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HMS Oswald

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Escaping from captivity

Prisoner escapes altered life in the camps for those captives left behind. After a successful getaway the guards often ransacked the huts and withdrew privileges from the remaining prisoners. Despite it being contrary to the Geneva Convention, the guards often enacted some form of collective punishment such as a reduction in food.

Illustration from a prisoner of war log book belonging to James D Rae showing two men escaping from their camp. The caption reads 'Be careful Bill. It's our last spoon.' (RNSM)

Illustration from a prisoner of war log book belonging to James D Rae showing two men escaping from their camp. The caption reads 'Be careful Bill. It's our last spoon.' (RNSM)

In one attempt to escape from the camp in Sulmona Leading Seaman Penny, from the submarine HMS Oswald, helped other internees to dig a tunnel, to secretly make army badges by melting down toothpaste tubes and prepare compasses and maps. Unfortunately the guards discovered the tunnel just before its completion and the escape was abortive.

Penny, however, did successfully manage to escape in 1943. In June 1942 Penny volunteered to be part of a working party formed to build a new prison camp. Along with 200 other prisoners he went to a camp near Vetralla, north of Rome, and here he learnt Italian. Penny decided to escape to the Vatican City, as that was the nearest neutral state. During this time he befriended some Italian plumbers working at the camp, from whom he discovered that workmen entering the City wore blue overalls, and as he explains this helped him with his escape plan.

'One day I was fortunate enough to find a blue one-piece overall almost in shreds. This I took with me to the inner camp and repaired…I got one of the plumbers to exchange his bicycle for my watch…I darkened my hair with soot and pencilled my eyebrows…I walked out of the camp pretending to be a workman.'

Penny cycled to the gates of the Vatican City where the residing British Minister made him his guest for the duration of his stay in the City. He left Rome by air on the 3rd January 1943 to return to Britain.

To find out about help given to escapees, select Next