The First Great Escape - Part 1

If I was to say The Great Escape, people would instantly remember the 1963 film set during the second world war at a German prisoner of war camp. The movie was based on a real account of an escape that took place during the second world war.

However, what a lot of people don’t know is that this wasn’t the first great escape to have taken place. It was one of the biggest escape stories of the second world war however one similar had previously taken place with a previous generation. 

The story begins in 1916 with a man called David Gray. David was a pilot at the start of the war. At this time, flying was a new invention with only a handful of men choosing to learn to fly and little safety precautions undertaken. Pilots was considered to be eccentric, mad men. For people on the home front, flying seemed dangerous and scary.

On 17th September 1916, David Gray was flying in his bi-plane when he was attacked by a German plane. He managed to keep control and land the plane but was subsequently captured by German soldiers and sent to a prisoner of war camp. By September the following year, David had tried to escape various camps five times, all attempts being unsuccessful. After his fifth attempt, he was sent to Holzminden.

Holzminden prisoner of war camp was located in Lower Saxony, Germany and was built in September 1917 for British and British Empire officers. The camp was under the authority of General Karl Von Hanisch would believed a harsh, brutal regime was what was needed. The camp Kommandant was Hauptmann Karl Niemeyer who had previously lived in America and so had a little understanding of the English language.

The camp boasted that it was escape proof. The whole area of the camp was heavily guarded and contained two fences and a ‘no mans land’ in-between. After this there was a high brick wall with barbed wire on top. The camp living quarters consisted of two four storey barrack blocks, with basements that contained cells that prisoners could be held in solitary confinement as punishment. In front of the blocks there were several wooden huts that contained facilities such as the cook house, woodshed, bathhouse and parcel room.

The camp could hold between 500-600 prisoners at any one time, with many of the prisoners being sent there due to previous attempts of escape at other camps. Between 100-160 lower ranked prisoners were also housed at the camp and acted as servants to the officers.  

After only a couple of days at Holzminden, David was longing to be back at the front and new he had to escape. Unlike previously, he knew he wouldn't be able to do it alone. Instead David chose Captain Caspar Kennard to help escape. Caspar had just finished six weeks in solitary confinement after a failed attempt of escaping. Together they chose a third member to help plan the escape, Second Lieutenant Cecil Blain, who had tired numerous times beforehand to escape. 

After discussing ideas, the trio camp to the decision that the only possible way to escape was to tunnel underground. To escape undetected they would need to tunnel 10 metres to a point just outside the perimeter wall. However this was just the first section of the escape - they would then need to run 240 kilometres to reach neutral Holland, before they could then be shipped back to Britain. Although this doesn’t sound to difficult, you have to remember that they didn’t possess any tools to dig and so had to rely on handmade items or spoons which would take a long time to tunnel. The trio knew they would need more help and so spoke to some more prisoners who agreed to help. This brought the number of people included in the planned escape up to twenty. 

The prisoners began tunnelling in the cellar of barrack b. This was difficult in itself as there needed to be men to keep watch and they had to make sure the tunnel went un-detected. They had cut the staircase so that work could happen behind it unseen with wood covering the hole made. The tunnel itself was just 16” in height and ventilation low. The prisoners later described it feeling as if you were being buried alive. The prisoners couldn't stand being in the tunnel for more than one hour and a half. They needed somewhere to hide the soil as it was being dug out so they came up with the idea to store inside mattress covers that were in one corner of the basement. Due to the lack of space, the prisoner digging at the time would take an enamel bowl in with him and fill it up. When the bowl was full, he would tug on a piece of string that was tied to the bowl and the prisoners at the other end would slowly pull the bowl out and dispose of the contents. 

The work was physically and mentally exhausting and it was considered a good days work if one foot of soil was taken out a day. Building the tunnel was a long process but the prisoners were kept going by the thought of outsmarting the Germans and escaping. However the further they got the less air and ventilation there was and the less time could be spent in the tunnel. The prisoners complained of severe headaches and feeling sick. This led them to making a home-made ventilation system built out of any materials they could find that a prisoner could pump air into the tunnel while work was being carried out. They also used bed slates to help hold up the weight of the soil above. 

By Christmas that year, they had tunnels the ten metres they needed to get to the point of exit. However, whether the Germans had received information of a planned attack or whether they just decided to step up security, they placed three sentry’s with guards and dogs around the perimeter of the camp. One of these sentry’s was exactly above the exit point. The prisoners had a huge decision to make. They could either give up and spend the rest of the war in the camp or they could tunnel further...


