A 14-year-old British boy from Liverpool - True story. "The writing and publishing of this true story fulfils a promise I made to my father six months before he died. It recounts how he left school at just fourteen in 1937, driven by a dream to see the world—a dream that was never truly realised and instead became a nightmare beyond anything he could have imagined." Tommy’s: From Dream to Nightmare A retired investigative journalist who had read Thomas’s original Wartime Log encouraged Raymond to develop it into a full narrative—one that critically examines a parliamentary tribunal’s decision, raising questions about its legal basis and the accuracy of some of its conclusions, which he argues are contradicted by evidence held at the Wiener Library. At 14, Tommy used his older brother’s birth certificate in order to pass for 16. This clandestine manoeuvre enabled him to apply for work on a passenger cargo ship, the Davisian. Full of hope and youthful ambition, his dream was to see the world. That dream began on a bright morning in 1937. Sadly, that dream was shattered just two years later when World War ll erupted, forever altering the course of his life. In 1940, while serving aboard the Davisian , his ship was attacked in the Atlantic Ocean by a German raider disguised as a Swedish cargo vessel. The crew was captured, the ship plundered, and the Davisian scuttled—marking the beginning of a nightmare beyond anything Tommy’s wildest imagination. Now a prisoner of war, Tommy endured a harrowing journey through captivity. His story spans life aboard the Davisian , the trauma of capture, brutal forced marches between camps, and imprisonment in the infamous Drancy Concentration camp in occupied France. The conditions were dehumanising and relentless, beatings were regular as was starvation—yet Tommy survived, a testament to his extraordinary resilience at such a young age. The German government later acknowledged his suffering and granted financial compensation for his time in the Drancy internment camp. However, in a controversial 1993 British parliamentary context, the release of those funds was reportedly denied. A tribunal involved in the process is said to have taken the position that Drancy did not meet its criteria for a concentration camp—a view that has been disputed by historians and is at odds with its recognition by several governments, including Germany, France, the United States, and Israel, as well as by a number of human rights organisations. This is Tommy’s journey—a story of dreams derailed, of unimaginable hardship, and of enduring strength in the face of injustice. The story includes extensive research in the UK, Europe, USA and Canada. Newly discovered material has come to light in 2025.