How could we possibly imagine that it was right to show children of all people this terrible chapter of human history? [...] Significantly none came from children, by whom this story is remembered with gratitude because it treated them as responsible citizens who could be trusted with a frank account of what the war and its by-products, like juvenile delinquency and refugees, was really about.” ( 1958) Edek runs to his sisters’ room and busts it open. He tells them what he did; Ruth says that was silly, and they must get away. They barely have time to dress properly. They cannot go out the front door; the only way is the roof. They climb up the attic and out on the roof through a skylight. Edek warns tiny Bronia not to make a sound. The characters of the children had been taken from Red Cross records. However, they did not come from the same family, and unfortunately all of them did not get a happy ending in real life. With so many facets to the role, it would have been understandable had the Serrailliers bowed to pressure and been less exacting about some of their choices for the list. However, their crystal-clear vision of what was and wasn’t a New Windmill book was matched only by their absolute focus on the audience for whom they were catering. It was not straightforward. Not only did the Serrailliers have to keep in mind the differences between a reader at the bottom end of their age range (11 years old) and at the top (16 years old) and the progress between the two, but also the adult gatekeepers of this material: the teachers. With school budgets tight (it was ever thus), teachers had to be sure that the books they chose were right for their students. The element of trust was vital to the success of an educational list: one wrong choice would potentially dissuade teachers from putting their faith – and their precious funds – in a list, no matter how appealing their catalogue might be. The Silver Sword was adapted for television by C.E. (Cecil Edwin) Webber, best remembered for his contribution to the creation of Doctor Who while working as a staff writer for the BBC in the early 1960s. And Barry Letts, future ‘Who’ producer played the father, Joseph. The series was deemed “family entertainment” and was broadcast late afternoon on Sundays. As such it was billed as an "exciting wartime adventure" in the Radio Times and didn’t dwell too much on the horrors of warfare. And that’s exactly how it was presented – an epic journey across Europe. Unfortunately, the BBC budget didn’t stretch far enough for location filming and the entire production was studio bound (at Lime Grove) and turned to narration as a way of explaining some of the journey as well as some of the more dramatic incidents, such as the capsizing of a boat and the near drowning of the children as they try to cross Lake Constance.

Once Ruth, Bronia, and Edek were reunited, they (in company with Jan) travelled by train to Berlin, intent on finding their parents. They arrived in the city during May 1945, shortly after the end of the Second World War in Europe and the death of Adolf Hitler. They stayed in a disused cinema, but Jan soon went missing in pursuit of an escaped chimpanzee, which had managed to flee from the zoo. Jan was able to befriend the chimpanzee and help it to be At the ruins of his home, Joseph finds a silver letter opener in the shape of a small sword. He also meets a young boy there carrying a wood box. Eventually he befriends the boy, Jan, who shows Joseph how and where to safely jump a train to Switzerland. Before he leaves, he gives the silver sword/letter opener to Jan and asks him to tell his children, should he run into them, that their father has gone to their grandparents in Switzerland to find their mother, and to follow him there. Jan puts the sword in his wooden box for safekeeping. When the cage stops, a flashlight illuminates Joseph’s face. Joseph is holding a large chunk of chocolate that appears like a gun in the dark; he says he has a revolver pointed, and if the person makes a sound, he will shoot. The voice swears in Polish, not German, so Joseph’s manner becomes gentler. He tells the man to unload the cage and to take him to where he lives. The Silver Sword was a BBC seven-part serial based on the book of the same name by Ian Serraillier. Although the character names used in the story are fictitious they are, in actuality, based on factual events and real people (from records kept by the Red Cross). Serraillier spent five years researching the true events that took place in war-torn Europe in the 1940s, researching into the military side of the story, taking eyewitness accounts from a book entitled East Wind Over Prague, by J. Stransky and drawing on his own observations.

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The characters are all well developed from the children themselves to the various characters they meet on their journey. The plot in gripping and harrowing and gives you a real sense of how war can effect even the youngest, most innocent of children in such an extreme way. List, Shane. (1981) Letter to Ian Serraillier. University of Reading Special Collections, Ian Serraillier Collection. Box 25 I am sad to say that The Silver Sword wasn’t a magical experience the second time around. The story is simplistic, the characters are one-dimensional and the happy-ending is unrealistic. That said, it in no way diminishes my memories of what I loved about the book 30-odd years ago. Then the trials of these children: their hunt for safe places to sleep, finding food, trying to stay out of the way of the Nazis, searching for their parents, was both thrilling and heart-wrenching. I can only attribute my disappointment to the fact that I am older and jaded.

