Barbed Wire University: A lesson in magic
When entertainers use stage names, it’s almost impossible to research any military connection they have, unless you know their real name. The story below was almost never told, until I spotted, by accident, that the home address of magician Lincoln Lee printed in an old magic magazine matched that of a Lancaster bomber navigator called Leslie Matthews. After that quirky discovery, the Lee/Matthews story – and his time as a POW at the Barbed Wire University – soon revealed itself.
A magical start
Leslie Albert Matthews (1913-1994) was born in London, England. By the 1930s, he’d established himself as a well-regarded professional magician, performing under the stage name ‘Lincoln Lee.’
He was an early member of The Institute of Magicians (a society for magicians founded in 1934) and performed at their first annual dinner:
“Lincoln Lee coupled stories with his tricks and the wand vanish, die box and Buddha mystery passed through his hands to the accompaniment of reminiscences, true and otherwise.” (Will Goldston, The Magician Monthly, November 1935).
Other performances for The Institute of Magicians followed in the late 1930s, some of which were reported in magic journals and newspapers for showmen, such as The World’s Fair:
“Lincoln Lee, a member, opened the show with ‘John Chinaman,’ [aka the Buddha mystery], die box, ghost tube, the passé-passé glass and bottle (put over in fine style), then the glass penetration, also demonstrated in very good and convincing fashion. The ‘goodnight’ banner concluded his act to excellent applause.” (The World’s Fair, April 1936)
“Lincoln Lee and the vanishing wand; burnt postal order in orange; coffee, milk and sugar trick; shopping by post (ghost tube, article written on card and picked, being produced from tube); passé-passé bottle and glass and Jap box,… presented in a humorous vein.” (The World’s Fair, May 1936).
“Lincoln Lee was announced and opened the programme with the familiar vanishing wand… following with the production of hot coffee, milk and sugar; ghost tube production; bottle and glass transposition; glass penetration, in which Lee added an exceedingly novel touch by lighting and smoking a cigarette, while the cigarette was protruding through the glass.” (The World’s Fair, March 1937)
An advert for The Wonderful Coffee Trick, a magic dealer item performed by Matthews(Source: Lewis Davenport & Co.)Stock tricks from magic dealers formed the backbone of Matthews’ acts, but he used story-telling to present them in an entertaining and engaging way.
Apart from The Institute of Magicians, Matthews got involved with other magic societies, including The Magic Circle, the most famous magic society in the world, which he joined in 1935. His last recorded performance before the war was in 1939 at The Green Circle’s ‘Ninth Annual Social’ where, “looking very debonair, [he] performed a Chinese mystery.” (The World's Fair, July 1939).
The Magic Circle logo(Source: The Magic Circle)
Leslie Matthews married Miss Gladys Hutchins, his on-stage assistant, on 17 September 1938. Many magic colleagues attended the wedding, with Francis White (later a president of The Magic Circle) acting as best man. But, as the couple honeymooned in Cornwall, war clouds were looming. On Leslie and Gladys’ wedding day, Germany started a low-intensity war in Czechoslovakia. The Munich Agreement, concluded two weeks later, forestalled a wider conflict, but not for long.
Off to war
When Hitler’s forces invaded Poland a year later, in September 1939, Britain and France declared war on Germany. Hastily passed conscription laws meant 25-year-old Leslie Matthews had to register for military service. Soon after, he found himself in the Royal Air Force (RAF) Volunteer Reserve.
No. 1391744 Aircraftman Leslie Matthews became a non-commissioned officer and eventually promoted to Sergeant.
In early 1943, the RAF assigned Matthews to 30 Operational Training Unit (OTU) based at RAF Hixon in Staffordshire. There he joined a crew learning to operate the Wellington bombers. Matthews was a navigator, responsible for keeping the aircraft on course, reaching the target and providing the directions to get it back home. The last test of their training was to fly the bomber to France to drop propaganda leaflets and return to base in darkness. This they successfully achieved on 23 March 1943.
Sergeant Leslie Matthews (2nd from right) and crew members in front of a Wellington bomber (March 1943)
(Source: Wilfred Sneesby)
By this time the Lancaster bomber was being mass-produced and in April 1943 the crew left Hixon to join 1656 Heavy Conversion Unit (HCU) in Lindholme, South Yorkshire. After four weeks of training on Lancaster bombers the crew were ready for an operational squadron and on 4 May 1943 they joined 12 Squadron RAF, in Wickenby, Lincolnshire.
12 Squadron played a prominent role in Bomber Command’s strategic bombing of Axis targets in Europe. On 23 May 1943, Matthews and the rest of his crew flew their first operational mission to Dusseldorf.
Over the next two months, they flew another eight night-time missions to mainland Europe, returning safely each time. On one of these raids, with 783 other aircraft on 11 June, Matthews fell ill through problems with his oxygen supply and his aircraft had to abandon the mission early and return to England.
Lancaster bomber(Source: Commons Wikimedia)
On 12 July 1943, as part of a group of 295 aircraft, Bomber Command ordered 12 Squadron to bomb Turin, Italy. Tom Forbes, grandson of Matthews’ pilot, Pilot Officer Thomas Forbes, describes what happened next:
“At 10.30 pm twenty Lancasters from 12 Squadron would take off over 36 minutes. For many, a trip to Italy was seen as a soft target. The Italian defences were not of the standard they expected from missions to the Ruhr valley, Germany’s industrial heartland. But like any operation, or indeed training flight, the risks were high. The weather on this night would play a deadly role. Huge thunderstorms over the Alps caused navigational instruments to fail and ice formed over the entire wing area, causing loss of height and control. In the early hours of the 13th, as many Lancasters were flying low along the west coast of France and across the Bay of Biscay, Tom’s Lancaster crashed into the sea. It may have been a mechanical fault or it may have been because of German fighters, as at least five Lancasters encountered the FW [Focke-Wulf] 190s of ZG1, a German fighter group based near Brest.
Four of the seven-man crew tragically died, among them pilot Thomas Forbes. The three survivors, including Leslie Matthews, bailed out of the aircraft using parachutes and landed in the sea. They were rescued and taken to the island of Ile d'Yeu, off the Vendée coast of western France. The next day, the local police ferried the British airmen to Les Sables-d’Olonneon on France’s mainland and handed them over to the German authorities.
A magical start
Leslie Albert Matthews (1913-1994) was born in London, England. By the 1930s, he’d established himself as a well-regarded professional magician, performing under the stage name ‘Lincoln Lee.’
He was an early member of The Institute of Magicians (a society for magicians founded in 1934) and performed at their first annual dinner:
“Lincoln Lee coupled stories with his tricks and the wand vanish, die box and Buddha mystery passed through his hands to the accompaniment of reminiscences, true and otherwise.” (Will Goldston, The Magician Monthly, November 1935).
Other performances for The Institute of Magicians followed in the late 1930s, some of which were reported in magic journals and newspapers for showmen, such as The World’s Fair:
“Lincoln Lee, a member, opened the show with ‘John Chinaman,’ [aka the Buddha mystery], die box, ghost tube, the passé-passé glass and bottle (put over in fine style), then the glass penetration, also demonstrated in very good and convincing fashion. The ‘goodnight’ banner concluded his act to excellent applause.” (The World’s Fair, April 1936)
“Lincoln Lee and the vanishing wand; burnt postal order in orange; coffee, milk and sugar trick; shopping by post (ghost tube, article written on card and picked, being produced from tube); passé-passé bottle and glass and Jap box,… presented in a humorous vein.” (The World’s Fair, May 1936).
“Lincoln Lee was announced and opened the programme with the familiar vanishing wand… following with the production of hot coffee, milk and sugar; ghost tube production; bottle and glass transposition; glass penetration, in which Lee added an exceedingly novel touch by lighting and smoking a cigarette, while the cigarette was protruding through the glass.” (The World’s Fair, March 1937)
Stock tricks from magic dealers formed the backbone of Matthews’ acts, but he used story-telling to present them in an entertaining and engaging way.
Leslie Matthews married Miss Gladys Hutchins, his on-stage assistant, on 17 September 1938. Many magic colleagues attended the wedding, with Francis White (later a president of The Magic Circle) acting as best man. But, as the couple honeymooned in Cornwall, war clouds were looming. On Leslie and Gladys’ wedding day, Germany started a low-intensity war in Czechoslovakia. The Munich Agreement, concluded two weeks later, forestalled a wider conflict, but not for long.
Off to war
When Hitler’s forces invaded Poland a year later, in September 1939, Britain and France declared war on Germany. Hastily passed conscription laws meant 25-year-old Leslie Matthews had to register for military service. Soon after, he found himself in the Royal Air Force (RAF) Volunteer Reserve.
No. 1391744 Aircraftman Leslie Matthews became a non-commissioned officer and eventually promoted to Sergeant.
