MY ESCAPE FROM THE CAMP
It may be wondered why it is that so few British officers have
succeeded in escaping from prison camps in Germany.
The Germans do not get very worried over the loss of a few private
soldiers in that way, but they are very careful to prevent our
officers from having too many chances of escape.
The men are taken out to work in the fields and woods, and as the
Germans have by no means too many men to spare, they cannot send a
very large escort with them. Consequently it not unfrequently happens
that men are able to slip away into thick cover without the Boches
seeing them or knowing of their absence until they count up their
charges, maybe some hours later.
The officers on the other hand never leave the barbed-wire enclosure
of the camps, unless on parole for walks, an arrangement countenanced
by our War Office, so they have naturally greater difficulties to get
over before commencing any dash for the frontier.
Many officers have tried and have had appallingly bad luck in numerous
instances. Early in the spring of 1917 the Germans warned all officers
and men that they would be liable to five months and three months
solitary confinement in a cell respectively, if caught attempting to
escape. This was as a reprisal for excessive sentences inflicted on
their prisoners who attempted to escape in England, under the Defence
of the Realm Regulations.
As the solitary confinement was automatic, and was given without
trial, we were also warned that after undergoing it, a transgressor of
this kind might be tried by court-martial for such offences as being
in possession of civilian clothes, a compass, German money, or
wire-cutters, etc. The charge was simple.... Disobedience of orders!
For this another three or four months could be imposed. I was very
glad to read in the papers that all this sort of thing had been done
away with by that excellent Commission which went to the Hague to meet
the German delegates in July, 1917. There were other great things done
by that same Commission, and the prisoners who benefit thereby will be
most grateful.
Of course it was natural that with this heavy sentence hanging over
the heads of would-be escapers some thought twice before trying, but
it is worth noting that since this German order was issued there have
been more successful escapes and more attempts to escape by officers
than in the whole previous period.
I spoke to some of our men when out on a parole walk. They were
working on a wild piece of heath-land with very few Germans to guard
them. I asked one whether any of them had tried to escape from there.
He told me that very few had done so, as there was such a long way to
go, and that when caught the men were put in the cells and were not
allowed their parcels.
This meant three-quarters starvation, as the German food provided was
bad and scanty.
Our camp, known as Schwarmstedt, although situated seven or eight
miles from the small town of that name, was on the Lueneburg Heide, an
expanse of marshy, waste ground, intersected by small streams and
dotted with little woods and stunted pine trees.
There were other camps on the same stretch of country. The notorious
Soltau lay some miles to the north of our camp. This district is some
hundred and seventy miles from the Dutch frontier as the crow flies.
In preparing my escape, I had to calculate the quantity of food
required to carry me through the journey. This would naturally be
considerable as I could not reckon on doing more than an average of
eight to twelve miles every twenty-four hours, as it was only safe to
march by night and the hours of darkness at that time of the year were
only about five and a half. Although the actual distance was a hundred
and forty-five miles, allowances to be made for detours and an
indirect line, as well as for delays occasioned by such large
obstacles as broad rivers and smaller, but more formidable ones in the
shape of German guards, would necessitate preparations for a greater
distance.
The food required would have to be carried, so a bag was necessary.
I will not say how I got the bag or what kind it was, nor how I got my
civilian clothes, for this is certain to be read by members of the
thorough race whose prisoner I was, and naturally any hints I drop may
be used against other prisoners.
What I say outright is all known to the Germans, or obvious to the
veriest fool of a prison-camp commandant.
My costume consisted of a long white cotton coat and a pair of white
cotton pants, both dyed a dirty light grey-brown with coffee. I had a
cap also, but that too must remain a mystery.
As the cotton coat had no pockets and was very thin, I wore an old
khaki coat underneath, which stood me in good stead when I had nearly
got to the end of my journey. A pair of rubber-soled shoes, white once
but made khaki-colour by my servant some time before, completed my
kit.
Although I had naturally discussed matters with others in the camp in
an indefinite way I had not arranged any collaboration in the scheme,
by which I succeeded. I told only one friend ten minutes before I
took the first steps in the carrying out of the plan.
When first we reached Schwarmstedt after our journey from Crefeld,
there were several weak spots in the "ring" of precautions against
escape which surrounded it. Within forty-eight hours of our arrival
three officers got out of the camp.
They had very bad luck, being caught after eleven days' travel, about
three-quarters of the way to the Dutch frontier. This loophole was of
course closed to further attempts by the measures now adopted by the
Boches.
However, two more got away from the camp not long afterwards and had
the same atrocious luck after going about the same distance. Another
individual attempt resulted in an officer getting out for some days
before the same Nemesis overtook him, and he too was brought back.
About ten days before my escape, yet two more got away, and were
still unaccounted for when I left the camp. They must have had the
same hard fate, as I heard nothing of them in Holland or England when
I arrived. After each of these attempts the Germans discovered fresh
weak spots, and the camp was rapidly becoming a stronger prison. One
effect they had was to make the Germans employ more guards for the
camp. Extra sentries were put on at several places, and every extra
sentry means reliefs, and it takes six men at least to permanently
provide one extra sentry.
