by Neal Bascomb
“Oh, shut up”: Ibid, p. 154.
Throughout Block B: Morrogh, unpublished memoir. JDM.
Jim Bennett was: Recollections of L. J. Bennett, oral history, LIDD.
“wonderfully Teutonic”: Durnford, pp. 132–33.
No matter how: Ackerley, pp. 84–86.
“finale of a”: Gore, Max, “The Long Dim Tunnel.” CHALK.
A religious man: News Chronicle, July 24, 1948; Butler account, as quoted in Durnford, pp. 159–60.
Minutes before the: Hanson, pp. 263–64.
They were depending: Letter from Ernest Collinson to Bennett, May 25, 1938. LJB; Ernest Collinson Record, ICRC.
“Don’t bother, Collinson”: Winchester, pp. 157–58.
CHAPTER 17
“Chocks away”: Winchester, pp. 158–59.
During one stretch: Blain, unpublished memoir. IWM.
“What’s up?”:Winchester, pp. 160–61.
Sixty yards away: Tullis, unpublished memoir. JKT.
Taking care anyway: Blain, unpublished memoir. IWM.
At last he: Morrogh, unpublished memoir. JDM.
In the distance: Foot, p. 18.
“Bet Niemeyer”: Winchester, pp. 161–63; Blain, unpublished memoir. IWM.
Charles Rathborne thrust: Rathborne account. TNA: AIR 1/7/726/129/1.
Jim Bennett was: Bennett, “A Little Introduction Speech,” LJB; J. K. Bousfield, “An Exciting Escape.”
After over an: Rathborne account. TNA: AIR 1/7/726/129/1.
“Your turn, Major”: Morrogh, unpublished memoir. JDM; letter from Tony Wheatley to author, August 20, 1916; Senan Molony, “Titanic: The Last Photograph,” April 23, 2004. Published online: https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-the-last-photograph.html.
“All clear,” an: Morrogh, unpublished memoir. JDM.
CHAPTER 18
David Gray scanned: Winchester, pp. 163–68. Barry Winchester provides the best account of the run to Holland by Gray, Kennard, and Blain. His description is backed up by the maps.
“huge crocodile”: Blain, unpublished memoir. IWM.
There was trouble: Notes. Papers of L. Nixon. IWM.
“What’s the idea?”: Garland, “My Dashes to Freedom.”
Twenty-nine officers: Letter from C.A. Lyon to Bennett, May 17, 1938, LJB; The Australian, March 3, 1922.
Back at the: Garland, “My Dashes to Freedom.”
Soon after, Hartigan: Unpublished memoir. Papers of R. Gough. LIDD: POW-029; notes on Holzminden. Papers of M. Pannett. IWM.
“So, a tunnel”: Durnford, p. 139.
“The tunnel has”: “The Moles of Holzminden,” Popular Flying, December 1938.
“Neun und zwanzig”: News clipping, undated. Papers of F.W. Harvey, GA.
“Niemeyer’s jaw dropped”: Durnford, p. 139.
Then the commandant: Unpublished memoir. Papers of R. Gough. LIDD: POW-029; Report by Lt. Ortweiler. TNA: WO 161/96; July 25, 1918. Diary. HFD.
CHAPTER 19
Hunkered in corn: Bennett, “A Little Introduction Speech,” LJB; Bousfield, J. K., “An Exciting Escape.”
The hunt was: Tullis, unpublished memoir. JKT.
“full view of”: Morrogh, unpublished memoir. JDM.
Heavy rucksacks digging: Winchester, pp. 175–77.
They stopped, and: Günther note. Papers of C. Kennard, RAF.
He was furious: Statement by Lieutenant Ortweiler. TNA: WO 161/96; Harvey, pp. 241–42; Coombs, V.C., “Sixty Years On,” Royal Air Forces Quarterly, Summer 1976; July 26, 1918. Diary. HFD.
