Lecture
Giles Milton and Helen Fry
Thursday 21.05.2026
Giles Milton and Helen Fry
A Million White European Slaves
Thursday 21.05.2026
How to watch
This lecture starts on 21 May at 7:00pm (UK).
Summary
Helen Fry in conversation with historian Giles Milton on the forgotten story of the million white Europeans, snatched from their homes and taken in chains to the great slave markets of North Africa. Ignored by their own governments and forced to endure the harshest of conditions, very few lived to tell the tale.
Giles Milton
Giles Milton is the million-copy, internationally bestselling author of fourteen works of narrative history. His books have been translated into twenty-five languages. Milton’s upcoming book, Empire at the Edge of the World, will be published in the autumn (UK) and April 2027 (USA).
His previous book, The Stalin Affair: The Impossible Alliance that Won the War, was a BBC Radio 4 “Book of the Week”. Milton is the writer and narrator of Sony’s acclaimed podcast series, Ministry of Secrets. He has also presented two major TV series: D-Day: The Soldiers’ Story and World War II: The End.
Helen Fry
Helen Fry has authored and edited over 25 books covering the social history of the Second World War, including British Intelligence and the secret war, espionage, and spies, as well as MI9 escape and evasion. She is the foremost authority on the “secret listeners” who worked at special eavesdropping sites operated by British Intelligence during WWII. Helen is the official biographer of MI6 spymaster, Colonel Thomas Joseph Kendrick. She has also extensively written about the 10,000 Germans who fought for Britain during WWII. Helen has appeared in a number of documentaries and has provided advisory services for TV and drama. She also appears regularly in media interviews and podcasts. Helen is an ambassador for the National Centre for Military Intelligence (NCMI) and serves as a trustee of both the Friends of the Intelligence Corps Museum and the Medmenham Collection. She works in London.