大象传媒

Two by two

Now for the plan and the part we would play in it. Early next morning we were to come out of the basement, following the same procedure that had brought us here. First out would be a Partisan carrying a briefcase, accompanied by a P. o. W. then at two minute intervals we would follow. The first two, which was Cliff and I would cross the street to the far pavement, and the next two, keep to the basement side. and so on till we were all out and walking in a staggered formation along the street, our destination being the main Milan station to board a train to the Swiss border. We would have train tickets to show when we went through the turnstile and also new overcoats. These we would have to leave with the Partisans at the Swiss border up in the Alps, prior to entering Switzerland. They would then be used for the next batch of P. o. W. s. Our route to the station would be lined by Partisans who we would not see, but if we were stopped by the Germans they would open fire and it would be every man for himself.

She also told us that we would be boarding two trains. The first one we boarded would be filled with Partisans then halfway to our destination we would change at a station and cross the lines to a cattle truck work train, as we were supposed to be going to work. This would be a dangerous point in our journey. Our guide would be a Partisan dressed in a yellow belted overcoat, so we would easily recognise him. He would be the only one with us from that point, on the last stage of our travel to the foot of the Swiss Alps. There would be two guides waiting for us when we arrived to take us over the Alps, through the pass. She had to tell us all this as we had not to speak, or ask questions at anytime during our journey. Asking if we understood all the details, she wished us Bon Voyage and told us to retire for the night and be ready for 鈥淒omani鈥�.

Next morning we were up at about seven am to get ready to leave at eight am. It was the middle of February 1944- It could have been the thirteenth, and as it came up to eight am, the thirteen of us set out. The guide with his briefcase and one P. o. W, to walk with him, then after two minutes Cliff and I went up the steps, crossed to the other side, the rest following at two minute intervals walking on alternate sides of the street. As we walked along, passing the square where Mussolini and his Mistress were hung upside down, footsteps approached from behind us and a German Sergeant overtook me on my right, but thankfully kept going.

Around the station there was plenty of activity, even at that early hour, and our guide passed through the turnstile with his companion, the rest of us following on to the platform. The official on the turnstile was of course a Partisan, as was the Conductor on the train, who punched our tickets, giving us a wink as he did so. We spotted our next guide in the coach in his teddy- bear coat among all the other Partisans. Just before the train moved off we saw two Gestapo men pull a man from the next coach and frog march him along the platform.

We arrived at the station where we had to change trains, without incident and following our guide to the back of the train, crossed the lines to the cattle truck work train, boarded it and were soon on our way to the border. Halfway there we saw some Italian policemen, about six of them, Fascisti likely and they had been on the vino. They were strutting up and down in front of us and came into our wagon. We were seated on the floor on a covering of straw and I saw our guide slide a revolver halfway out of each pocket he nodded to us, then the Fascisti. They were armed with rifles and if they had any suspicions about us they never showed it. If they had, we would have had to deal with them the best way we could. Happily they left the train two stations before we did.

The train travelled up by Lakes Como and Maggiore and the station we got off at was the last one to the foot of the Alps. Our two guides were waiting for us and straight away we were on our climb up towards the mountain pass. After we had climbed steadily for about two hours, we came to an alpine hut and our guides said we could rest here until they took us through the pass to the border of Italy and Switzerland.
This had all been timed to reach it just before dawn to avoid the German border patrols. The time soon came for us to move out on to the last lap, unhappily one of the lads couldn鈥檛 go on as his heart was affected by the strenuous climb earlier. He was left behind in the hut, we heard later the guides had retuned for him with a litter and carried him over the border.

We were now a few thousand feet up, and trudging steadily across a wide expanse of snow we eventually came to the border. I remember it was marked with a coloured post about four feet high then our guides told us to lie down about a yard apart and wait for the word to go. We were now at the top of the pass and looking down; we could see the lights of Switzerland.