Come back tomorrow for the second part...

The Great War - Aviation - Airco DH-4

The Airco DH-4 was a single engine bomber designed in 1916. The pilot was positioned beneath the centre of the wing, with the gunner sitting behind him. It was easy to fly and could fly higher than German planes and therefore didn't need a fighter escort. As well as bombing raids, the Airco DH-4 could also be used for artillery spotting, photo reconnaissance and coastal patrols.

There was one main problem with the Airco DH-4 and that was that the fuel tank was placed between the pilot and the gunner. Not only did it make communication near impossible, if hit by enemy fire both men could be burnt to death. The Airco DH-4 soon became known as the flaming coffins. 

The Airco DH-4 had a maximum speed of 143 mph, a maximum height of 23,500 ft and could fly for up to six hours and forty five minutes. It could carry between two to four machine guns and up to 460 lbs of bombs.

The Great War - Aviation - Hadley Page

The Hadley Page was Britain's first bomber plane and was designed in 1916. During November 1916, the Hadley Page carried out the first large-scale bombing raids on enemy territory. 
By 1918, The originally Hadley Page was replaced by a four engine version that could carry a new giant 1,650 lbs bomb. This version was to be converted for passenger transport after the war.

The Hadley Page Bomber had a maximum speed of 85 mph, a maximum height of 7,000 ft and could fly for up to eight hours. It could also carry five machine guns and 1,792 lbs of bombs.

The Great War - Aviation - Airco DH-2

The Airco DH-2 was a two seater plane used by the Royal Flying Corps during the summer of 1915. By February 1916, it was replaced by the single seat version. It was easy to manouever but had a unreliable engine and a lack of speed. Even with this the case, it helped establish air supremacy over Germany at the Battle of the Somme. 

The Airco DH-2 had a maximum speed of 93 mph, a maximum height of 23,500 ft and could fly for two hours and forty five minutes. It could also carry between two to four machine guns and 460 lbs of bombs.

The Great War - Aviation - Sopwith Camel

The Sopwith Camel, like the Sopwith Pup was designed in 1916. The main difference being that the Sopwith Camel was the first British plane to be fitted with two fixed synchronised forward Vickers machine guns. It started front line duties in the summer of 1917 and was the perfect design for shooting the enemy below. The guns were fixed pointing down through the floor of the fuselage so it could fire at the enemy in the trenches below as well as continuing flying fast and level.

The Sopwith Camel was agile and had a good rate of climb and so the RNAS ordered large quantities. However, it was not popular amongst pilots as it was difficult to fly and could spin out of control when trying to manoeuvre fast.
It had a maximum speed of 115 mph, a maximum height of 19,000 ft and could fly for up to two and a half hours.

The Great War - Aviation - Sopwith Pup

Designed half way through the war in 1916, the Sopwith Pup was easy to handle and fast. The RNAS ordered large quantities and it soon became very popular. It performed well against the German favourite Albatros D3 and was in service until late 1917.
The Sopwith Pup had a maximum speed of 111 mph, a maximum height of 17,500 ft and could carry a machine gun when needed. It could also fly for up to three hours. 

The Great War - Aviation - FE-2

As with many of the planes during the first world war, the FE-2 had various improvements and versions made. The first design had a poor performing engine and was quickly replaced by the FE-2B. This plane, although containing a better engine, couldn't keep up with the enemy planes.

Before it was replaced, the FE-2B found fame by shooting down German flying ace Max Immelmann.

Replacement FE-2C was brought out many for night flying missions. This was because, although improvements were made it was still no match for enemy planes and couldn't handle dogfights. So by doing night missions it was thought that the plane would be able to fly undetected.

When the FE-2D was brought out, it soon became highly successful on missions between 1916-1917. However, by the summer of 1917, it was brought back for home defence duties, with the reason being better planes were available to be fighting on the front line. The FE-2D had a maximum speed of 91 mph, a maximum height of 11,000 ft and could carry up to two machine guns. With just a maximum of two and a half hours of flying at any one time, it was no match for modern designs.

