Articles
Deep dives into the lives, operations and legacies of those who made the escape lines possible. Written by ELMS members, historians and descendants, these articles bring archival research to life with personal testimony and fresh discoveries. Every feature below links straight to the full article.
Research Archive
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A Jersey Escape
Jack Douay recounts his June 1940 escape from occupied France, travelling through Jersey before reaching Britain.
Annual Commemoration of F Section, SOE, Valencay, France
The story behind the Valencay memorial service honouring the 104 agents of SOE’s F Section who never returned.
Captain Peter Baker
A newsletter tribute charting Peter Baker’s life, service and post-war support for ELMS.
The Catalan Contribution to the Chemin/Pat O’Leary Lines
How Catalan smugglers and Spanish Republicans helped escapers cross the Pyrenees and reach MI9 contacts.
Dentist to the SOE
An unexpected link between London’s Hunterian Museum and clandestine work for Special Operations Executive.
Donald Darling
Profiles the MI9 officer who quietly organised hundreds of exfiltrations from neutral Spain and Portugal.
The Dutch-Paris Line
Kurt Ganter recounts how Jean Weidner’s network shepherded aircrew, Jews and résistants across occupied Europe.
ELMS Tribute to Ken de Souza
A commemorative journey in Italy honouring navigator Ken de Souza and the families who sheltered him.
Escape from Stalag IV A
Geoffrey Spencer of the Royal Hampshire Regiment recounts his capture, repeated attempts and final breakout from Dresden.
Escape from France
Freda Moggridge’s first-hand memoir of fleeing Paris, internment and the long road to freedom through Spain.
Frit Denmark
How Danish helpers created one of the war’s most effective escape lines after the 1940 invasion.
German Resistance
An overview of opposition movements inside Germany and their connections to Allied evasion efforts.
The Glider Pilot Regiment
Examines the elite aviators who flew Horsa and Hamilcar gliders and fought alongside airborne troops.
Golpak
A newsletter feature on the clandestine operations of the Golpak network and its post-war legacy.
Hidden Nazi Archives
Reveals how caches of Gestapo records came to light and what they told us about escape-line infiltrations.
Honoured for Ever
Covers international ceremonies recognising wartime helpers for their sacrifice to the escape lines.
“Ici Londres”
Explores the BBC broadcasts that signalled missions, relayed coded messages and boosted morale across occupied Europe.
Ici Londres Dinner (2014)
An ELMS commemoration of the BBC’s coded “Messages Personnels”, including a walk through wartime landmarks in London.
Jungle Escapes
Tales of survival from Burma’s jungles where downed aircrew relied on indigenous guides and sheer resilience.
La Maison d’Alphonse
Roger Stanton revisits the clifftop safe house that anchored the Shelburn sea lifts from Brittany.
Le Rhône
Charts the dramatic exploits of HMS Fidelity and her crew in support of escape-line operations.
The Long March
A look at the forced marches into captivity endured by Allied prisoners in the summer of 1940.
Miranda de Ebro – The Spanish Concentration Camp
Describes conditions inside the notorious Spanish camp and the route many evaders took through it.
Monopoly
Elizabeth Harrison traces the famous board game’s role in smuggling escape aids to Allied prisoners.
Nancy Wake – The White Mouse
Introduces the SOE legend and links researchers to her full personal story.
One Day in the Life of a Typhoon Pilot
Bob Barckley’s vivid account of close air support over Europe and the dangers faced by RAF Typhoon crews.
One Day in Ravensbrück – “Create or Quarantine”
An eyewitness reflection on the women’s camp and the medical experiments imposed on prisoners.
Operation Frankton
Retells the “Cockleshell Heroes” mission in Bordeaux and the escape-line support that followed.
Oradour-sur-Glane – A Vision of Horror
A sobering visit to the martyred French village and the lessons it carries for modern commemorations.
PG 49 Fontanellato – 60 Years On
Remembers the Italian POW camp, its dramatic breakout and the anniversaries that continue to honour it.
Partisan Group Roti, Italy 1943–44
A photograph appeal identifying Allied members of Group Roti and the priest who supported them.
Spain’s “Historic Memory” and Links with WWII
Former diplomat Geoff Cowling explores how Spain remembers wartime neutrality and clandestine aid.
Tangled Web
A detective-style dive into overlapping escape lines and the personalities who connected them.
Tea in the Blitz
A home-front story capturing the resilience and humour of Londoners under bombardment.
The British Resistance
Introduces the Auxiliary Units and the secret preparations for guerrilla warfare across the UK.
The Caterpillar Club
Explains the origins of the famous club for aircrew whose lives were saved by parachutes.
The Escape
Remembers The Escape pub in London, gathering place and informal museum for RAF evaders and helpers.
The Florentino Memorial
The mayor of Hernani recounts how Florentino Goicoechea’s bravery is remembered in the Basque Country.
The Forgotten Years – British Army Aid Group
Charts the Hong Kong-based organisation that assisted POW escapes and cared for liberated prisoners.
The Last Post
A primer on the bugle call’s history and its enduring role in remembrance ceremonies.
The Late Arrivals Club
How a light-hearted name in Cairo became a fellowship for Allied airmen who escaped capture.
The Men Who Never Forget
Newspaper headlines from 1954 sparked this look at veterans who kept the escape-line story alive.
The Poles
John A. Neal examines Poland’s clandestine contribution to Allied escape networks.
The Polish Escape Routes
Roger Stanton documents the lines that carried servicemen across occupied Poland and beyond.
The School that Fell from the Sky
Fred Hargesheimer’s return to Papua New Guinea leads to a school built in gratitude for his rescuers.
The Shelburn Escape Line
Roger Stanton recounts how Lucien Dumais and Ray Labrosse organised the Brittany sea evacuations.
The Two Pennies
A Dutch family’s keepsakes reconnect a modern reader with a wartime evader’s story.
The Wartime Escape Network Called Comète
Raymond Itterbeek details the Belgian-led line that moved Allied aircrew from Brussels to Spain.