How hostage Terry Waite was given Great Escapes book
Former hostage Terry Waite, who is president of the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, told how the Islamic jihadists holding him captive unwittingly gave him a book called Great Escapes.
Mr Waite spoke of his experiences during his visit to this year’s eisteddfod.
His guards who were unable to speak English gave him the story of prison escapes in the Second World War after he had pleaded with his guards to bring him books.
Mr Waite was speaking to the Wrexham Business Professionals Group at the town’s Ramada hotel at a conference entitled Powering Regional Prosperity, the Art of Business.
The other keynote speakers at the event were Welsh National Opera’s Artistic Director David Pountney and Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas, Welsh Government Minister for Culture, Tourism and Sport.
The ex-Church of England envoy described what life was life being held in an underground prison in Beirut for five years and how he was chained to the wall for 23 hours and 50 minutes every day, with just a 10-minute toilet break.
“I’d been negotiating for the release of hostages on behalf of the Church of England for many years,” he said.
“Today I’m responsible for Hostage UK, which operates worldwide.
"When you are attempting to deal with this particular problem you have to run the risk of being captured yourself and it was inevitable that one day I’d be held hostage.
"People ask me all the time what I missed most,” he said.
“Family and friends of course, but I also missed books and music. I pleaded with the guards to bring me books. They asked why – we’ve never read a book in our lives, they said.
“Eventually a guard said he would get me a book and a day or so later he provided one.
"Would you believe it was called Great Escapes and was the story of successful escapes from prison camps in the Second World War.
"The next book he got was a manual on breastfeeding and when the third was Dr Spock I decided something had to be done.
"I asked for a pencil and paper and drew a penguin. Two weeks later I got my first Penguin book. It showed a symbol is able to cut across cultural and language barriers.”
Mr Waite said he was then taken as a hostage somewhere else in Beirut and heard someone singing.
“It turned out it was the time of Ramadan and it was the man who walked around the town to wake people up and the way he used to do it was by singing. Music and language have the capacity to breed harmony into the soul.”
Businesswoman, Gill Kreft said the meeting, which also included a performance at Only Boys Aloud, was uplifting and inspirational.
“We were encouraged to accept the arts in business as an essential investment in promoting the health wellbeing and prosperity of our region.”
Mr Waite went to Beirut in January 1987 to negotiate for hostages. He was held for 1,760 days and released in November 1991.
