大象传媒

I was taken prisoner on 14 June 1940, and after 4 hours' march in a long column of prisoners of war, I was able to get away with Major Potts (SPG 134). The following day we were recaptured on the beaches and taken in sidecars to a temporary camp at Forges Les Eaux.

On 16 June I broke out of the camp, this time along, and made off south. I was able to get a change of clothing soon afterwards and, walking by night and hiding in the daytime, after 12 weeks reached Fleury near Dijon, only to be picked up by a German patrol and incarcerated in the town jail. My crime was being abroad after curfew hours (2100 hrs to 0600 hrs). Two days later I removed the glass from my cell window, climbed out and made into the Foret Cote D'or.

From here I made my way to the demarcation line, which I crossed unobserved on 14 September, 16 kilometres west of Chalons-sur-Saone. For the last 50 kilometres, to the line, I was given a lift on a motorcycle by a Frenchman, and was dropped within 2 kilometres of the sentry posts and shown a map illustrating where the patrols were stationed, I crossed at mid-day when the patrols would be eating. I walked on about 25 kilometres to Macon and from there, went by train to Lyons. Here I was given money and clothes by the Americal Consul and, with the help of French sympathisers, continued my journey by rail to Aix-en-Provence and so to Marseilles.

Escape organisation from this town was in the capable hands of Captain Fitch (SPG 181) who worked hard and modestly to get men away. During this period I made six unsuccessful attempts to get to Gibraltar by sea, before stowing away in a ship bound for Algiers, where we were given money by Mr Cole, the American consul, and, on 11 November left for Oran, on the advice of the Chief of Police at Algiers, who was very helpful.

Unfortunately his colleage at Oran had other ideas and we were arrested and later returned under escort to Algiers, where we were accommodated in the Hotel Alatti under "residence sur-veille". There was a scheme afoot for our repatriation, but as this after two months delay came to nothing, I went to the Chief of Police (Captain Bradford was in the Clinique des Glycines and ill) and told him that I intended to try and get away. I was arrested and taken to a military prison, from which two days later I broke out, only to be recaptured.

I was then sent to the concentration camp at Carnot, feigned madness and was taken to a hospital at Oreansville, where I was certified insane and unfit for further military service.

Lack of cooperation on the part of Mr Taft, the American Vice Consul, prevented my appearance before a medical board in Algiers and I was taken back to Carnot. Later I escaped, took a train to Oran and to Tlemcen and then continued on foot to Mellila in Spanish Morocco, where I was arrested and spent a month in solitary confinement.

Later I was transferred to the prison at Tetuan, from where I was released, on the intervention of our Consul, taken to Tangiers and later to Gibraltar.

Interviewed by MI9 and MI6 (D) 18 September 1941.

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