Within Four Walls
There were many escapes made during WW1 which are little remembered, but the lessons learned have provided excellent references for later would be escapers. Many of those escapes were written up in a report in 1917 but w
- Author
- Major M C C Harrison, DSO MC & Captain H A Cartwright MC
- Publisher
- Pen & Sword
- Price
- £25
- ISBN
- 1473827574
- Published
- 2016
Within Four Walls by Major M. C. C. Harrison, DSO MC, and Captain H. A. Cartwright MC
Many First World War escape stories have been forgotten, yet the lessons they taught became vital guides for future escapers. Harrison and Cartwright recorded their experiences in 1917, and the file resurfaced in September 1939 when the nascent MI9—based at London’s Metropole Hotel—sought expertise.
Captured at Mons in 1914 and imprisoned at Burg in Germany, the pair immediately began plotting. They dyed and tailored their uniforms to mimic those of the guards and walked out of the camp. After nine days on the run and roughly 300 kilometres covered, they were recaptured near Rostock and sent to another camp at Torgau, where they set to work on a tunnel.
Several failed attempts followed before they finally emerged, journeying nine days to the Netherlands and, ultimately, home to England. Though written in 1917, their methods were adapted for the Second World War and remain instructive even today.
ISBN 1473827574. Pen & Sword. £25