The Great War - Aviation - Bristol F-2 / Bristol Scout

At the outbreak of the first world war, the Bristol Scout was one of the most used planes. By the beginning of 1915, a newer version was brought out in the form of the Bristol Scout-D. This version flew with anti-zeppelin rockets as well as four small bombs that were hung on the fuselage next to the pilot. The Scout-D could also carry a machine gun if it needed to. It had a maximum speed of 100mph and a maximum height of 16,000 ft which you would think would make it the perfect plane. However, the plane could only fly for a maximum of two hours, so it needed to talk of nearby to stand any chance of doing any damage.

The Great War - Aviation - Vickers FB-5

The Vickers FB-5 was the first British plane to be built with a mounted machine gun on the front. Because of this you would think it would be highly popular and used a lot on the front line. However, the plane was fighting in the sky's above the trenches for just a few short months before being replaced by the faster and better armed Fokker E. With a maximum speed of 70 mph and a maximum height of 9,000 ft, it was no match for the up and coming planes even though it could carry up to two mounted machine guns. 

Instead the Vickers FB-5 spend the duration of the war carrying out reconnaissance missions for which it was perfect for as it could fly for up to four and a half hours at a time. This meant that it could be sent on longer haul flights.

The Great War - Aviation - Avro 504

The Avro 504 was a two seat aircraft designed in 1913 and was used during the First World War for light bombing and reconnaissance missions. Unfortunately on 22nd August 1914, just shortly after the outbreak of war, an Avro 504 was shot down by enemy aircraft, so the pilot and plane became the first British casualty of the war in the air.

The original aircraft design wasn't a very successful combat plane and was therefore withdrawn from the front line at the end of 1914. In early 1915, a replacement was designed in the shape of the Avro 504-B. This was a single seater plane meaning it was able to carry more fuel than the previous version so it could take part in long range reconnaissance missions. By the summer of 1915 the Avro 504-B was removed from the front line, instead being used as a pilot trainer in Britain. It remained carrying out this role until 1924.

The Final version of this aircraft had a maximum speed of 82 MPH, a maximum height of 12,000 feet and could fly for a maximum of 4 hours and 30 minutes. It could carry a 12" machine gun and 80 pounds of bombs at any one time.

The outbreak of war meant that this plane was able to be redesigned faster than it would in peace time. It also meant that although it was later decided that it wasn't the best option as a fighter plane, it was an aircraft that trained many pilots how to fly and helped to win the war.

Life AT War - Day by Day

19th February 1915

A British fleet have been firing along the Dardanelle coast.

The Great War - Aviation - Farman MF-2

The Farman MF-2 was developed in 1912 and was used by the Royal Naval Air Service during the First World War. This particular plane was used for the navy's first night time bombing mission, attacking a German artillery installation on 21st December 1914.

Overall during the war, it was used for reconnaissance as well as light bombing missions. The aircraft had a maximum speed of 66 MPH, a maximum height of 12467 feet. It could fly for a maximum of 3 hours 45 minutes and could carry one machine gun and up to 288 pounds of bombs at any one time.

Life AT War - Day by Day

18th February 1915

Germany has begun a blockade of Britain in an attempt to stop supplies and soldiers reaches both Britain and the Front Line.

The Great War - Aviation - BE-2

The BE-2 is a bi-plane that was first developed in 1912 and became one of the most popular used aircraft in 1914 by Royal Flying Corps. Compared to todays fighter planes it seems slow but back in 1914 it was the height of aviation, popular because of how stable it was. It role was for reconnaissance and light bombing. It was revised with the outbreak of war to create the BE-2B which was the same except it had better cockpit protection as well as more refined controls.

In 1915, it was revised yet out with the BE-2C which had a modified engine for better stability as well as an added observers machine gun. This was again replaced by the BE-2D which could travel longer distances.

In 1916 BE-2E was the final development of this aircraft, which had the added bonus of being faster than previous versions. This aircraft was used on the front line until the middle of 1917. After this it was used on the home front training new pilots and for defence against Zeppelin raids at home and anti sub missions with the navy.

The final version had a maximum speed of 70 MPH, a maximum height of 10,000 feet. The aircraft could be in the air for up to three hours and could carry a maximum of 100 pounds of bombs at any one time.

The war had meant that we needed specific things from the aircraft we used, which therefore gave opportunity to develop this aircraft faster than it would have happened in peace time.

