Micky Burn - After The Second World War

After The Second World War

When the war ended Burn returned to The Times. His first assignment, while waiting for a visa to go on to Moscow as permanent correspondent, was to Vienna. After several months of waiting in vain for the visa, he suggested to the editor of The Times that he instead go behind the Iron Curtain, to Hungary, to observe the takeover by the Hungarian Communist Party supported by the Red Army. As a consequence he became the main British reporter on the political purges, and the faked trial of Cardinal József Mindszenty.

Burn fell in love with, and eventually married (27 March 1947), Mary Booker, who had divorced from her husband in 1926. The couple moved to North Wales where Bertrand Russell and his last wife, Edith, became first neighbours and in the years prior to Russell's death in 1970, very dear friends. Mary had been in love with Richard Hillary from December 1941 until Hillary was killed in January 1943. Following Mary's death in August 1974 Burn discovered her love letters to Hillary and subsequently wrote his book Mary & Richard (1988) as a commemoration.

Burn wrote nine books of non-fiction, four novels and six books of poetry. He enjoyed reading his poetry aloud at regional poetry events.

He also wrote a play, The Night of the Ball, which opened in Londons' West End in 1954 starring Gladys Cooper.

His autobiography, Turned Towards the Sun, was published in 2003.

A documentary about the life of Micky Burn, titled "Turned Towards the Sun", was filmed in 2008 & 2009, and premiered at the BFI London Film Festival in 2012. The film's director, Greg Olliver, also co-directed LEMMY, the documentary about Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead.

Mickey Burn's experiences as a commando and as a prisoner of war form the centrepiece of Peter Stanley's book, Commando to Colditz: Mickey Burn's Journey To the Far Side of Tears, published by Murdoch Books, Sydney, 2009.