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The Escaping Club
Excerpt from The Escaping Club Only about half a dozen times during those three months did I have the luck to catch a German battery firing. When that happened one ceased the ranging work and called up something really heavy, for preference a nine inch howitzer battery, which pulverised the Hun.
When the battle had started the counter-battery work became our main task. It was wonderfully exciting and interesting. Nothing can give a more solid feeling of satis faction than when, after seeing the shells from the battery you are directing fall closer and closer to the target, you finally see a great explosion in a German gun-pit, and with a clear conscience can signal o.k. During the battle we were much less worried by the anti-aircraft than we had been before. For some had been knocked out, some had retreated, and some had run out of ammunition, and in any case there were so many British planes to Shoot at that they could not give to any one their undivided attention.
When the battle had started the counter-battery work became our main task. It was wonderfully exciting and interesting. Nothing can give a more solid feeling of satis faction than when, after seeing the shells from the battery you are directing fall closer and closer to the target, you finally see a great explosion in a German gun-pit, and with a clear conscience can signal o.k. During the battle we were much less worried by the anti-aircraft than we had been before. For some had been knocked out, some had retreated, and some had run out of ammunition, and in any case there were so many British planes to Shoot at that they could not give to any one their undivided attention.
325 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1921
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
September 19, 2023
World War I escaping and evading. Hard lessons learnt, many of which were carried into WWII.
3.5 - rounded up to 4, in respect of the bravery and determination nation shown.
Written way back when... this rings of devil may care, jolly japes and all that. Accepting the times they lived in one has to turn a blind eye to some of the more raw and unacceptable language used.
An interesting and informative read.
3.5 - rounded up to 4, in respect of the bravery and determination nation shown.
Written way back when... this rings of devil may care, jolly japes and all that. Accepting the times they lived in one has to turn a blind eye to some of the more raw and unacceptable language used.
An interesting and informative read.
January 11, 2013
When I picked this book up, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I have read many accounts of the Great War and the more I learn, the more ambiguous and confusing it becomes. Much has been written about the terrible conditions, struggles, great number of causalities and terrible wounds by gas and other changes in warfare. On the other hand, there are many reports of chivalrous and gracious acts of pilots on both side of the conflict. Years ago I read Colditz, the story of a P.O.W. officer prison camp and the escape attempts from there during World War II. The first person account of the prison of war camps in the First World War vastly differs from those twenty-five years later. Although far from pleasant, the prisoners were treated better and with much more respect. This is in stark contrast to the battle fields. French, Belgian, British and Russian prisoners were treated much the same and this surprised me, considering all accounts of the Second World War. This is a great book for everyone interested in the Great War or history in general.
July 31, 2018
It’s not great literature, but it is very interesting.
It’s divided into two sections. The first one is by far the longest and most detailed. It covers his time in the German camp. He introduces us to quite a cast of characters as they harass the guards and escape from the camp. It does drag on a bit especially while he is actually escaping. I’m sure it was heart-stopping at the time, but it gets to be slow reading as they walk out the country.
The second section covers his time in Turkish custody. I found this more interesting having never read anything about the Palestine front in WW1. It was also such a stark contrast with the first part. It was more brutal, but also less confined than his time in Germany.
Before reading this book, I was completely unfamiliar with the POW situation during WW1. I had read several books about POWs in WW2 so it was hard not to make comparisons. The way he writes it they had it much easier in Germany during WW1 and during WW2.
There were two or three curse words. Other than that it was clean.
It’s divided into two sections. The first one is by far the longest and most detailed. It covers his time in the German camp. He introduces us to quite a cast of characters as they harass the guards and escape from the camp. It does drag on a bit especially while he is actually escaping. I’m sure it was heart-stopping at the time, but it gets to be slow reading as they walk out the country.
The second section covers his time in Turkish custody. I found this more interesting having never read anything about the Palestine front in WW1. It was also such a stark contrast with the first part. It was more brutal, but also less confined than his time in Germany.
Before reading this book, I was completely unfamiliar with the POW situation during WW1. I had read several books about POWs in WW2 so it was hard not to make comparisons. The way he writes it they had it much easier in Germany during WW1 and during WW2.
There were two or three curse words. Other than that it was clean.
June 21, 2017
The story is 4 1/2 to 5 stars. The writing 2 stars. True account of the author's (an English pilot in ww1) escapes from German POW camps. As I read this I thought this must be the basis for the Hogan's Heroes TV series but I can find no connection. Of course, there is more humor in the TV series.
August 21, 2020
An amazing piece of history, well written and understated. People and resilience from another age.
