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A short book has been written about one man’s escape through France by the Author Kenneth Skidmore. It’ called ‘Follow the Man with the Pitcher’.
On 11th November 1943 a Halifax bomber took off from Yorkshire on a bombing mission over German occupied France. The plane did not return. One young man, the author of this book, would not see England again for some time. Three months of hair-raising adventure took him from the coast of Northern France, through German occupied territory to Southern France, over the Pyrenees into Spain, thence to Gibraltar and home.
French resistance workers and sympathisers risked their lives to ensure his safety, although there were many times it seemed that he, and they, would be discovered. This is no World War 11 escape novel, this is a true account of one man’s experiences.
His Introduction states:-
Far from being a story about bomber Command, this is an account of the remarkable spiritual experiences which followed on from the time of baling out over Northern France in 1943, until my return to England over three month’s later.
Alone in Normandy, armed only with my pocket Bible, Scripture Union ’Daily Bread’ Bible notes, and R.A.F.Escape Kit, I was to embark upon a journey through France, over the Pyrenees in Winter, and through Spain to Gibraltar.
To say that this was a spiritual pilgrimage is not to forget my loyal and courageous helpers on the way. However, all through the time of my evasion,the appointed daily Bible readings and the Psalms, which formed my calendar- day 1, Psalm 1- showed a startling relationship with my situation as it unfolded, including a number of near- capture experiences.
Kenneth Skidmore was demobilised in 1946 and married the same year. He felt a call to serve God and became a Methodist Local Preacher. He trained as a teacher specialising in religious knowledge and music and taught at a number of schools before being appointed as Headteacher of a school near Southport.
His Squadron was158- Lisset, Yorkshire, their craft was a Halifax bomber ‘H’ for Harry. The pilot of that craft was A.F.Evans, posthumously promoted to rank of P/O. Pilot Arthur Evans was my Cousin and was lost in action. A letter from Arthur’s mother to Mrs. Skidmore appears in the book. Some time later, it became clear that Arthur Evans, ‘Taffy’ to his crew, had made the supreme sacrifice.
‘’Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends’’John Ch 15 v 13.

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