Reports made by returning escapees
All of these reports were made by officers and men of the armed forces and merchant navy and usually provide: service details; when and where captured; home address and civilian occupation.
For Royal Air Force personnel details can include: where based, type of aircraft, when, where and how the aircraft was lost, and the presumed fate of the other aircrew. Every report includes a narrative, of variable length, which describes an individual's experiences as an escaper, evader or prisoner of war. In addition, many reports include appendices which can provide the names and addresses of civilian helpers, nature of help given, and relevant dates; details of the escape method and fellow PoWs who assisted in an escape; the usefulness of officially provided escape aids, which ones were used, and suggested improvements and / or additions.
Escape and Evasion reports are in the National archives at Kew. The following record series WO208 are included:
• Pieces 3298 to 3327 – MI9 escape and evasion reports numbered 1 to 3,122, dating from 1940 to 1945
• Pieces 3343 to 3345 – 843 miscellaneous interrogation reports from 1945
• Pieces 3348 to 3352 – 3,048 escape reports from 1945
• Pieces 4238 to 4276 – reports of prisoner of war escapes from Italy to Switzerland 1943-1944
• Pieces 4368 to 4371 – sundry additional reports on prisoner of war escapes via Switzerland 1943-1944
• Pieces 5393 to 5404 – MI9 reports on escapers and evaders through enemy lines in Italy 1943-1944
• Pieces 5582 to 5583 – interrogation reports on repatriated allied prisoner of war escapers and evaders 1942-1946, including some appendices to reports in pieces 3305 to 3327
All of these reports were made by officers and men of the armed forces and merchant navy and usually provide: service details; when and where captured; home address and civilian occupation.
For Royal Air Force personnel details can include: where based, type of aircraft, when, where and how the aircraft was lost, and the presumed fate of the other aircrew. Every report includes a narrative, of variable length, which describes an individual's experiences as an escaper, evader or prisoner of war. In addition, many reports include appendices which can provide the names and addresses of civilian helpers, nature of help given, and relevant dates; details of the escape method and fellow PoWs who assisted in an escape; the usefulness of officially provided escape aids, which ones were used, and suggested improvements and / or additions.
Escape and Evasion reports are in the National archives at Kew. The following record series WO208 are included:
• Pieces 3298 to 3327 – MI9 escape and evasion reports numbered 1 to 3,122, dating from 1940 to 1945
• Pieces 3343 to 3345 – 843 miscellaneous interrogation reports from 1945
• Pieces 3348 to 3352 – 3,048 escape reports from 1945
• Pieces 4238 to 4276 – reports of prisoner of war escapes from Italy to Switzerland 1943-1944
• Pieces 4368 to 4371 – sundry additional reports on prisoner of war escapes via Switzerland 1943-1944
• Pieces 5393 to 5404 – MI9 reports on escapers and evaders through enemy lines in Italy 1943-1944
• Pieces 5582 to 5583 – interrogation reports on repatriated allied prisoner of war escapers and evaders 1942-1946, including some appendices to reports in pieces 3305 to 3327