August 3, 2012
The Escaping Club is a book of two halves - the first, and most enjoyable part, being set in Germany during WW1, the second, somewhat disjointed part, set in Asia Minor just before the Armistice. The Kindle version that I read unfortunately lacked a few diagrams which would've made the German part easier to follow. Evans' story-telling made this section quite a page-turner and I enjoyed the whole Ingolstadt saga, appreciating that the quite frequent phrases of French, German and Latin were left unaltered. This is not, as one might imagine, a glorious one-sided John Bull story where British is best and that's that. Evans gives a mostly even-handed commentary on all the people of the various nationalities he met along the way, despite his own unenviable predicaments, often sympathising with their respective circumstances. This is less true of the Turks where ill treatment as a prisoner by most of them has understandably left Evans somewhat bitter towards them as a whole. The general vocabulary and sentiment may seem slightly dated to modern readers, but making allowances for that, this is essentially an enlightening book from a POW's viewpoint in WW1.
April 4, 2022
A personal account from a downed pilot of his experiences in attempting to escape imprisonment as a PoW during WWI. What is remarkable is how this highlights emphatically the change in attitude and manner of the German military (mostly the commissioned ranks) towards escapers come the second war.
This a long read and the text is quite small: it took me some time and I needed regular breaks.
It is worthwhile, with lots to learn and I found the writing, from the author’s own memory, most entertaining.
After being caught during his first escape, he admits to a German officer how he found the ordeal the most exciting of his life, more so than flying in combat.
They say that those who regularly partake in extreme sport, such as the canoeists who run wild rivers, can become hooked on the adrenaline rush.
This a long read and the text is quite small: it took me some time and I needed regular breaks.
It is worthwhile, with lots to learn and I found the writing, from the author’s own memory, most entertaining.
After being caught during his first escape, he admits to a German officer how he found the ordeal the most exciting of his life, more so than flying in combat.
They say that those who regularly partake in extreme sport, such as the canoeists who run wild rivers, can become hooked on the adrenaline rush.
February 3, 2019
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September 14, 2023An important escape narrative from the first World War which probably helped and inspired a good many escapes in the second World War. It shows how helpful it can be to pool like-minded people in one place where they can exchange ideas and learn from each others successes and failures. The essential contribution of the author's mother in smuggling in essential items skilfully concealed in food parcels is entertaining and charming. The horrors of trying to tunnel in wet, cramped and airless conditions is vividly conveyed. It is extraordinary how demanding an officer prisoner could be at that time simply because of the widespread view that officers could expect to be treated as officers even by their enemies. The feats of navigation are highly impressive; travelling long distances in the night with the crudest of maps and having to make detours round settlements as far as possible. The author makes it clear that, in his experience, the exhilaration of planning and successfully executing a successful escape trumps all other experience of war. The book is very much of its time and the things that grate for the modern reader are the stereotyping and demonising of Germans and Turks and the blind faith in the superiority of the British over nations. This books lack the literary quality to be found in the Escape Artist or the Ratline, but is nonetheless a fascinating document.
June 24, 2020
The first half of the book is extremely enjoyable - the nonstop, high octane shenanigans of 150 very creative men who are very determined to escape a WWI prison camp. I loved the descriptions of the escape attempts and their gleeful malice against their captors.
The second half of the book details the author's experiences as a prisoner of the Turks on the Palestinian front. I wouldn't call it an inaccurate depiction of an authoritarian country with weak infrastructure and rampant corruption during wartime, but it's not very pleasant to read. I'm knocking a star off for that.
The second half of the book details the author's experiences as a prisoner of the Turks on the Palestinian front. I wouldn't call it an inaccurate depiction of an authoritarian country with weak infrastructure and rampant corruption during wartime, but it's not very pleasant to read. I'm knocking a star off for that.
June 29, 2020
This wasn't the first PoW escape memoir I read, but it would be the one I'd most recommend as an introduction to these type of books. In the first part, A J Evans details lots of different escapes from a high-security prisoner of war camp in WWI Germany, and in the second, he details his experiences of being captured in Palestine and sent to a camp in Turkey. My 10 y.o. son loved it, and thinks it's the best of the 10 or so similar types of books we've read (I agree entirely).
July 2, 2017
Not very inspiring. Writer is giving it all away beforehand. So when you are still reading about an escape, writer tells already that he will be catched, before the story itself has arrived at that point.
One of thing of a good story is that it keeps you guessing what will happen next, that it eventually surpirses you. But when you tell beforehand what will happen, attraction fades.
One of thing of a good story is that it keeps you guessing what will happen next, that it eventually surpirses you. But when you tell beforehand what will happen, attraction fades.
July 18, 2023
I very much enjoyed this book. I listened to the audio book on Libravox. The narrator was excellent. I will look for more books by this author and the narrator as well.
June 3, 2015
A decent book. Many details are missing and it is generally lacking depth. More like an account of events written out for a report than a story. It also seems like the author is totally unaware of the extra benefits afforded to him as an officer. I know it is hindsight but I didn't care to listen to him complain about treatment when compared to pow camps in WWII. He would have lasted ten minutes. I myself would have lasted five.
April 4, 2011
I especially loved this book because I'm related to A.J. Evans!
February 1, 2012
By far the best of the escape narratives. If you read only one, read this.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews