ESCAPE FAILURES

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXIV, Issue 38, 13 January 1944, Page 2

ESCAPE FAILURES

DASH BY GENERALS. LONDON, Jan. 1

Two British Generals, disguised as Italian peasants, escaped with u fellow captive from a prisoners of war camp in Italy, covered 130 miles, anil then were stopped and questioned by German guards. The attempt, hist of several, had failed. Lieut.-Colonel Sir Richard Nugent O'Connor, who led the Western Desert Forces in the first Libyan campaign and -became known as Wavcll's right-hand man, was one of the three men. His wile, now living in Rugby, has just heard the full story.

It was told to her and to Lady Ross of CTomarty, her mother, by General Carton de Wiart, the onearmed, one-eyed V.C, released by the Italians to help in the Lisbon peace negotiations, now back in England. He knew the facts because he was another "peasant". It happened last April—several months before General de Wiart was freed. Mrs Roger Walker, General de Wiart's daughter, told a Daily Mail man: "It was one of a number of attempts they had made to escape. THREE DAYS. "It was fairly easy to get away, from the ramp. As soon as the breakout wns discovered search parties went out. They were recaptured after three days." The high officers in General Carton de Wiart's prison camp were regarded by the Italians as men who care nothing for consequences. Several times they made cunning and dramatic escape bids. Mussolini ordered that, special watch should be kept on them, and tho slightest suspicions movement was rcporled to tho camp commandant.' Day after duy the generals discussed plans of escape. Time after time they tried to put them into action. But never until this last attempt in April did they succeed in getting more than a few miles from the camp. When an amateur dramatic society was formed they saw their big chance. In the little slock of costumes were some peasant dresses. They put them on at night.

General Carton de Wiart removed the familiar patch from his eye. The three men crawled through grass and undergrowth lo a wall surrounding the camp, climbed over it, and made their way through the darkness into the open country. The going wa3 •difficult. At every yard they expected a challenge. They had little food with them, but they managed to bluff two farmers into believing they were real Italian peasants. SLEPT IN DITVHES. They 1 slept in fields, hed;tes, and ditches by day. travelling only by night. This was particularly necessary because of General Carton de Wiart's distinctive appearance. They had reached v the Apennines when an unlucky sortie betrayed them to tho guards. The three "pcasantb"' were ordered to produce their papers. They shook their heads and smiled. "I suppose," one of them said in English, "the game's up now:" And back they went to the camp. No news of General O'Connor has been received since the Italian surrender.