THE chilling tale of British prisoners of war incarcerated in Auschwitz during the Second World War has been released as the third edition of the compelling Spectator in Hell is republished.

Colin Rushton's best selling book was first published in 1998 and tells the story of veteran Arthur Dodd, who lives in Sandiway, Northwich.

Mr Dodd, now aged 88, was captured in Africa and, after spending time in three Italian camps, was transferred to Auschwitz, where the atrocities he witnessed left everlasting scars.

Also there was Bewsey resident John Green, also aged 88, captured at Dunkirk, whose story has been included in the new edition.

They and hundreds more British prisoners of war were sent to work in factories for years while around them Jews, gypsies and homosexuals were murdered.

Those events are well known, but the fate of the British soldiers there is the best kept secret of the Second World War, Colin said.

"Not that many came back and those who did have problems because of what they saw," he said.

Mr Green and Mr Dodd's experiences are the stuff of nightmares and have stayed with them ever since.

Mr Green has given talks at Warrington schools for years, telling children about his experiences to stop it happening again.

Groups of schoolchildren walking in line remind Mr Dodd of Jewish families being marched to the gas chambers.

Despite the terrible existence at Auschwitz, there was a lot of love and romance to be found.

Mr Dodd met a local girl named Maria Koskta and it was her parting words to him that drove him to tell his story.

"She told me that if I ever got home to tell the world what happened there," he said, but it took him 36 years to do so.

"Nobody believed us," he said.

l Spectator in Hell is published by Summersdale, and is available in bookshops now.

joanna.lean@guardiangrp.co.uk