“We urgently request”: Täglicher Anzeiger (Holzminden), August 2, 1918.
The reward offered: Bennett, “A Little Introduction Speech,” LJB.
On the afternoon: Rathborne account. TNA: AIR 1/7/726/129/1.
After their antics: Winchester, pp. 178–80.
CHAPTER 20
For the next: Rathborne account. TNA: AIR 1/7/726/129/1.
In Bebra: Speech Notes. Officer POW Dining Club. LIDD: POW-072.
He slept fitfully: Rathborne account. TNA: AIR 1/7/726/129/1; Herwig, p. 288.
On their own: Durnford, pp. 143–47; July 24–August 3, 1918. Diary. HFD.
Never one to: Durnford, p. 145.
By looking at: Täglicher Anzeiger (Holzminden), August 2, 1918.
“Having a lovely time”: “The Men Who Dug a Tunnel,” Evening Standard, July 24, 1958.
CHAPTER 21
Dogs were barking: Winchester, pp. 182–83.
They had rations: Letter from Cita Kennard, August 1918. CK.
Due south of: Winchester, pp. 182–185.
Southwest of Blenheim: Bennett & Tullis interview. LJB.
Armed sentries patrolled: Caunter, pp. 209–13; Gilliland, p. 230.
By observing the: Bennett, “A Little Introduction Speech,” LJB.
“Halt!”: Recollections of L. J. Bennett, oral history, LIDD.
CHAPTER 22
On the morning: Escape Route Map. Papers of C. Kennard, RAF, Winchester, pp. 184–85.
At twilight, they: Letter from Cita Kennard, August 1918, CK.
The three airmen: Winchester, pp. 185–88.
The three soon: Winchester, pp. 185–88.
What kept them: Blain, unpublished memoir. IWM.
It was approaching: Cypher telegram from Rotterdam, August 8, 1918. TNA: FO 383/381.
They crept slowly: Winchester, pp. 185–88.
“Duck!” he warned: Ibid, p. 187.
Together they yawped: Letter from Blain to Uncle Hugh, August 28, 1918; Letter from Cita Kennard, August 1918. CK.
“Escaped and arrived”: Telegram from Kennard, August 1918. Papers of C. Kennard, RAF.
Secret cables from: Return to UK of British Prisoners-of-war Escaped from Germany, August 7, 1918. TNA: FO 383/381.
“British Prisoners Dig”: New York Times, August 7, 1918.
On the evening: Cypher Telegram, August 7, 1918. TNA: FO 383/381; Harrison, p. 183.
The following morning: Tullis, unpublished memoir. JKT.
From the window: Gilliland, pp. 256–59.
“take three months’ ”: Harrison, p. 183.
“The Queen joins”: Letter to Blain, 1918. CWB.
“The Tunnel to”: Daily Sketch, December 18, 1918.
“Daring Escape”: Evening Express, August 26, 1918.
Despite all the: Service Record of D. B. Gray, British Indian Army Records, BA; Money, p. 151; Service Record of C. Blain. CWB.
CHAPTER 23
In the period: Cypher telegram from Netherland, August 24, 1918. TNA: FO 383/399; Durnford, pp. 146–54; statement by M.S. Fryer. TNA: FO 383/400.
Continued escape attempts: August–September 1918. Diary. HFD.
“conspiring to destroy”: Hanson, pp. 300–04.
Deciding that the: Beglsubigte Abschrift. Papers of R.M. Paddison. LIDD: POW-049.
“having made an”: Schmitt. IWM
But with 250,000: Herwig, p. 403.
“They would all”: September 29–October 2, 1918. Diary. HFD.
He stayed mostly: Durnford, p. 159.
“always done all”: New York Times, December 15, 1918.
“You see, I”: New York Times, December 15, 1918.
“The war is”: “A Parting Word.” Pamphlets for repatriates. IWM.
