THE FIRST EVASION
A brief study of the plan of the camp and its defenses will make our
plan of escape quite clear. The sentries are represented by x, the arc
lights by (.), and the dogs in kennels by "O." All round the camp was
iron wire torpedo netting, with two-inch mesh, about 12 feet high on
iron poles. The gardens offered a very suitable hiding-place close to
the wire-netting. At "G" was the German guardhouse, and "K" was the
kitchen, and Germans used to pass frequently between the guardhouse and
the kitchen along a footpath close to the wire. At 6.45 an extra sentry
was placed outside the wire at "S," and it was not sufficiently dark to
make the attempt till 6.30, so that we had a quarter of an hour to cut
the wire and to find an opportunity to cross the path and reach the
darkness behind the glare of the arc lights.
By far the greatest danger came, not from the sentries, but from stray
Germans who used the footpath at frequent but irregular intervals. We
agreed to give the other two five minutes' start so as not to interfere
with their escape if we were caught getting out, and also to avoid being
caught red-handed ourselves if they were seen and chased in the
immediate vicinity of the camp. Longer we could not allow them, and
even five minutes' delay would give us very little time before the extra
sentry was posted at "S." On Monday night all went excellently up to a
point. The sentries marched with commendable regularity up and down
their beats. At 6.30 the four of us were changed and ready. There were
so many different uniforms in the camp, and so many officers habitually
wore garments of a nondescript character, that in the dusk we were able
to mingle with the other prisoners without drawing attention to
ourselves. A minute later Ding entered the peas and began to cut the
wire. He had scarcely started when a German walking on the footpath
passed a few inches from his nose. Ding felt sure he had been seen and
retreated hurriedly. We waited anxiously for a minute or two, prepared
to rush to our rooms and change and hide our kit if there were any signs
of alarm. Then Nichol went round to investigate, and taking the pincers
entered once more into the garden and prepared to cut the wire. The
German had certainly not seen Ding in the garden, but how he had escaped
being seen coming out, considering the commotion he made, passes my
comprehension. Kicq and I had a rapid consultation, and decided that it
was too late to escape that night, so we sent a friend round to tell
Nichol not to cut the wire, and we all retreated and changed, feeling
rather crestfallen. At 6.45 Ding suddenly remembered that he had left
his greatcoat in the peas close up by the wire. This was most gallantly
rescued by Nichol under the nose of the sentry. The attempt had been a
failure, but not a disaster.
Kicq and I decided to wait another week, for we wished to make certain
that the Germans were not keeping an eye on the place in order to catch
us red-handed, and Monday was the most suitable day. Ding dropped out;
and Nichol, who did not speak German and consequently could not come
with us, said he would not get another partner, firstly, because Kicq
and I would have a better chance without a second party following us,
and, secondly, because it was getting rather late in the year for
walking. Nichol offered to cut the wire for us, and this offer we were
only too pleased to accept, for we knew he was absolutely reliable, and
it would save us from dirtying our clothes. During the week Kicq and I
changed our plans and determined to go straight by the through train
which left Goslar at 2.13 a.m. to Duesseldorf, and then try to find a
Dutch bargee on the Rhine, who could be bribed to take us as far as the
frontier and could probably give us information as to the best method of
crossing if he could not take us through himself. This plan was
obviously better than the long and complicated train journey to
Switzerland.
The only result of last Monday's failure was to convince us that, unless
real bad luck or unforeseen circumstances intervened, we were certain to
get clear away. We revised and perfected details and equipment, raised
some more money for the purpose of giving a larger preliminary bribe to
the bargee, got some tracings of maps for the night march to Goslar, and
began to feel pretty confident. I don't think there is anything that I
have ever done quite so exciting as escaping from prison. It may not be
the same for other men who have tried both fighting in the air and
escaping, but I know that for me the "nervous tension" before the latter
is much greater than anything I have experienced at the front. Once in
the middle, one has not time to be nervous in either case. It is the
necessity of walking and talking and acting as if nothing were about to
happen, right up to the moment of going, which is such a strain.
I think there were only half a dozen people in the camp who knew that
Kicq and I were going, though many knew that Ding and Nichol had tried a
week before. It was very necessary to keep the knowledge, not only from
the Germans, but also from the foreign members of the camp, as one can
never be quite certain that there is not a spy or some one in German pay
among them. For obvious reasons it would be very much more difficult to
introduce a spy amongst the English, but it is a good rule that the
fewer who know the better.
On Monday night at 6 o'clock Kicq and I had a good feed with Nichol on
sardines and jam, and then changed into our civilian clothes. At 6.30
Nichol was timed to go in and cut the wire. We walked round the hotel,
and I deposited the bag in a dark spot by "M." We then took a turn or
two up and down. We had only to wait about five minutes, when Nichol
appeared and said, "The wire is cut, but I am not sure if the hole is
large enough to get through; take the cutters" (a pair of sharp nail
pincers which had been stolen off the German electrician), "as you may
have to enlarge it." The sentry at "C," a fat old Landsturmer, chose to
stand still instead of going up and down his beat, but he only glanced
very occasionally towards "M," and we thought the moment favorable.
This time we made no mistake about it. Kicq and I walked round to "M,"
stood a moment on the path, and had a look round. "C" had his back
turned--"B" was at the far end of his beat. I took the bag and put it
among the peas. Then in went Kicq, and I after him--he was through the
hole in no time. I passed the bag through to him and came through
myself, and we were across the lighted-up strip and into the darkness
behind the arc lights inside six seconds. We went at full speed for a
hundred yards or so, then, as there was no alarm, we stopped and looked
back. Everything was quite quiet and we could see the sentries walking
up and down on their beats under the electric lights, so we shook hands
on the success of the first phase. Meanwhile Nichol, having seen us off
and done his best to close the hole, strolled back round the building
and there met Kicq's friend and confidant, a Belgian captain, an
excellent fellow but rather an excitable conspirator. "C'est bien
l'heure," said the Captain, "ils doivent partir tout de suite ou il sera
trop tard." "Ils sont deja partis," said Nichol. With a cry of joy, the
captain fell on his neck and kissed him.