Then the guide in the teddy- bear coat told us to take off our overcoats as arranged.
After ten minutes he suddenly said 鈥淵amo, Yamo, and Surbitor Bon Voyager鈥�. (go quickly, and good luck). Not only had I taken my overcoat off, but my Italian shoes had dropped off so I had to plunge down in stocking feet. The snow was at times up tour waists and I very nearly blacked out with the sudden plunge down. Halfway down, we suddenly stopped in our tracks, when a soldier with a coal scuttle helmet and a slung rifle appeared before us. He beckoned us to him and at first we thought he was part of a German patrol, until one of the lads noticed the Swiss cross on his belt.
Speaking in German he said 鈥淕efangen鈥� (prisoners) we answered 鈥淪i Si, Englese鈥�-being used to speaking in Italian. He then said 鈥淜ommensie鈥� (come) and he took us to the frontier guardhouse.

At last it dawned on us that we were free, in a neutral country. We went into the outpost and were interrogated by an officer to confirm out identity. Most of us had our identity tags with our army number, on a string around our necks. Mine was 4469489, so we had no difficulty satisfying them as to our bona-fides. After this, we were given some hot soup, then a hot shower, the first for many months. That night we were given pallaisses to sleep on and the next day we were taken under guard to a train. The place we had escaped to was called Samaden, and we travelled from there, passing through St Moritz the famous Swiss resort to a place called Ville where there was a large Red Cross Centre. Here we were fitted out with battledress uniforms, shirts, boots, long john underwear a kitbag and a greatcoat. So we went in dressed in civvies and came out as soldiers again. Except for a rifle, which we were told would be issued if Hitler invaded Switzerland.

Unarmed, we were not interned for the duration of the war and were classed as 鈥淓vadees鈥� (that is we evaded the enemy). About five thousand British soldiers and airmen out of ninety thousand in Italy escaped to Switzerland, or back to their own lines. The rest were recaptured by the Germans when Italy surrendered, or shot trying to jump from the train taken them back to Germany.

Though we were under Swiss civil law, we had a great amount of freedom, but as there were many British Officers and N. C. O.鈥檚 we were formed into detachments scattered over Switzerland and came under British Army discipline. To keep the men occupied, schools were started to help the men into different trades, such as joiners, electricians and bricklayers, and tradesmen, such as me, were told to apply for jobs as instructors. This suited me very well and I applied, and was appointed as an instructor in woodwork. I was sent to a place named Wald, so Cliff and I were separated for the first time since leaving Santa Christina.

Two other instructors and I, set up school under the supervision of an Officer. We were put on sergeants pay, but were only given half of this and the rest went on our home allowance. First we set about making tool boxes, to carry our tools and at the same time showing our pupils how to go about it.
Of course my wife Annie had been informed by the War Office that I had escaped and as I had been reported missing twice she was very relieved. The weeks rolled by, then on the Sixth of June the news came over the radio that the Allies had invaded the French coast of Normandy. After a bridgehead had been established, they advanced deep into France, and we Evadees were told to get ready to go to France. We left by train to Lyons in France where six Dakota aircraft were waiting to fly us across the channel to England.

The aeroplanes had American pilots who in no time had us airborne and soon we could see the white cliffs of Dover, we then touched down at Hendon Aerodrome.
After being questioned by Army Intelligence Officers as to our various experiences we were given six weeks home leave and also a form which said 鈥測ou as a repatriated P. o. W. were if passed fit, liable for service over seas鈥�

This was in the future; my main thought as I boarded the train for Sunderland, was to be reunited with my Bonnie Annie.
I arrived late at night and not being sure of the arrangements, took my case to my Mums in Old Mill Road, then went to my wife鈥檚 parents house in Bramwell street, just Five minutes away. There Annie was waiting for me. This is what had kept me going when I was a prisoner and on the run in Italy, to be with my wife and loved ones again. Words cannot describe how we felt as we embraced so I will not attempt to do so. Suffice to say that after my leave was up, I was posted to D. L. I Headquarters at Brancepeth Castle to be trained back to fitness.
This was not to be as I went sick with bleeding piles and had to have an Operation at Dryburn Hospital. After convalescing at Dryburn I was transferred to Shotley Bridge Hospital for further medical examinations, I was, after three weeks, declared as 鈥渃easing to fulfil Army Medical Requirements鈥� and was discharged from the Army. This was on the 10th June 1945.

