大象传媒

Escape

The heading is ESCAPE, but escape to What? And Where? Early in September 1943 the war was not in favour with the Italians, the Allies were on the mainland and making tracks for Rome. Life in Camp 54 was becoming rather unbearable; there were about 1800 prisoners in camp, British, Australian, S. Africans and New Zealanders. News reached us in two ways, one the Italian version and one from a cleverly constructed radio hidden in the camp; it was from this we heard the Allies were only about 30 miles from our camp.

The morning after receiving this news we were surprised that there was no morning roll call; in fact there wasn鈥檛 an Italian in sight. The three Chaplains in the camp assembled us on the parade ground and told us the Ities had signed an Armistice, and we were to remain in the camp until the arrival of the Germans who would take over the camp and us with it.

After 15 months of camp life this was not very acceptable, we all decided to get out and hope that we would contact the advancing troops. We packed our bits and pieces and a blanket and left the camp for who knows where. About a mile outside the camp was a village, Monte Libretti, about eight of us made for this and entered the village about two hours before dark. Each of us wondered what the reaction would be from these folk who yesterday were our enemies and today our 鈥渇riends鈥�. The first man we met was an old man who had been employed in the camp, with our smattering of the language we learned there were no Germans in the vicinity, but we were asked not to stay for fear of reprisals, he directed us to a barn about half a mile away where we could sleep for the night. The night was very warm; we had a bit of food brought with us from the camp and bedded down.

Next morning four of the gang decided to explore the countryside, while four of us stayed behind, we saw no one at all until our friends returned with food and tobacco given to them by a neighbouring village who said we could replenish our stocks when necessary. We had a meal and decided to move nearer the source of supply, we packed our belongings and found a hut in the woods near to this village.

At this point I should mention that although the Ities had signed the Armistice, the Fascists had not. After a couple of days here an Itie came to warn us that there was a Fascist in the village and he would inform the Germans about us so it was up again and on the move.

The next village named Montorio Romano was close to a main road but as yet no Germans had been anywhere near the village. Our arrival here was not very happy, the Ities said it was full of Fascists and the Germans were coming to take over, our first lesson learned was to steer clear of the main roads. We trekked on for a couple of hours and spent the night in a cave, woke at sunrise, a thick mist surrounded the countryside, we had a meal and by this time the sun had risen and dispersed the fog. Looking across the valley we saw a small village on top of a hill, after a couple hours walk we came to the outskirts of the village. A woman approached us and asked if we were Inglesi (English) we replied Si (yes) but after that short exchange no more conversation was possible, she led us into the village and took us to a man. An Itie Soldier glad to be out of the war, we explained to him who we were and he led us into the village and were given a meal and a place to sleep. The village could only be approached by two very narrow tracks so we were reasonably safe they had not seen any Germans at all. The name of the village was Civitella. After a few days we were visited by another Itie, after a period of difficult conversation it was agreed we would accompany this man to his village where there was an Itie who spoke English, if we cared to do some work for them we would be fed and given a place to sleep. The village was on the top of a hill with another at the bottom, Pietraforte, our sleeping place was a large stable between the two villages. Our time was spent in the vineyards doing whatever jobs we could and at night we were taken into each village in turn at night for a meal.

After four weeks of this life we were settling in very well, food and accommodation, warm place to sleep. Then suddenly panic. To explain the next events it is necessary to mention two of the people who figure in the episode, one the village priest and an ex Itie army Captain and his dog Carlo The captain wished us to join a resistance movement to fight the Germans, this we pointed out to him was not on, where are the weapons etc. he replied they would be forthcoming very soon, but we declined his offer. One of our party had been taken ill and was in the house of the priest recovering. I was in the hut by myself, the rest had gone to the two villages for a meal and to bring mine back with them. Two of them came back from the bottom village to see Bill who was recovering in the Priest鈥檚 house, it was about an hours climb to the top village, they had been gone some while when I heard shouting and wondered what was happening, outside I heard a noise which turned out to be the Captain鈥檚 dog, this was rather strange, as he was never without his master, I had a feeling that all was not well, I put the fire out and grabbed what things I could and made tracks for a small copse just at the back of the building and waited till the noise had died down from the top village. After what seemed hours I heard voices which I recognised as my friends returning from the top village I joined them and found they were accompanied by Bill, dressed in a pair of pyjamas which apparently belonged to the priest. The next few paragraphs are Bill鈥檚 version of the events of the night.

Bill鈥檚 Version

I had just finished my evening meal and was waiting for George and Royce to visit, when an Italian burst into the room, shouting 鈥淭here are Germans coming to the village鈥�, the priest put me in the attic and warned me to be quiet, someone was sent to warn the others who were on the way up to the village. A few moments later in came the Germans; they went in to the next loft and took out a rifle and ammunition, which the captain had hidden.

