BBC1 to feature story of daring Hull author Dan Billany, killed in Second World War

The story of a Hull author who was killed during the Second World War is being told in a television documentary tonight.

Dan Billany published two best-selling books in the 1940s, but his career was cut short by the start of the conflict.

He joined the East Yorkshire Regiment, but was captured by the Nazis and held as a prisoner of war in Italy.

Mr Billany is believed to have escaped from the camp and was sheltered by a number of Italian families.

His niece Jodi Weston Brake travelled to Italy last year with a film crew to retrace his steps.

She told the Mail: "It turned into a journey of remembrance and so much more than I ever expected it to be.

"It meant so much to meet the families who risked their lives to shelter Allied troops and there were many touching and poignant moments along the way."

Former teacher Mr Billany penned The Magic Door in 1943, which was based on his class at Chiltern Street School in Hull before he went to war.

The story will feature in the Inside Out programme, broadcast at 7.30pm on BBC One.

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