting Jim, chatting to us about the book, or have questions, email me at dawnmeredith1@gmail.com

some of Jim's medals