I Escape!: The Great War's Most Remarkable PoW by Captain J.L. Hardy DSO MC

Author:Captain J.L. Hardy DSO MC
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: HISTORY / Military / World War I
ISBN: 9781473851023
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Published: 2014-12-02T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

As we walked through the town towards the station we could think of nothing but the wonderful way fortune had favoured us. We must succeed now, we thought. No one had ever had a better chance, for our escape was unknown in the camp, and we had many hours’ start. It was eleven o’clock before we reached the station and we had only just time to get our tickets (at separate booking offices) before the train came in. I got into a non-smoking compartment, for I always did my best to avoid soldiers, but Baschwitz spoke such perfect German, and was such an accomplished liar, that it was a matter of indifference to him with whom he travelled. Our journey was quite an uneventful one, and we had not even to change. Most of my fellow passengers were women, and as I pretended to sleep most of the time no one spoke to me. It was a delightful sensation to feel oneself being carried each minute a little further from the scene of one’s late troubles, and to know that on leaving the train one would not have to face all those other difficulties alone. We reached Berlin about 12.30, and walked out into the busy streets. The weather had completely changed since early morning, and everything was bathed in bright sunshine. We approached the nearest policeman, as we had arranged to do when necessary, and learnt from him the best way to our destination. We then set off for the tramway centre, and on the way passed the school where Baschwitz had been as a child. We were very gay, and had been much amused by the fact that the policeman, while pointing out the direction to us, had put his hand on my companion’s shoulder. A tram was just moving off as we approached the centre and Baschwitz, running ahead, jumped on board and asked the conductress if it went to Charlottenburg. On her replying that it did he signalled me to hurry, but I dared not break into a run, for I had been limping so markedly that I could not possibly have escaped notice. Very lame men do not run after trams and a blunder of this kind on my part might have given us both away, so I was obliged to disappear. There were many people on the steps of the tram below him, and I thought it might be some time before he succeeded in getting off, but I had not gone far before I saw him running towards me, and this time we made sure of getting on together. We had a short walk after leaving the tram and had to make several inquiries before we found the house we were looking for. We had arranged for Baschwitz to call here alone, and for me to walk about until he could let me know the result of his visit. It would not, of course, do to wait outside, as the Berlin police are very inquisitive, and I looked none too respectable in my shabby civilian clothes.

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