We've had "discussions" before now about MacColl's wartime record which have shed more heat than light - very few contributors actually wanted to understand why MacColl acted the way he did. I don't see why any poster calling themseves "Paco O'Hitler" would want to boast of their own family record.

Ben Harker's biography of MacColl Class Act adds as much as we will probably ever know on the topic; MacColl was indeed arrested in 1946 and prosecuted for desertion in 1947. His army records after that are not clear, but after some time in hospital he was finally discharged and deemed 'permanently unfit for any form of military service'. MacColl kept that period of his life a closed book according to Peggy in her introduction to the new edition of "Journeyman".

He wasn't a saint; but his songs are still well worth remembering 20 years on.

Matthew Edwards