They took the priest and captain away. One of the villagers got me down from the loft and told me the full story. It seems the Germans knew where to look for the rifle, obviously someone had talked. There was my battle dress trousers on a chair and the priest told the Germans he had exchanged them for food off a passing P.O.W.

End of Bill鈥檚 narrative.

We all packed our bits of kit up because the villagers would not have us in the area at all. We could not blame them really. A guide led us out of the village in pitch darkness and pouring rain to a barn outside both villages, to stay the night but we must be on our way next morning. Next morning we were up and ready to g, we looked back towards our previous resting place and saw it go up in smoke. This again proved to us that someone had given us away to the Germans. This meant that we had to get out of the area as quick as possible, but to where was the main problem, we were strangers in a strange land, which seemed to be becoming very hostile and unfriendly. We were still wet and uncomfortable from the previous nights sortie but we left the building and made off from the area of the two villages.

After a restless night we were on the road again, in the valley below ran a road, railway and a river. These had to be crossed to attain our next objective, a village named Colligiove situated the other side of the valley behind a hill. Crossing the road etc. was going to be difficult as the bridges were sure to be guarded by the Germans. We saw two or three trains moving, mainly goods etc. we walked alongside the river, keeping in the shelter of the trees until we found a place to cross all three and eventually into the hills again. The first people we came across were a couple of men looking after a few goats they had heard nothing of the German raid of the night before so we assumed it was safe to carry on up the hill to the village of Colligiove.

After about an hours walking we came to the outskirts of the village, an elderly man met us and explained to us that we were not very welcome. Even this far away news of the raid had reached this village, no telephone, and no telegraph at all but the news had preceded us, we never knew how or when but that was it. The old boy led us round the outskirts of the village to an isolated barn and asked us to wait until someone brought food etc., was this a trap or what; we began to be suspicious but decided to hang on but with a wary eye open. About an hour later the old man returned with food, he said we could sleep the night here but must be on our way at daybreak, we had a meal and bedded down for the night and next morning the old man was there to see us on our way.

By this time we had been on the loose for six weeks, we had picked up a smattering of the language so we could make ourselves reasonably understood, the old man told us we were going to another village in the hills called Ricceto, where there was an Itie woman who spoke English, after a two hour climb we arrived at the village, again news of our coming had preceded us, how we didn鈥檛 know. Our guide took us to the house of the English-speaking lady who apparently did speak fairly good English. In a few minutes we were seated at a large table and given one of the strangest meals I have ever eaten. A large cauldron of porridge like substance was taken from the fire and poured on to the table and spread out with a spatula till it was flat like a pancake, onto this was poured a mixture of stewed mutton and tomato puree. This was also spread out and we were asked to start and eat with a wooden spoon. After six weeks of bread and cheese, meat etc. this proved a very filling meal. We were invited to stay in the village, but in view of the previous raid we decided against it and slept the night in front of the fire and were woken up at daybreak with the news that it had been snowing. They said it was only a passing storm, the sun had broken through and was fairly warm, our host packed us some bread, meat and cheese to take with us and a young Itie offered to take us part of the way to the next village over the mountains, at this stage four of our party decided to break away and travel separately, this was a wise move because it would be easier to find food for a small group of three or four. After about an hours steady climbing our guide said he was returning to his village, he showed us the track to take and left us to go on our way. Eventually we sighted the next village, a very small one, there were actually three named as follows: Tuffo Basso, Tuffo Alto and Villetri.

Tuffo Basso was at the bottom of the hill, Tuffo Alto at the top and the other, Villetri8 in between them. As we entered the village of Tuffo Basso we encountered two chaps who identified themselves as South African P.O.W.s from the same camp as we had been in. They had been there since leaving the camp and were being treated very well by the locals, they took us to their host who made us welcome and said if we would do a bit of work for the villagers we would be fed and sheltered. This seemed to be alright so we accepted and settled in. For the first time in weeks we were able to sleep in a decent bed. However all good things come to an end as did this one, the old farmer who had sheltered and fed us had just returned from the top village with the information that the Germans had been there and were making arrangements to round up sheep and cattle, so again pack up and on our way. By this time we had some idea as to the direction we had to travel with the hope of reaching the advancing army.

Our next village was over the hill away from the three villages, a guide escorted us onto the track, it led away from the three villages into the mountains, he left us after a while, what a wild desolate piece of countryside, hills and more hills. Eventually we came upon a cluster of housed, about five in all, an old woman sat outside the first one but it was very difficult to make any conversation with her, however a young man came to us and we managed to make him understand who we were and what we were doing. They gave us a meal and the use of a barn to sleep in. They seemed to be in the last stages of poverty and starvation. I don鈥檛 think they had any idea that there had been a war they were so far from the beaten tracks of civilisation. After a nights sleep we were on our way again, we asked a woman where the next village was, she took us up to a piece of rising ground and pointed to a large group of buildings about one and a half miles away across the valley, one of the men from the village was going there later on and said we could go with him, this we decided to do.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.