What did you do in the war, Ewan?

Subject: RE: Folklore: What did you do in the war, Ewan?
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 26 Aug 09 - 05:25 AM

The story of Ewan's desertion, living in hiding, imprisonment on remand after the war, subsequent avoidance of trial on psychiatric grounds, can be pieced together from Ben Harker's biog 'Class Act' and Peter Cox's 'Set Into Song ... the Radio Ballads'. Both well-worth-reading books indeed. I of course cannot vouch for their absolute accuracy & truth with regard to this particular part of EMacC's life; but they both have the ring of carefully researched books of the sort not about to make rash allegations without proper checking.

Subject: RE: Folklore: What did you do in the war, Ewan?
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 26 Aug 09 - 05:22 AM

Oh dear - another session of corpse kicking I fear.
Read the book if you genuinely don't know.
Jim Carroll

Subject: Folklore: What did you do in the war, Ewan?
From: Jack Blandiver
Date: 26 Aug 09 - 05:15 AM

Filtering though the gossiping Folk Grapevine we often hear of the celebrated gap in Ewan McColl's biography covering the period 1939-45. Rumours, it would seem, abound. One of the best would have him going in bearded disguise, wearing calipers, so as to avoid both conscription and facing the indignities suffered by more genuine COs.

Just rumours though, as I say...