The Great War - Aviation - Intro

This is the beginning of a small series of posts giving you an insight into aviation during the First World War. For the next eleven days, I will be giving you an insight into the planes that the British used in the First World War. At the end of the eleven days, I will be telling you a story about one pilots story after being captured by the Germans.

Aviation was a very new concept at the outbreak of war. The were two parts to it within Britain. There was the Royal Flying Corps & the Royal Naval Air Service, which in 1918 merged to become the Royal Air Force we know today under the Air Ministry.

The First World War was really the start of aviation in Britain. German had their Zeppelins to cause terror in the sky and had started to build planes that would be used in combat. We needed to keep up with the latest tactics if we were to stand any chance in the  war.

At the beginning of the war, planes were used for reconnaissance missions to get a better understanding of how the war was progressing and keep an eye on where the enemy were to. The planes didn't have any markings and ended up being fired at by friend and foe. It was then decided to paint the St George Cross on the wings but this didn't help either as it was too similar to the German markings. By late 1915 the roundel marking was adopted in reverse colours to the French so that the allies on the ground new not to fire at their own.

In 1914, aerial bombing was also just beginning but was worlds away from what it is today. The bombings that took place first of all consisted of the pilot dropping hand grenades or homemade petrol bombs over the side of their plane down on the enemy below. It wasn't until 1915 that the idea of bombs straped underneath planes to then be released were thought of but even then it was highly dangerous and none of the safety precautions and proper testing that we know today where in place.

By 1917, planes were being used for more than just reconnaissance. They were helping the army in battles with the first being the Battle of Messines where the pilots were ordered to fly low and strafe all available enemy targets. The Third Battle of the Ypres saw over 300 aircraft drop bombs onto the enemy trenches, artillery positions, strongholds and large groups of enemy troops that were probably reinforcements on their way to the front line.

In 1914 there were 2073 personel with a very small amount of planes. Yet by 1919 there were 114,000 personel and 4000 aircraft. During the First World War a total of 9378 personel had been killed or were missing presumed dead, 7245 personel had been wounded, 900,000 hours of flying on operations had taken place, 6,942 tons of bombs had been dropped and 7054 German planes had been shot down.

Everyday for the next eleven days, I will be telling you about one of the planes used by the British in the First World War. This will include their top speed and heights as well as the amount of weapons used. I therefore thought I would end todays post by putting that information into perspective so that you can refer to it and see how far we have come. Below are an example of a fighter and bomber from the Second World War and from todays aviation to show you just how dangerous it would have been in the First World War.

Spitfire Fighter
Maximum Speed: 450 MPH
Maximum Height: 20,800 feet
Could carry: Eight machine guns placed all along the wings and in the nose each with 300 rounds of bullets to fire

Lancaster Bomber
Maximum Speed: 287 MPH
Maximum Height: 24,500 feet
Could carry: 14,000 pounds of bombs at any one time

Typhoon Fighter
Maximum Speed: 768 MPH
Maximum Height: 55,000 feet

B-2 Stealth Bomber
Maximum Speed: Estimate 650 MPH (Exact not disclosed)
Maximum Height : 50,000 feet

Life AT War - Day by Day

13th February 1915

The French have tried to drive German forces back into the Champagne region.

Life AT War - Day by Day

10th February 1915

US president Wilson has protested an idea made by Britain to used US flags on British merchant ships to deceive the Germans, in the hope of allowing supplies to get to Britain. US president Wilson has also warned Germany that the US will hold it accountable for any property endangered or lives lost.  

Life AT War - Day by Day

7th February 1915

At the second battle of Masurian Lakes, German armies have surrounded and cut of part of the Russian army.

Life AT War - Day by Day

3rd February 1915

Turkish and German armies have reach the Suez Canal.

Life AT War - Day by Day

1st February 1915

German soldiers have a new tactic by using poison gas against Russian troops on the Front Line. A gas attack has taken place today.


Gas attacks were used right from the start of the war. Tear gas was used, which would cause sore eyes but wouldn't be deadly. However at the start of 1915, Chlorine gas was instead used. This sent a yellow cloud over to the enemy lines and within minutes soldiers would be struggling to put their masks on, or even for some, struggling to breath. Chlorine gas caused damage to internal organs such as the lungs and nose and was even accountable for many premature deaths. The Chlorine gas isn't to be confused with the Mustard gas that was to be used from 1917. This caused blistered both inside and outside as well as causing blindness, severe bleeding and even death.