“A Stitch in Time. God save the King – Fu*k Hitler!”

Four years (1941-1945) in the life of his father, Major A.T. Casdagli
by Captain A. Casdagli CBE Royal Navy
Originally published in 2011

This is an account of Major Alexis Theodore Casdagli’s (ATC’s) time as a prisoner-of-war. It is taken from his diary which opens on the day of his capture, 1st June 1941 and concludes the day he was reunited with his wife and son the 4th April 1945. The book is illustrated with examples of ATC’s embroideries worked during this troubled time of World War II.

The title of this book takes its name from the morse coded messages that form part of the design in ATC’s first embroidery as a POW. When wiling away the war as a POW in a German prison camp for 4 years Major Casdagli delivered a defiant message of resistance through the apparently innocuous skill of embroidery. The boarder of an innocent looking tapestry stitched by the officer had a series of dots and dashes, which in Morse code spelt out “God save the King” and “Fu*k Hitler”. Unaware of the hidden message but impressed with the captive officer’s needlework, the Germans even put it on display. It is one of the greatest stories you’ll read about giving your foe the needle.

The book has been republished in celebration of the Cypher 3311 cigar line. 25% of the proceeds will be donated to the Red Cross.