Quayle.

This is coolbert:

Those of you who have seen the outstanding movie: "The Guns of Navarone" will remember the character of Major Franklin. British army officer tasked with an impossible but essential war-time mission, World War Two [WW2]:

"Small group of British and Greek commandos, led by Major Franklin (played by Anthony Quayle) is sent to land on the island, contact the local partisans and, using their help, sabotage the guns before the evacuation convoy gets near Kheros."




Major Franklin, the partisan fighter, as played in the movie by the excellent English actor, director, thespian of the highest order, Anthony Quayle.

Anthony Quayle playing a part in a movie for which he was most suited, the man having fought during WW2 as a partisan, as a member of the British Special Operations Executive [SOE]!

"Anthony Quayle, whose real life WW2 adventures actually resembled those of his character [Major Franklin]"

Quayle, having fought in Albania during the war, hesitant to speak of his war-time exploits

"During the Second World War he was an Army Officer . . . he joined the Special Operations Executive and served as a liaison officer with the partisans in Albania (reportedly, his service with the SOE seriously affected him, and he never felt comfortable talking about it). He described his experiences in a fictionalised form in 'Eight Hours from England'."

[I can recall very well an interview Quayle had on American TV during which he was asked about his WW2 exploits. The man was hesitant to speak and totally down-played his mission, his role, his war-time adventures. Anthony WAS NOT comfortable in talking about the war!]

Originally trained as a partisan and would have commanded English guerrilla units in case of a German invasion of England!

"Auxiliary Units were the 'stay-behind forces' put in place in UK in case of a German invasion"

In the case of Anthony Quayle, art imitated life, and not the other way around.

coolbert.