Chapter Ten

Two Children

I returned home to Annie, we had a small flat above her Aunts fruiterers shop in Hendon Road, Sunderland, and after two weeks went along to Coutts and Findlaters to see Sandy about a job. I was offered a job to start at once if I wanted to. I did so next day I was back with my toolbox in hand. Unfortunately Mr Coutts went bankrupt the first year I was there, and new management took over, though Sandy stayed as a figure-head.

In the meantime on March 11th 1946 we were blessed with a lovely baby girl who we named Christine Ann, having Santa Christina in mind. After two years at Coutts I was paid off because men that were coming back that had to be reinstated. Also, sad to relate shortly after Christine was born, my Aunt, who had been a good mother to my sister and I died.
Soon I was on another job building council houses and then in 1948 started work in the shipyard Bartram and Sons at the south Docks in Sunderland. It was on the same site as the Limited Yard where my father worked as a shipwright. I was there for twenty years. In May 1950 Annie and I had a son who we named Allan Richard.
I was made redundant at Bartrams in 1968, then managed to secure a job in the maintenance Department at Cherry Knowle Hospital in Ryhope. Where I was Foreman joiner till I retired. I am now 76 years old. Annie and I are still together after fifty one years of happily married life.
Our Christine is married to a fine lad, Alan, and they have a lovely daughter named Fiona. Allan is married to Sandra and they have three boys Mark, Paul and Neil and an adopted daughter, Kelly.

I鈥檝e been retired now for eleven years, but now as I look back through the eyes of faith, I see the preserving Hand of God and His Saving Grace. Over the years I have asked myself the questions. Why did the Bren gun not fire when I pressed the trigger? It meant my life and those of my comrades were saved. Why did I pick up that New Testament from the floor of the school house?
Why when Cliff and I ran into that little blockhouse and in the pitch dark my hand grasped that iron bar, saving me from the pit of destruction below? Speaking for myself, I see the Hand of God helping me to avoid recapture and the eventual escape to Switzerland.

This brings me to a day in the 1950鈥檚 when standing on the quay-side at Bartrams, looking out to sea. As I viewed the far horizon, I found myself thinking 鈥渟urely, someone had made all these things my eyes could see?鈥� It was the first stirring of faith in the Creator God. And now I see that God is a Saviour God, for as I pondered on these things, I took out of my pocket the New Testament I had picked up in Italy, which I had been reading in the past few days. I was up to Chapter 11 of Mathews Gospel, and in the last verses I read of the Lords invitation to us all, 鈥淐ome unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light鈥�.
In verse 27, just before the above, three vers3s the Lord says "All things are delivered unto Me of the Father". So, i was drawn to the Lord Jesus and responding to his words " Come unto ME." i recived him as my Lord and Saviour, so i, a sinner by nature was saved. Now, over the years, as i have learned from tghe scriptures that i, who was an orphan, was no longer an orphan, for i am now one of God's children and can address Him as Father. The Lord Jesus made that relationship possible after He laid down his life for us on the cross for our sins and then when He was raised from among the dead, and He gave Mary that wonderful message "Go, tell my brethen that i ascend unto my Father and your father, unto my God and your God. I, who was a prisoner of war and escaped is now a prisoner of the Lord Jesus Christ and after 40 years i have never wanted to esscape from him, nor will i ever want to.

So, having been captured by the love of God which is in Jesus Christ, from which we can never be seperated, even by death and bearing in mind the titile of this book "Two by Two" i would like to finish it with some of my meditations on the scriptures.

The End

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