Part 8: Jocks description leading up to the night of the escape

This is the last part of Jocks description of life leading up to the night of the escape (23rd July 1918).  Last night, precisely 100 years after this, we met in Holzminden and started our journey.  Have a look at our Twitter page [@RGE100Yrs] for videos (when the stupid GoPro decides to work)

This is a replay of the route we took last night

https://www.relive.cc/view/g22990882401

Preparation for Journey

The next to be given a chance were those who, in the eyes of the experienced Committee would put up a good show if they did get out.

For a week before the great day my friend and I spent hours studying the best route to follow, preparing our food, packs, clothes etc. The food we carried consisted of chiefly ships biscuits, dipped in molten dripping, stoned dates and great quantities of chocolate melted down into square blocks. In addition we carried meat cubes, Plasmon oats, compressed and mixed with Horlick’s Malted Milk Powder, Tea, Cocoa and soup cubes two tins compressed meat sausages and 15 or 16 trench coopers’ wax blocks with a wick in the middle on which to cook one hot meal per day. Each day's rations were made up in waterproof bundles so that when swimming rivers etc., the food would run a fair chance of remaining dry.

The clothes carried were two spare pairs of sox and some warm underclothes to wear during the day while lying in hiding. I also carried a Bilk shirt and found this a splendid thing for keeping in the heat.

We fully expected to have to swim the river Weser flowing about 50 yards wide so some means had to be devised of getting ones food and clothes across dry.

My old Burberry was treated to a thick coating of molten fat and rubbed well in, after which I put my pack and boots in, folding my clothes along the top and tied the Burberry along the top of the bundle with string. We next got a large tin bath and filled it with water and found that the bundle floated beautifully and after a quarter of an hour’s immersion everything was still bone dry.

New means of getting to Tunnel

We lastly provided ourselves with a loop from the bundle to go round our shoulders, so that when swimming the bundle would tow along behind and not get in the way of arms or legs.

To return to the tunnel, work had been going on night and day, mostly night for the last fortnight because the Huns had started a straffe, stopping all walks, games etc., and having a roll—call every two hours for some supposed ill-treatment to German Officers in England, so you can, understand that with a roll—call every two hours not much work could be done during the day, go night had to be resorted to. This meant that a new way of getting down to the tunnel had to be found as the doors leading outside were, of course, locked and a way was cut along the eaves of the roof through the orderlies quarters, down their stair to the cellar and go to the tunnel.

Precautions on Night of exit

Certain officers were detailed on the night of exit to come round the rooms as their occupant' s turn came for them to go. This was to avoid officers gathering in the corridors where they might easily be seen by the sentries outside, as the corridor lights were left on all night. In our room there were three occupants, a Captain Grey, an Officer who had done a great deal of hard work in the tunnel, a Lt. Purves and myself. Grey was one of the first to go through, and so left amongst one of the first 12. Purves and I were warned about midnight that our turn had come and were told that all the first party were safely away, so we gathered up our stuff, said good—bye to a few well-wishers and set off. At the tunnel entrance we tossed for who should go first, Purves winning, so he wormed his way in, I following right upon his heels, in fact, all the way through my head was running against his feet, as we wormed our way along, and the officer following me wag in the same position.

Getting through tunnel

Getting through that tunnel was a nightmare experience, the distance seemed endless as one pushed ones heavy pack along a couple of feet and then wormed after it. It would have been easier had the tunnel been level but in one place where it came from the 30 foot level to within two feet of the surface the slope was like going up the side of a house. I stuck at the bottom of this slope, as everyone going up had to dig their feet and elbows into the side to get a hold at all and of course loosened the sides so that stones earth rolled down and piled up at the bottom. Sticking wasn't a pleasant experience, one is apt to get panicky but the thought of others coming behind had a calming effect, and eventually I loosened the rock that was holding me and crawled or wormed my way up with frequent rests to regain my breath. Once the top was reached the going was easier and shortly afterwards my head struck solid ground in front, and on looking up I saw a dark blotch of sky and felt the first puff of pure free air in my face. 

On getting out, my first thought was, "What was the sentry doing" so I had a look through the beans and by the light of the arc lamps I saw him walking slowly up and down, rifle under arm, and coat collar up round his ears as it was raining hard with a strong wind blowing from the south west — a happy occurrence for us as it carried any small noise we did make away from the camp. 

I soon reached the corn and crawled through a lane as wide as a wagon track made by the fellows in front of us. Once through the corn we paused a few minutes for a much needed breath, and then set off for the river Weser being joined by another officer a Captain Leggatt who was going to travel alone. 
Nothing happened to disturb us and we had great hopes that by this time another 20 or 30 must be out, but as a matter of fact only 29 got out, the 30th man who was a South African Major of large proportions stuck in the sane place as I did, and it was not until nearly six in the morning that they managed to drag him backwards out of the tunnel into the cellar again. It would have been madness for anyone else to attempt to get through, so everybody returned to their rooms and got out of their filthy clothes before a roll-call was called.

Crossing the Weser

Reaching the Weser we got our clothes off as quickly as possible, tying them all up in our waterproofs as described before, and fixing the loops for towing the bundle after us. Leggat had made some sort of a raft for getting his stuff across, but it did not answer the purpose very well as he was the only one of the three who got his clothes wet. The current where we crossed was very strong so Purves and I waded in holding one another’s shoulders to prevent us being washed off our feet. We were very lucky in this crossing as we were able to wade across the river, the water at its deepest part coming up to our shoulders where it took some hanging on to keep one’s feet on the bottom. Once safely across we dried and dressed as quickly as possible, the sky showing that daylight was not far off. Half an hours walking took us into the woods at the foot of the hills up which we climbed until about half way up we struck a thick birch plantation and decided to make this our first hiding place. Our first job was to get some sleep as we were all pretty well done up after the exertion of getting through the tunnel. We were awakened about 9 in the morning by a party of school children searching about the plantation, but whether it was for us or not of course we could not find out. At any rate they passed within 10 yards of where we were lying. After this we moved into the centre of the plantation in amongst a pile of rocks which afforded splendid cover.

Tomorrow, we'll post About Jocks first full day and ours too. We will be taking half the time Jock took (somewhat understandably) so will get back in sync with his memoirs after tomorrows run