BRITISH OFFICERS' ESCAPE FROM GERMANY

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3097, 30 May 1917, Page 5

BRITISH OFFICERS' ESCAPE FROM GERMANY

DASH Hi Oil A GERMAN TfiAD?. L Lieutenant Bertram Ratcliffe, West Torts Regiment, who sifter two and a. half vears in Bavaria escaped and receutly arrived in England, explained on April 13 to Mail" representa- , tive that lie made "a dash for. libertywith four fellow-officera from a German;; train. "As it. was just on dusk," he said,"we felt , the uiowent had come to try onr luck. Few people were about,; biit most of them were • evidently too paralysed at the eight to do anything. Al: few gave chase, but Wβ, soou outdistanced!: them."' , -~,'. • After a heavy tramp over ploughed!: fields the party got clear away. "The only food we had," Lieutenant Hatcline said, "was a tin of chocolate with a few; biscuits, but wo'were too keen on re- , , gaining our liberty to worry much about eating, though ,, we were hun?ry enough; beforei we reached safety. Thirst was worse than the hunger. We had nothing, •to drink and dare not ask for anytTiinsr. : At night we slept in a. wood. It was freezing; and the only covering -we ban;; was a British 'warm , (officer's short great-coat) wrapped round us." During his long captivity in a German" fort enemy officers often cross-examined, 'him about the war. "They were verr : anxious to know how long we thought the war -would last. Thev , seemed to think it would be over in'three months.: But we always said, 'Oh, another year or two,' in a. nonchalant sort of way. lieutenant ■Ratcliffe.who is now 24, was at Harrow and Sandhurst and joined tho Army the year before tHe "war: ' ' :