Yet this farewell: Unpublished memoir. Papers of R. Gough. LIDD: POW-029; December 9–10, 1918. Diary. HFD.
“awe, envy, and”: James Whale, “Our Life at Holzminden,” Wide World Magazine, undated. Papers of J. Whale. IWM.
EPILOGUE
Twenty years after: Holzminden Tunnel, Twentieth Anniversary Dinner pamphlet. JKT.
“gallant and able”: Letter from keeper of the privy purse, February 5, 1919. CWB.
“His untimely death”: “Prisoners in Germany,” unsourced newsclip, March 9, 1935. Papers of C. Kennard. IWM.
“enemy officers”: Hanson, p. 329.
“I know damn”: Ibid, p. 337.
When he had: Author
interview with Jane Gray.
During World War II: Foot, pp. 22–26; historical record of I.S.9. TNA: WO 208/3242; history of intelligence school No. 9. TNA: WO 208/3246.
“improbable but possible”: Notes, Bennett MI9 lecture. LJB.
By one historian’s: Lewis-Stempel, pp. 190–91.
In contrast before: Foot, p. 5, Appendix I. As Foot and Langley admit, these numbers are but a best-guess approximation.
“Do as you”: Author interview with Laurie Vaughan.
For your reference, the page numbers that appear in the print version of this book are listed below. They do not match the page numbers in your eBook.
JACKET
Cover photos ©: soldier: Kozlik/Shutterstock; fence: lafoto/Shutterstock; back cover: Courtesy of Patrick and Jacqueline Mallahan.
BOOK
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For your reference, the page numbers that appear in the print version of this book are listed below. They do not match the page numbers in your eBook. Please use the “Search” function on your eReading device to find terms of interest. Page numbers in italics refer to illustrations as they appear in the print version of the book.
Note: Page numbers in italics refer to illustrations.
accomplices, German, 128, 130–31, 166
air force, British. See Royal Flying Corps (RFC)
Allouche
betrayal of fellow prisoners, 45
objection to prisoners’ protest, 42
revenge of fellow prisoners, 46–47, 48–49
Archies (anti-aircraft shells), 13–15
Ball, Albert, 26
Bennett, Jim, 146
background of, 145
determination of, 199
and determining exit point of tunnel, 147–48
digging the tunnel, 145, 147
escape through Holzminden tunnel, 167–68
escape to Holland, 168–69, 179, 198–201
and MI9, 227
and organization of breakout, 153
post-war life of, 228–29
and reunion of escapees after war, 223
reunited with fellow escapees in Holland, 208
and “Zero Hour,” 156–57
Blain, Cecil William, 12, 212–13
background of, 17
and cover story (asylum-patient scenario), 126–28, 132–33, 137–38, 180–84, 189
death of, 225, 225
determination of, 203
digging the tunnel, 8–9, 120–21, 124
escape attempts at Clausthal, 55, 57
escape plans at Osnabrück, 40–44, 45–46
escape through Holzminden tunnel, 163–67
escape to Holland, 171–73, 180–84, 187–89, 196–98, 202–8, 209, 217
fake documents of, 139
flight training of, 18–19
and Gray’s time in solitary, 144
and King George V, 211, 214, 214
malnourishment of, 197, 208
and MI9, 228
and organization of breakout, 153
plane downed, 16, 19
reconnaissance mission of, 10–11, 13, 15–16
return to war, 216
revenge attack on Allouche, 46, 47, 48–49, 54
in solitary confinement, 49, 54–55
taken prisoner, 20
transfer to Clausthal camp, 46, 47–48
transfer to Holzminden camp, 120
and “Zero Hour,” 157, 158, 162
Blankenstein (German prison camp commander)
and attack on Allouche, 47
