'The Hotel Saint Jacques is a small, pretty hotel situated on the fringe of the town of Saint-Jean-de-Luz in South-Western France. On a bright June afternoon, my son Eric and I checked in at reception, having just got off the bus from Bilbao. We took the elevator to the third floor and settled into our respective rooms. I walked over to my window, drew back the white curtains, and stood rooted to the floor at the sight of the Gare Saint-Jean-de-Luz dominating the view in front of me. This was the railway station to where my father had arrived in December 1942, having escaped, alone, from Stalag XXA prisoner of war camp in Poland. Eric and I had come to Saint-Jean-de-Luz to follow in his footsteps over the Pyrenees into Spain where he had hoped to find freedom.'

So begins the incredible story of Tom McGrath, as uncovered many years later by his son Tom. After leaving County Waterford with his wife Mary in 1937, Tom worked for a wealthy family in England. As events in Europe unfolded, Tom was conscripted into the British Army resulting in capture and internment in a Prisoner of War camp in Poland. After two years of unspeakable hardship, Tom escapes, first taking refuge in the attic of an old man’s cabin in the woods, then moving house to house thanks to various members of the Resistance and then on to Berlin and Paris and over the Pyrenees into Spain.

Sixty-five years later, Tom’s son and grandson retrace his footsteps on this arduous journey, ultimately unearthing more secrets upon their return to Ireland. Culminating in the posthumous awarding of The Military Medal in recognition of gallant and distinguished services for Tom by the British Army and the reunification with Tom’s parents’ unknown relatives, this incredible family history presents a moving, unforgettable story of resilience and of keeping hope alive in the darkest of times.

Tom McGrath was born in Cork city and brought up in Waterford. He is a retired solicitor but continues to practice as a notary public. Tom is married with two adult children and three grandchildren. Unspoken is Tom’s first book.