True stories which are similar to a Blyton story

[William E]

Did anyone see the news item on the BBC Web page?
It was about an happening in the 1970’s to a boy who was adopted by an English family. The boy was named Phillip Witcomb. His biological father was called Pablo Escobart who was the Colombian drug overlord.
When he found out that he had a child he tried to kidnap the boy. His adopted family sent him to a boarding school in a remote part of Herefordshire to keep him safe.

The boy had two bodyguards who looked after him.

This is a true story but it is very similar to the Enid Blyton story called The Boy Next Door. In this story an American boy is sent to England and lives in a remote area in the Home Counties to hide him from a family member who wants to kidnap the child.

[Katharine]

I didn't read that story, but in my local paper this week there was an article about flying suits that have been developed. I'd just finished reading The Mountain of Adventure, although I suppose the similarity was only slight, as far as I know, the modern invention doesn't involve being chucked out of helicopters in remote Welsh mountains.

[Fiona1986]

As far as you know,

[Katharine]

Very true. We certainly don't have any mountains round this way - but come to think of it, I did see a helicopter circling the skies this afternoon........

[Fiona1986]

Better watch out for packs of Alsatians then!

[Daisy]

I saw that news item on TV William. I must say I didn't think of the Boy Next Door though.

[Stephen]

Not quite the same, but I always thought that Elsie and Frances of the Cottingley Fairies fame were the opposite of Peter and Mollie in The Wishing Chair. Two children going to great lengths to prove to adults that fairy-folk DID exist!

[Fiona1986]

I love the Cottingley Fairies story.

[William E]

The full story of how they created the fairy pictures was admitted in the late 1960's. The cameras can be seen at the Museum of Photography in Bradford. The film was an insight to how it was then.

What started out as a pretend got out of hand and the girls could not say that they made the pictures up.
Never thought of its similarity to The Wishing Chair.