and Kennard’s solitary confinement, 37
and prison conditions, 41–42
and prisoners’ plan to escape Osnabrück, 44, 45
and reassignment of prisoners, 46
Böelcke, Oswald, 23, 29
bombers, 24, 26–30, 28
Bousfield, John, 153, 208
Brean, Timothy, 141–42
Butler, Walter “Basil”
completion of tunnel, 159–61
and determining exit point of tunnel, 147
recapture of, 193
and “Zero Hour,” 159–62
Campbell-Martin, Peter
and Bennett, 145
escape to Holland, 168–69, 179, 199–201
and organization of breakout, 153
reunited with fellow escapees in Holland, 208
Cash, Dick
after the war, 226
alliance with officers, 131
background of, 86–88
and end-of-war period, 220
loyalty to escapees, 194
maps supplied by, 131, 140
and Medlicott’s escape attempt, 117
orderly duties of, 86–87, 90
class system, 90
Clausthal prisoner of war camp, 6, 49
British prisoners transferred to, 46, 47
conditions at, 49, 54–55, 58
escape attempts at, 55–57
Clouston, Andrew, 160
Collinson, Ernest, 162
Colquhoun, William “Shorty”
and carpenter tools, 93
digging the tunnel, 95, 103
escape attempts at Clausthal, 56–57
and hidden door to tunnel, 93
initiation of tunneling efforts, 91–92
and internment transfer, 119
as lookout for guards, 101–2
and organization of breakout, 153
and Thorn’s escape, 73–74
compasses
acquisition of, 41, 43, 141
in escape kits, 128, 140
used in flights to Holland, 129, 181, 192, 199, 227
correspondence/parcels of prisoners, 39, 40–41, 55,
86
Courth (German commandant), 50
Crefeld prisoner of war camp, 6, 50–53
Digby, Ben, 33, 35, 37
Durnford, Hugh
and evacuation of tunnel after collapse, 174
management of breakout, 154, 156–57, 158–59, 169
and Niemeyer’s reaction to escape, 178
relaying tunnel’s progress to Gray, 144
Ellis, William Baxter, 92, 95, 119
escape from Holzminden
avoiding Germans during, 127
court-martial of recaptured escapees, 218–19
cover stories prepared for, 9, 126–28, 137–38, 180–84, 189
crossing the river, 167, 171–72
and determination of escapees, 203
and escapees’ chance meeting in woods, 180
fake documents required for, 139
by foot, 171–73, 180–84, 187–89, 196–98, 202–8 (see also Blain, Cecil William; Gray, David “Munshi”; Kennard, Caspar)
and German accomplices, 128, 130–31, 166
kits prepared for, 139, 140, 142
long-term impact of, 227
maps for, 130, 131, 140, 141, 142 (see also compasses)
men involved in, 131–32
and police patrols, 166
press coverage of, 210, 214, 215
recapture of escapees, 192–94, 233–34
of the “ruck,” 153, 159, 160, 168, 169, 170, 175
rumors surrounding, 133
search for escapees (see manhunt for escaped prisoners)
success rate, 208, 233
supplies required for, 128, 129–30, 141
by train, 186–87, 187, 190–92, 195, 217 (see also Rathborne, Charles)
tunnel built for (see Holzminden tunnel)
weather encountered during, 158, 159, 160, 199
“Zero Hour” for, 152–53, 155, 156–62
Ferdinand, Franz, 1
Garland, Edgar, 173–75
Gaskell, Reginald, 72–74, 79
George V, King of Great Britain, 211, 214, 214, 225
Germany
camps for prisoners of war, 6 (see also Holzminden prisoner of war camp)
fighter planes of, 14, 23, 29–30, 32
and Hague Conventions on treatment of POWs, 5, 7, 37, 85
prisoners of war from, 99
treatment of POWs, 4–7, 37, 50–51, 85
Grant, Douglas Lyall, 106
Grau, Kurt, 131
Gray, David “Munshi,” 22, 212–13
background of, 24–26
bomber escort mission of, 24, 26–30
and carpenter tools, 93
court-martial of, 144
