In November 1940, an R.A.F. aeroplane crashed near Catania, Sicily. On board were Air Marshal O. T. Boyd on his way to Cairo as Air Officer Commanding Middle East, and John Leeming, a member of his staff, who before the war was a well-known private pilot and the author of several amusing books. Air Marshal Boyd and Mr. Leeming were taken prisoner by the Italians and, six months later, they were joined by a bevy of generals and other senior British officers, including Major-General Neame, V.C., Lieutenant-General O'Connor, Major-General Carton de Wiart, V.C., and Major-General Gambier-Perry. Always To-morrow, which was first published in 1951, is an account of the life as prisoners of war in Italy of this group of high-ranking officers, beginning with the aircraft crash in Sicily, which wrecked the career of Air Marshal Boyd. Widely regarded as one of the most amusing books written about World War II, the hopes and disappointments of the several attempts at escape are told in a most entertaining way, and the lack of emphasis on the less amusing aspects of life as a prisoner of war only serves to underline the unfailing courage, enterprise and patience of these senior officers.
