Witness and Memory: Two Journeys Through Family, History and Place
These books tell two interconnected stories. The first preserves my Father’s testimony as a Ukrainian exile whose life was shaped by war, displacement and the struggle to rebuild. The second follows my own journey to the Ukrainian Carpathians in search of my Mother’s homeland, a journey that became, in many ways, a pilgrimage to myself. Together they reflect on exile, memory, family and the lasting shadow of twentieth-century history, showing how the past survives not only in archives and monuments, but in the lives of ordinary people and their descendants.
The nucleus of this book is a travelogue written shortly after my journey to the Ukrainian Carpathians in 2015. What began as a record of a long-awaited visit to my Mother’s ancestral homeland gradually evolved into something far more reflective: an exploration of memory, identity, exile, family history and the enduring shadow cast by the upheavals of the twentieth century.
More personal than my memoir of my Father, this book is in many ways a journey of self-discovery. I once described it as a “pilgrimage to myself”. The landscapes, villages and family stories I encountered in the Carpathians became a means of exploring not only my Mother’s past, but also the ways in which that past helped shape my own life and the identity of our family.
The hardships experienced by my Mother during the war were by no means unique. Countless others suffered equally or more. This is not an attempt to tell their stories comprehensively. Rather, it is an account of one family’s experience and of the lasting impact those events had across generations. Through that lens, it reflects on larger themes of displacement, belonging, memory and the complex legacy of Europe’s turbulent twentieth century.
God Save Me From My Friends: Memoir of a Ukrainian Exile is not just a personal story – it is a testimony for our time. Written with care and documented in detail, it carries the voice of a generation that endured exile, war, and survival. In today’s terrible moment of renewed conflict in Europe, this memoir meets its hour: a thunderclap reminder that history is not distant, but alive in memory, and that witness is our duty.
This book is not about recognition – it is about truth. It is a lens through which readers can see the past and understand the present. To read it now is to stand alongside testimony, and to carry forward the dignity of those who refused to be silenced.
This edition makes something clear that earlier versions could not: my Father’s words and my reflections belong together. His testimony and my witness form a dialogue across time. The meaning of the story emerges not from either voice alone, but from the space between them. It is not just his story, but now mine also.
This memoir is therefore not only a conversation between my Father and me, but also a vigil – a candle of memory kept alight for those who were uprooted, scattered, or erased. It reminds us that the tragedy of war is not strategy or ideology, but the partings that leave no trace except in the heart.
I was reminded of this again today when I saw a young Ukrainian girl who had been forced to leave her homeland for safety in the United States. She spoke with courage, yet the sadness beneath her words was unmistakable – the same sadness my parents carried when they arrived in Britain, far from everything they knew. Her story, like theirs, is part of a long human thread of loss, resilience, and the fragile hope of beginning again.
Welcome
This site is a companion to my memoirs – a place where reflections and meditations offer further light on the encounters, histories, and themes within the book. Over time, I will be adding essays and commentaries that deepen the context of the memoir and explore its wider meanings.
These pieces will appear under two sections:
Candle in the Window-Reflections of Witness
More personal meditations closely connected to the memoir.
Reflections
Broader essays on history, memory, and the world the memoir inhabits.
I warmly welcome comments and impressions from readers. Dialogue keeps testimony alive.
Scale Modelling and Historical Witness
Alongside the memoir, this site also includes a section on my lifelong practice of model building. These models are not merely hobbies, but part of the same work of witness: acts of care, patience, and remembrance. They form a quiet, parallel archive – a way of honouring the past through craft and attention.
Acknowledgement
This site, and the work it presents, could not have come into being without the support of my nephew, Paul Bishop. He provided the theatre in which I could speak, the technical stage, the props, and the unseen backup without which I would have been totally adrift. His contribution has been vital, though mostly behind the scenes. Much of my motivation has been to give this work to him as a legacy-our legacy-so that he will have something to hold onto when his Uncle is no longer in the theatre.
Some examples from my modelling collection:
Great work