Escape From Holland By Chris Hunt Is A Thrilling True Story Of Football, Ballet, Journalism, And War

On The Table Read Magazine, “the best arts and entertainment magazine UK“, Escape From Holland by Chris Hunt is a gripping true story of courage and coincidence, following an unlikely group—including a former England footballer, Margot Fonteyn and her ballet company, and frontline journalists—as they race against time to board the last British evacuation boat during the lightning-fast German invasion of the Netherlands in May 1940.

Escape From Holland

In the early hours of May 10, 1940, the fragile calm of the “Phoney War” shattered as German forces launched a blitzkrieg invasion of the Netherlands. Parachute troops descended from the skies, and within days, the country was overwhelmed. For British civilians caught in this sudden chaos—far from home and unprepared for combat—the race was on to escape before the borders sealed and the nation capitulated.

Journalist and historian Chris Hunt captures this pivotal weekend in his forthcoming book, Escape From Holland: The true story of the dash for the last British boat out of Holland in May 1940. Set for publication on March 10, 2026, the book weaves a gripping narrative of survival, chance, and human resilience. Drawing on meticulous research, Hunt transforms historical events into a fast-paced tale that transcends traditional war accounts, focusing on ordinary people thrust into extraordinary peril.

The Invasion Begins: A Personal Reckoning

Just before dawn on that fateful May morning, former international footballer Billy Marsden watched from his home on the Dutch coast as German paratroopers filled the sky. A decade earlier, on May 10, 1930, Marsden had suffered a severe neck injury during an England match against Germany in Berlin. Ironically, it was German doctors who saved his life in a Berlin hospital after the collision that ended his playing career. Now, exactly ten years later, those same invaders threatened his survival once more. Marsden’s story sets a haunting tone: history’s coincidences can turn saviors into threats overnight.

Ballet Under Fire: The Sadler’s Wells Company in The Hague

In The Hague, the renowned Sadler’s Wells Ballet Company—including the rising star Margot Fonteyn—found themselves witnesses to aerial dogfights from their hotel rooftop. The troupe had been touring Europe, performing in the Netherlands when the invasion struck. What began as a cultural exchange quickly became a fight for survival. With communications collapsing and transport vanishing, the dancers faced the terrifying reality that escape was no longer guaranteed. Fonteyn and her colleagues would eventually flee with little more than the costumes on their backs, a testament to the sudden fragility of civilian life in wartime.

Reporting from the Frontline: Journalists in Amsterdam

Amid the pandemonium in Amsterdam, British journalist David Woodward and his American wife, Margaret Rupli—one of the few women covering the war for NBC radio—struggled to file reports on the unfolding invasion. As German forces advanced at terrifying speed, the couple navigated failing lines of communication and vanishing escape routes. Their efforts highlight the challenges faced by correspondents trying to document history while it unfolded around them.

Meanwhile, young British diplomat Peers Carter, only eight months into his posting, raced to organize an evacuation for trapped civilians. With every hour bringing new closures and dangers, his decisions carried life-or-death consequences.

The Race to the Last Boat

At the heart of Hunt’s narrative is the desperate dash to reach the final official British evacuation boat before the Dutch surrender. As roads clogged, trains halted, and borders tightened, survival hinged on quick thinking, fragile networks, and sheer luck. The book follows an unlikely ensemble—footballer, ballerinas, journalists, diplomat, and others—whose paths converged only because of the war’s abrupt intervention.

These individuals, with no prior reason to cross paths, suddenly shared a common fate. Status, background, and identity dissolved in the urgency of the moment; what mattered was composure under pressure and the will to act. Hunt’s storytelling emphasizes not just the escape, but the reasons these people were in Holland at all, and the human choices that determined who boarded the boat and who did not.

Chris Hunt

What drew me in was how quickly normal life disappeared. One day, these people were doing their jobs, rehearsing, reporting, playing sport. Next, they were running out of time.
I wanted to capture that moment when the ground shifts and you realise that it’s time to get out. None of them thought of themselves as brave or significant. They were just ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. That’s what makes the story exciting, bold, and compelling.

–Chris Hunt

Chris Hunt brings a unique perspective to this tale. Known for his work in football and music journalism, he has authored books such as the grassroots football memoir Doing It For The Kids and World Cup Stories, which accompanied a BBC series. He has edited special editions of magazines like Mojo, Q, NME, and Uncut—including Beatles tributes—and launched Hip-Hop Connection, the world’s first monthly rap magazine. He also transformed Match into Britain’s top-selling football publication.

Hunt’s ability to craft character-driven narratives shines in Escape From Holland. Blending the precision of history with a storyteller’s flair, he reveals how chance encounters and personal courage shaped outcomes in one of the war’s overlooked episodes.

As the Netherlands fell in May 1940, the last boat represented more than escape—it symbolized the thin line between life and captivity. Chris Hunt’s Escape From Holland revives this forgotten weekend, reminding us that in the chaos of war, survival often depends on the quiet decisions of ordinary people facing extraordinary odds.

Find more from Chris Hunt now:

Paperback: https://amzn.to/4k5iEnL

Amazon Books: https://amzn.to/3LV5FIM

www.chrishunt.biz