These men might have been helping on the farms instead, so it is some
small comfort to think that even a failure to escape can do some
service to our country.
Of course when I left most of these unfortunates were back in the
cells, beginning their five months' stretch of solitary confinement.
Anyone looking at the map of Germany will see immediately that from
the Lueneburg Heide, north of Hanover, one has to cross the following
rivers before one can reach the Dutch frontier--the Aller, Leine,
Weser, Hunte and Ems.
These are all fairly large. The Aller runs along the western limits of
the Lueneburg Heide (Heath) and acts as a natural barrier around
prison-camps situated to the east of it. When we first arrived at this
camp, Schwarmstedt, the commandant had practically told us in so many
words that we might get away from the camp, but that we should never
cross the frontier. This meant that there was something which he knew
of to be passed besides the camp guards and those at the frontier.
Many of us promptly understood by his remarks that he had himself made
arrangements for the guarding of the bridges over the rivers.
Another fact generally well-known to every one is this. All bridges
over large important rivers are guarded in Germany, and even the
railway bridges over many of the smaller ones are provided with their
ancient Landsturm men.
On our arrival the commandant of our camp had spoken at once to us in
English, of which he knew a certain amount. We soon got to see how
proud of this knowledge he was, as he would address all the English
officers on some trifling subject every second day. Besides which he
would summon the senior English officer before him and all those
officers who had any particular department of the camp to look after,
such as kitchens, parcels, games, practically every day. The language
spoken was always English.
He was a fine-looking old man, covered with medals and iron crosses, a
veteran of the 1866 and 1870 wars. He loved being saluted, and
complained that the British did not salute him enough. He was told
that our officers do not salute when they are not wearing hats, and
that many had got no military caps since theirs had been taken from
them by the Germans at the time of their capture.
[Illustration: SECTION OF A GERMAN CAMP (_page 97_).]
He promptly ordered the canteen to get caps and sell them to us. When
they arrived they were very comic to look at, dark blue with a stiff
peak.
Before describing my actual exit from the camp it is necessary that
the general plan of the enclosure and its adjacent buildings be
understood.
The camp was oblong in shape, and was surrounded on all sides by a
barbed-wire fence some eleven feet high. At every fifty yards there
was posted a sentry, whose orders included the shooting of any hapless
wretch found cutting his way through the fence, or climbing over it.
Opposite one of the corners of the camp, and outside of it, was
situated the parcel office. Here the prisoners' parcels were censored
by the Germans in front of them.
There was also a tin office here, where all tinned food not
immediately required by the prisoners was kept until it was needed,
when it could be taken away after being opened by a German. We often
used to try and make the German soldier jump by saying "Bomben" or
"Handgranaten" just at the moment when he punctured the tin with his
opener.
These two offices were open until 6 o'clock in the evening, and the
Germans had put up a barbed-wire passage from a gate in the wire wall
of the camp enclosure to the door of this office, thus enabling them
to permit the prisoners free access to these two rooms until this
hour. At 6 o'clock the offices were cleared of prisoners by the
numerous Germans employed there and cut off from the prisoners' part
of the camp by closing the iron gate in the main wire wall of the
camp.
It occurred to me that if I could hide in the parcel office or tin
room before 6 o'clock, and be locked in when the work of the day
ceased, I should naturally find myself outside the wire enclosure,
which was the first and principal difficulty to be overcome by a
would-be escaper.
It would then remain to be seen whether it was feasible to get out of
these offices by way of the skylights or other windows at a late hour.
The risk was worth taking, but another difficulty presented itself.
How was I to get my pack, full of food, boots, civilian clothes, etc.,
and all the rest of my paraphernalia, weighing fully fifty pounds,
into the parcel office without making the numerous Germans I should
have to pass suspicious. The solution to this question came two days
after I was ready.
At about 5.30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 19th, a tremendous wind came down
on the camp, and the sandy dust rose in a huge cloud filling
everybody's eyes, noses, and mouths with fine particles.
This seemed to me a good opportunity, and I quickly put my pack into a
large wooden box, nailed down the lid, and carried it to the parcel
office.
The Germans were far too busy thinking about the dust in their eyes to
wonder why a box was being carried into the parcel-office, whereas
boxes were always carried "away" from there. I passed several Germans
without any trouble and got into the tin room, where I deposited the
box on the floor. I now had twenty minutes in which to hide. While
pretending to be extremely interested in what I was going to have for
my meal that evening, I looked round, and saw at once that the best
hiding-place without doubt was on the top of the pigeon holes in which
everybody kept their tins. These pigeon-holes, about two feet square
and two and a half feet deep, were made of wood and were ranged along
each wall, tier above tier for about twelve to fourteen feet. There
was a ledge at the top about two feet below the level of the roof. I
decided to get up onto that ledge, knowing full well that nobody
looks round a room at a much higher level than his own eyes, and that
a hungry German gaze would never wander farther than the level of the
nearest food.
