DRIFTED TO FREEDOM

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXX, Issue 13647, 21 May 1942, Page 2

DRIFTED TO FREEDOM

ESCAPE IN OPEN BOAT Five Young: Frenchmen Arrival In Britain Five young Frenchmen have reached Britain after drifting for 4f days in an open boat without a sail or compass, their engine out of action, in heavy seas. Their only drink was rain water and a fine old claret rationed out with a petrol filter. Recently they were welcomed at the Free French headquarters in London, states the “Overseas Daily Mall.** Jean, aged 21, and Rene. ID, are sailors Irom a navigation school in N.W. France. Francois, aged 25, demanded his discharge from the French Navy when his country capitulated. Claude. 20, Is Joining a Free French tank corps, and their leader, Pierre, who Is 35. is a sergeant who won the Croix de Guerre on the Bom me in If) 40. This Is the story they told: “We had each tried for months to get out. of France. Then we were brought together—we mustn't say How.

"We were told of an old Frenchman living on an island off the coast of Brittany who had a small launch for sale. We were also told of a German sergeant who had a petrolfilling station in Germany in peacetime, and could not break his habit. For a tew francs he sold German Army petrol to anyone who asked. Three Uottles “Escapes from France are well organised. "We bought enough food for two days—a spring chicken, a loaf, some sardines, and three bottles of a rather good chateau wine—and the 24ft. launch. “At the exact time that the old islander had brought the boat daily to the mainland under the eyes of a German sentry we brought the boat in, filled it up with supplies, and took off again at dusk. Th.e sentry did not know it had changed hands. "We made for the island, then cnanged course for the coast of England. . . .“ After that things began to happen. Sea-water choked the motor. It spluttered and died. They had no sail. Forgot Compass The sea rose. The weather worsened. They saw neither sun nor stars on which to take a bearing. And they found that! they had left their compass behind.) Pierre rationed supplies. Breaking up the chicken, he gave I each a bone. They also shared 12 tiny sardines, a loaf sodden with salt water—and the claret. They dared not take more than a sip of wine

at a time. All five had frozen feet, sitting exhausted in ten inches of water in their launch, when a British minesweeper picked them up 105 hours after they left Brittany. Now Pierre besides Claude is joining the Free French tank corps, and Rene, Francois and Jean the Free French Navy.

Jean said: “Ninety per cent of our colleagues at the navigation school would give their right hands to he here with us now.

“On a recent visit to our town, Admiral Darlan was chased in the street by men and women who shouted after him epithets which I certainly can’t mention here.” He said that Brest had been very severely damaged by the R.A.F., that bombs had fallen all over the town. While the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were there they were covered with camouflaged nets on which the Germans planted gardens.