Hugh MacKinnon, formerly a sergeant with the 14th. platoon Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, continues his reminiscences of POW escapes during the second world war. Hugh was captured early on in the war. Hence the title of his article. He spent nearly five years in - and sometimes out - of prison camps in Germany. Planning escape was always the preoccupation of those `lost years' for Hugh.

It was a lovely Sunday afternoon. We prisoners were lounging on the grass inside a six foot double barbed fence - apparently enjoying the sun. But we were scheming an escape. We planned to cut a few strands at the bottom of the fence for a body to wriggle through at an appropriate time.
Our living quarters - a large hut - were close by. The idea was to get out of the hut via the dry toilets built onto the gable end and then under the fence and away. There were 12 toilets in a row with outside flaps on hinges for taking away the buckets for emptying. By removing a bucket this left space to squeeze through.
This time there were three of us determined to escape. We got through the toilets alright but by the time we got to the fence who came round the corner but the German corporal in charge of the camp. He shouted to the guards. Three of them came rushing over with rifles. We were placed against the wall of the hut and a rifle pointed at each of our heads. I am pretty sure the guards were quite prepared to shoot. However, the corporal who was always courteous and dignified, gave them a lecture and told them to take us to his office. He then gave us a lecture advising us to forget about any future escape attempts. Next day he was replaced by a sergeant major who gave an even more severe lecture adding that no one would ever escape from his camp. I think that was the end of the corporal.
Nothing daunted, we hatched another plan. We prisoners worked in a building materials factory outwith the camp. Us three were on the 8.00am squad but I sneaked out with the 7.00am squad under cover of darkness and hid in the factory until my mates turned up for the second shift. I took with me everthing that we had saved for the escape: chocolate and biscuits from Red Cross parcels and, strange though it may seem, red pepper. This was no gourmet extra. We would put it in our boots; it might come in useful. We got away with it. When the other two found me at the appointed hiding place, I gave them their share and off we went, darkness still our ally. We made for a forest about two hundred yards away and then walked for hours before resting up for the rest of the daylight hours. By nightfall we were travelling again. Next daybreak found us resting in a large willow bush at the other side of the forest.
At one-point in the day an old man came by the bush carrying a pail. He was collecting brambles. We watched him as he slowly made his way back to the small village in the distance.
A while after he got home we saw a crowd of Hitler Youth heading in our direction. We left the hiding place fast and made straight back deep into the forest, going right immediately and then turning sharp left. We could hear voices behind for a long time but eventually fading.
In the early hours of that night we heard voices ahead of us. Not the Hitler Youth, surely? We stopped still and listened. A cigarette lighter was lit and passed round a shadowy group of soldiers. They were guarding a crossroads. We skirted round silently.
Almost on daybreak we came to a small railway station with sheds and a goods train with empty wagons. We crawled into the smallest shed to hole up for the day. The shed was empty save for a couple of boxes filled with rubbish. I remember there was an old German newspaper dated 1917.
At nightfall, we woke to footsteps and talking. The train started to move. We travelled all night. It was not a comfortable ride to say the least but hardship meant nothing to us.
When daylight came, we thought we must be near to France. But no such luck. .. Sometime in the afternoon we pulled into a coalmine. we heard voices ahead of us. Not the Ilitler Youth, surely? We stopped still and listened. A cigarette lighter was lit and passed round a shadowy group of soldiers. They were guarding a crossroads. We skirted round silently. Almost on daybreak we came to a small railway station with sheds and a goods train with empty wagons. We crawled into the smallest shed to hole up for the day. The shed was empty save for a couple of boxes filled with rubbish. I remember there was an old German newspaper dated 1917. At nightfall, we woke to footsteps and talking. The train started to move. We travelled all night. It was not a comfortable ride to say the least but hardship meant nothing to us. When daylight came, we thought we must be near to France. But no such luck. .. Sometime in the afternoon we pulled into a coalmine. "Get out as quick as you can, boys!" I shouted. A great V-shaped loader was coming down on us. On the ground we discovered that the place was encircled by a huge barbed wire fence. There was a spring cart lying against some buildings; we pulled it over to the fence quick as lightening, climbed onto the driver's sear and jumped over. While all this was going on, we were watched by one astonished worker dressed in French battle dress.
On the road leading away to freedom we marched like monarchs of all we surveyed. We thought we had got away with it.
So cocky we were we paid no attention to the shouting behind us until we heard the familiar words, "Stop! Or we will shoot!" The thought that came to mind was that of Rabbie Burns -'The best laid schemes of mice and men gang aft agley ..."
We ended that day in the local jail.

What happened next will have to wait for the next issue of The Coll Magazine.