Eden Camp - Escape Lines

Located at the Eden Camp Museum is the WW2 Escape Lines Memorial.

WW2 Escape Lines Memorial
Eden Camp Museum

The memorial is dedicated to those who helped escaped POW's and airmen avoiding capture in enemy occupied territory during the Second World War.

The German Blitzkrieg of 1940 quickly overwhelmed British and French Allied forces and as they withdrew many men were taken prisoner. Those unable to be evacuated from the beaches at Dunkirk, and many left at St Valet were taken also prisoner. Later many POW's were taken by the Germans and Italians in North Africa.

British Prisoners of War Dunkirk
Source: Third Reich Color Pictures

The Allied Bomber Offensive resulted in aircraft being downed. Aircrew sought to evade capture, and those who were not successful became Prisoners of War.

For some in POW camps there was a desire to escape, and many ingenious and audacious methods occurred.

For both evaders and escapees, avoiding capture was helped by members of the Resistance, as well as ordinary people and lead to the development of escape lines.  To aid escapes MI9 supplied various escape aids which were sent to POW's hidden in parcels, as well as coded messages in letters.

WW2 Escape Lines

For those aiding the Allied Escapers along the Escape Lines it was very dangerous activity. Discovery of their efforts could lead to them being  tortured and either executed or sent to Concentration Camps.  The memorial is a reminder of the courage of the Helpers.

WW2 Escape Lines Memorial
Eden Camp Museum

 One of the most famous escapes in WW2 was a mass escape from Stalag Luft III - the Great Escape. Eden Camp Museum contains a vignette of the events around the Escape.

Stalag Luft III POW Camp

In the Spring of 1943 a plan was conceived by  Squadron Leader Roger Bushell RAF for a mass escape of 200 POW's from Stalag Luft III. His idea was to construct 3 tunnels, should one be discovered the Germans would hardly think another two would also be in progress. The tunnels were nicknamed Tom, Dick and Harry. There would also be an emergency tunnel, George,

The tunnels were dug 9 metres (30 feet) below the surface. Over 600 personal were involved in their construction. Tools were fashioned from food tins, bed boards and other wooden furniture were used to shore up the tunnels. A miniature rail track was constructed to move the men and material through the narrow tunnel.

The expansion of the Camp covered the planned exit  of Dick. It was decided to stop work on that tunnel , and to start filling  it in the tunnel with soil from the other two.  Dick was also used to store escape material, clothing, forged papers and maps. Tom was discovered in September 1943 and work was suspended on Harry, resuming again in January 1944.

On the night of the 26th March 1944 the Great Escape began.....

The entrance to Harry was located underneath a stove which was moved to let the men to start entering the tunnel......

Prisoner enters Harry
Eden Camp Museum

Moving through Harry towards the entrance.

German Guard Dogs on Patrol

At 10:30 the first man emerged from the tunnel into the forest near the camp wire perimeter .......

Emerging from Harry

Assisting those emerging from the tunnel

 

At 04:55 the 77th man to emerge from the tunnel, Squadron Leader Leonard Henry Trent VC was spotted, and the Great Escape was over.

Of the 76 men who escaped, 73 were recaptured. On the orders of Hitler, 50 of those recaptured were executed.

Allied airmen from the Great Escape