This was a good start, but unfortunately there was a Boche painting
numbers on the lockers within six feet of the spot from which I should
have to climb up to my hiding-place. However, he did not look
intelligent, wore spectacles, and was very engrossed in his work, so I
thought I could risk his not seeing me. I had rubber shoes on, my
boots being in the bag, so I was not afraid on the score of noise.
I was lucky in choosing the right moment, and succeeded in climbing
slowly and quietly up and then putting myself into a lying position
along the ledge without either the Boche or three other English
officers getting out tins near by, being aware that anything strange
had happened.
I lay there hardly daring to breathe, with four slats of wood fixed
cross-ways in a vertical position, so that the sharp edges were
uppermost, catching me at various unprotected and tender points of my
body and legs. However, it did not last for ever. The officers left,
and no more came in; and then the German soldier packed up his tools.
He left, and very shortly afterwards in came the under-officer in
charge. He looked at the windows, walked round the office and then,
quickly slipping a tin from a handy pigeon-hole into his pocket, left
the room, locking the door after him.
I was locked in and was able to breathe again.
After giving my pilfering friend another twenty minutes in case he
should have under-estimated his appetite and should return for more, I
got down and rubbed my cramped legs. This done I had a meal and then
settled myself down to wait till 11 o'clock, which I deemed the
earliest hour for commencing operations with safety.
The skylights appeared to be the best exit from the room, and under
one of them there was a convenient beam. The other skylight proved to
be out of reach of anything.
Since the building was of wood, I had to exercise great caution in
moving about, so creaky were the boards. At 11 o'clock I climbed up to
the beam and then crawled along it till I was exactly under my
skylight. Then getting my shoulders well under it I heaved. Horror of
horrors; it gave an awful crack and would not budge a hair's-breadth.
This was a nuisance, only I called it something stronger than that! I
got down, afraid that the loud crack must have alarmed the sentries,
two of whose beats joined exactly opposite this tin room. However I
was able to thank my good luck again as they had heard nothing. I had
now to find another way out. I tried unpicking the lock with a bent
nail, but had no success. I then tried to take the screws out of the
lock with a table knife. One came loose but the others refused to
shift at all. Foiled here I tried the wooden partition between the tin
room and the passage beyond; but again I could make no progress, as
the carpenters had done their work too well. I sat down on my box and
sweated. The atmosphere of this closed room was simply appalling and
my clothes were wringing wet by reason of it. It looked now as if I
should be found next morning in this office, and get five months'
solitary confinement in the cells for trying to escape, and not even
have a run for my money. There still remained one chance, the most
dangerous and therefore left until desperation should drive me to it.
The side windows of the tin-office, some three and a half feet from
the floor, opened onto the sentry's beat, exactly opposite the point
where the other sentry, whose beat ran at right angles to the office,
joined in. In addition there was a large arc lamp within thirty feet
of these windows. My idea now was to watch until both sentries should
be walking down their beats away from me, and therefore naturally with
their backs turned, and then open my window, jump out, and run for it.
The windows were made in two halves hinging at the sides and opening
outwards.
I could always get the sentry opposite the window walking in the right
direction as a beginning. I had then to open the right-half of the
window three or four inches in order to see where the other sentry
was, as he walked up and down parallel to the windows and close up
against the building. Of course I was in mortal dread each time I
opened my window to find out his position, of discovering myself
looking straight into his face. I never got such a bad shock as that,
but neither did I ever get the two of them walking with their backs
turned at the same time.
_Wednesday, 20th June._ I had to shut the window every time I saw that
he was approaching, as he was certain to see it when he came close if
I left it open. Nine times I tried this experiment and had no luck. I
then sat down to think for a bit. Fortunately I remembered now that
the sentries were changed at 2.30 a.m., so I thought that I would try
to turn this fact to my advantage. Sentry changing consisted of twelve
Germans in file marching round the camp, clock-wise, picking up the
old sentry and dropping the new one.
I hoped that the noise caused by their heavy boots would drown all
noise made by me, and that this crowd of men rounding the corner and
marching towards my most difficult sentry would hide me from him. It
happened just as I hoped. They relieved the sentry opposite my window
well down his beat and he stood still, as they always do for a minute
or two after being newly posted.
Then on came the twelve Landsturm-men, rounded the corner, making a
fine noise and dust with their heavy boots. When the last of them was
about fifteen yards from my window, and all twelve were strung out
between it and the difficult sentry, I pushed open both halves of the
window, pitched out my heavy pack, which fell with a thud, and jumped
out after it. To pick it up, jump into the ditch, run along the path,
and round the corner away from the dazzling rays of the arc lamp did
not take many seconds. I was out. I listened for the excitement which
would tell of the discovery of my flight, but all was quiet, so I was
able to steal off in a westerly direction.