It's based on true stories of children after the war, and these are stories children of today probably haven't heard. How do mere children survive a long trek? In the crowded camp, the men do what they can to stay warm. Few are strong enough to try to escape, but Joseph is determined. He is too ill during his first winter, and spends his time thinking of his family and his school, which the Nazis closed because someone reported that he had turned the picture of Hitler’s face to the wall. This moving story of friendship, courage and solidarity brings to life the reality of a Europe laid waste by war. The appeal of this salty and lively novel is to “young adults”, thoughtful, questioning, intelligent, of the calibre to study for “A” levels […] 15+, with some political awareness, disillusioned with society as at present organised and anxious to explore new ways of doing things, and new solutions, conscious too of the gap that yawns between themselves and the older generation, having to follow along the accepted grooves of examination-passing, and wanting to make a hit with their girl-friends when they feel they ought perhaps to be at their books, studying.” (1972) The Oxford Companion to Children’s Literature deems the work “one of the most remarkable books since 1945,” and in 2012 it was featured in Once Upon a Wartime, an exhibition at the Imperial War Museum.One day, Ruth is called into the superintendent’s office; he asks her to describe the sword in detail. She does, even mentioning the little piece on the hilt that is bent. He unrolls a parcel on his desk and shows her the sword, along with two letters: one from Herr Wolff and one from her father. Herr Wolff had pieced their family history together and sent it in the letter to the camp. The book, published in 1956, was serialised on BBC Children's Television in 1957. The setting is a bleak and freezing winter in Poland during the German occupation and tells the story of a Polish family, The Balikis; father Joseph and mother Margrit and their three children, Ruth, Edek and Bronia, who are torn apart when Nazi Storm Troopers arrest Joseph for turning a picture of Adolf Hitler towards the wall, contravening an edict imposed on the Polish people that they show the same respect and adoration of their leader as their own people. Following Joseph’s arrest, Margrit is taken away by the Germans, who then burn the family home to the ground, leaving the children parentless and homeless.

The man obeys and takes Joseph to his chalet. There is an old woman sitting by a bright fire. Joseph explains why he is wearing the Nazi uniform, and shows them his number on his arm. They believe him, and bravely decide to let him stay. They give him a warm bed and tell him he can hide in the woodshed if guards come looking for him. Popular Western series for kids that was made along similar lines to The Lone Ranger, The Cisco Kid and other successfully syndicated US shows of the late 1950's. Serraillier, Ian (1956). The Silver Sword (2003ed.). London: Random House. p.179. ISBN 9780099439493. Edek calls for them to keep moving and they finally descend a twisted fire escape. They hurry far away from the fire. The pale dawn breaks and they shelter in a cellar of a bombed house. The novel tells the poignant story of a group of children’s search for their parents in World War II ravaged Europe. The story revolves around the siblings Ruth, Edek and Bronia, and their friend Jan – a resourceful but eccentric, street-smart kid.

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World War II is over. Three siblings---Ruth, Bronia, and Edek---along with their new friend, Jan, are on their way to Switzerland to find their father. The home of the three siblings in Poland has been destroyed by the war, and their mother and father were both taken away by the Germans. Jan has been orphaned and is living on the streets, making his way by hook or crook. As for Ruth, who had taken on more responsibilities than a woman her age should have, she clung to her parents for a time and did not want to go out into the wider world. Finally, she went to study in Zurich for her degree, married, and had children of her own. She and her French husband became the house-parents at the French house in the children’s village. I remember reading this book as a child and finding it very enjoyable and exciting. The book is a great adventure story that gives a lot of social history to kids about life as a child refugee in destroyed post-war Europe. At the time it was written it was unique in that respect taking on such harsh subject matter and presenting it with sensitivity to a young audience.

The BBC produced an eight-part children's television series in 1957, at the Lime Grove Studios in London, [4] and a further BBC television version was produced in the early 1970s. [5] Both of these serials are thought to survive in some capacity (the final episode of the 1957 serial is definitely known to exist). In 2011, a year before the centenary of the author's birth, a radio adaptation was produced for BBC Radio 4 Extra. [4] Legacy [ edit ] Ruth visits the Russian control post and asks for food, clothes, paper, pencils, and help in finding Edek. The sentry, Ivan, is kind and brings them as many supplies as he can. Jan, who harbors a fervent hatred of soldiers, scuffles with him, and Jan's wooden box of treasures breaks to reveal the silver sword. Ruth recognizes it and begins to cry. Jan tells her of meeting her father, and Ruth decides they must leave Warsaw for Switzerland. First, though, they will stop by the camp where Edek was sent. The Silver Sword is a children's novel published in 1956 by British author Ian Serraillier. It is widely considered to be a classic of children’s literature. Ian Serraillier was a British novelist and poet. He was also appreciated by children for being a storyteller retelling legends from Rome, Greece and England. Serraillier was best known for his children's books, especially The Silver Sword (1956), a wartime adventure story which was adapted for television by the BBC in 1957 and again in 1971. I read this book under its English title, 'The Silver Sword', but couldn't find this on Goodreads so had to review under the US title.The Silver Sword was published in the United States under the name Escape from Warsaw, and is still available from Scholastic by that name. I prefer the original name, The Silver Sword since it has so much meaning the central characters in the story. Found this on a list of children's classics, read with daughter (11). The story of a Polish family, broken apart in WWII. The first several chapters are about the father, who escapes from prison and heads for relatives in Switzerland after returning to a rubble-strewn Warsaw. While there, he doesn't find his family but does find a young boy, who takes a Silver Sword (really a letter opener) as a token to prove who he is should he find the other children. The rest of the story is about his three children, left alone after the mother is taken to a detention camp. They find the boy with the sword and make their way to Switzerland also, among many adventures.