ANZAC PRISONERS

Grey River Argus, 1 June 1943, Page 4

ANZAC PRISONERS

Tunnel out of Italian Camp BUT FAIL TO REACH SWITZERLAND (Rec. 10.40) PERTH, May 31. Tunnelling for a distance of 140 feet, sixteen Australian prisoners of war and three New Zealand prisoners of war, who were in an Italian camp, broke out of the camp in a desperate, but unavailing, attempt to reach the Swiss border. After being free for five days, the fugitives were recaptured. Their long-planned getaway was based upon a famous escape by British prisoners in Germany during the last war -

The story of the escape is told in a letter home, by a West Australian participant in the exploit, who served a thirty-day cell sentence for - his part in the venture. A curious asoect is . that the writer, in an earlier letter, to his brother, advised him to read Chapter Thirteen of a book “by a bloke named Evans.” This book, “The Escaping Club,” told how British prisoners in the last war tunnelled out of their camp with table knives and forks.