Crawl to Freedom
Australian POW escapes of World War One
Darren Prickett
Newport, NSW: Big Sky Publishing, 2024
Paperback 400pp RRP: $32.99
Reviewer: Adrian Catt, October 2024
Although there is one example of an Australian POW (Prisoner of War) escape from the Gallipoli campaign, all the other stories contained within this book are those from the various battles on the Western Front. Australian soldiers captured on the battlefields of Belgium and France were taken behind German lines and given medical treatment if required, then taken deep into Germany by foot or train to POW camps or established prisons.
Very few Australians were used as stretcher-bearers by the enemy, then allowed to return, or made their triumphant and brave escape back across into home lines again. Those that did return and were unable to properly answer the ‘challenge’ password, were often summarily shot for being suspected German spies, or the lucky taken for interrogation to establish their bona fides.
For the majority of the 4,000 Australians taken POW in the Great War, they faced unspeakable unsanitary conditions, poor food, and were often forced into heavy labour at the hands of their unsympathetic German captors. Many were so appalled by their treatment and were so desperate to survive the frightful conditions, they formulated escape plans ranging from simple to elaborate, to slip from custody, and escape by foot or bicycle, (often traversing scores of miles), so as to flee Germany by crossing borders into the safety of Holland, Switzerland or Russia.
Such men usually escaped with at least 1 companion but were often re-captured and punished; only to make a subsequent attempt, or multiple further attempts to score a ‘homerun’. Driven by adrenalin, fear and hunger, escapees ‘on the lam’ endured further hardship of the extreme cold and exhaustion as they cleverly and stealthily fled towards borders promising them salvation.
There is a strong, almost repetitive, commonality between the stories told in this book because many Australian POWs were captured in the same region of the war, taken to the same assortment of prison locales, and followed very similar routes or terrain in making their escape. This saw most escapees crossing borders at proximity, resulting in safe arrival into the same or nearby towns,. These POWs then followed the same process of being quarantined briefly in their country of sanctuary before being returned to England and interrogated at Wellington Barracks, then usually shipped home to Australia and discharged from Service.
This book is well arranged, descriptive and factual. Each Australian soldier’s story is written using the same profile containing place and date of birth, place of enlistment, unit on embarkation, where and how captured, where taken as a POW, method of escape(s), when discharged from service, post service employment or life, date and place of death, and final resting place. Well-supported by maps of POW escape routes, and a smattering of very interesting and rare topical photographs, this is a book of authority and purpose; however, the focus, obviously, is upon the exciting and remarkable stories of successful escapes.
Wonderful!
The RUSI – Vic Library thanks the publisher for making this work available for review.