In early 1943, the RAF assigned Matthews to 30 Operational Training Unit (OTU) based at RAF Hixon in Staffordshire. There he joined a crew learning to operate the Wellington bombers. Matthews was a navigator, responsible for keeping the aircraft on course, reaching the target and providing the directions to get it back home. The last test of their training was to fly the bomber to France to drop propaganda leaflets and return to base in darkness. This they successfully achieved on 23 March 1943.
Sergeant Leslie Matthews (2nd from right) and crew members in front of a Wellington bomber (March 1943)
12 Squadron played a prominent role in Bomber Command’s strategic bombing of Axis targets in Europe. On 23 May 1943, Matthews and the rest of his crew flew their first operational mission to Dusseldorf.
Over the next two months, they flew another eight night-time missions to mainland Europe, returning safely each time. On one of these raids, with 783 other aircraft on 11 June, Matthews fell ill through problems with his oxygen supply and his aircraft had to abandon the mission early and return to England.
On 12 July 1943, as part of a group of 295 aircraft, Bomber Command ordered 12 Squadron to bomb Turin, Italy. Tom Forbes, grandson of Matthews’ pilot, Pilot Officer Thomas Forbes, describes what happened next:
“At 10.30 pm twenty Lancasters from 12 Squadron would take off over 36 minutes. For many, a trip to Italy was seen as a soft target. The Italian defences were not of the standard they expected from missions to the Ruhr valley, Germany’s industrial heartland. But like any operation, or indeed training flight, the risks were high. The weather on this night would play a deadly role. Huge thunderstorms over the Alps caused navigational instruments to fail and ice formed over the entire wing area, causing loss of height and control. In the early hours of the 13th, as many Lancasters were flying low along the west coast of France and across the Bay of Biscay, Tom’s Lancaster crashed into the sea. It may have been a mechanical fault or it may have been because of German fighters, as at least five Lancasters encountered the FW [Focke-Wulf] 190s of ZG1, a German fighter group based near Brest.
Four of the seven-man crew tragically died, among them pilot Thomas Forbes. The three survivors, including Leslie Matthews, bailed out of the aircraft using parachutes and landed in the sea. They were rescued and taken to the island of Ile d'Yeu, off the Vendée coast of western France. The next day, the local police ferried the British airmen to Les Sables-d’Olonneon on France’s mainland and handed them over to the German authorities.
Sgt. Leslie Matthews RAF (aka Lincoln Lee)(Source: The National Archives, UK)
From Les Sables-d’Olonneon, Sergeant Matthews and the other two survivors of the crash were flown from France to Germany. Their destination was Dulag Luft (Oberursel), an interrogation and processing camp for captured aircrew near Frankfurt. Once there, they were subjected to three days of solitary confinement and interrogation. The German interrogators assessed Matthews to be friendly, intelligent, but unwilling to give any military information that may be useful to them. After the interrogation finished, the three men were moved in with other Allied POWs awaiting transfer to a permanent POW camp.
From Les Sables-d’Olonneon, Sergeant Matthews and the other two survivors of the crash were flown from France to Germany. Their destination was Dulag Luft (Oberursel), an interrogation and processing camp for captured aircrew near Frankfurt. Once there, they were subjected to three days of solitary confinement and interrogation. The German interrogators assessed Matthews to be friendly, intelligent, but unwilling to give any military information that may be useful to them. After the interrogation finished, the three men were moved in with other Allied POWs awaiting transfer to a permanent POW camp.
Stalag Luft VI: The Barbed Wire University
A few days after arriving at Dulag Luft (Oberursel), the Germans transferred Matthews to Stalag Luft VI, a thousand miles away at Heydekrug (now Šilute in today’s Lithuania). Stalag Luft VI was Nazi Germany’s northernmost camp. Near to the Baltic Sea coast, at one stage, it was home to around 10,000 Allied POWs.
Of the estimated 170,000 to 200,000 British, Commonwealth and Empire POWs in Europe and 90,000 Allied POWs in the Far East, only a tiny majority were escapers. Most were preoccupied with the mundane courage of keeping going their health and wellbeing intact in difficult circumstances. To stave off boredom and monotony, POWs engaged in recreation, like sport, playing card and board games, or camp entertainments. They also read and studied.
With access to a library of 6,000 books supplied by the Red Cross, welfare organisations and from the POWs family and friends, Stalag Luft VI provided a ripe resource for those wanting to use their time in captivity to learn and better themselves. In fact, Stalag Luft VI earned the nickname of the Barbed Wire University. As well as sitting exams for university subjects, POWs studied for professional occupations, from chiropody to beekeeping.
An excerpt from a brochure explaining the range of educational courses available at Stalag Luft VI(Source: Author's collection)
As part of the broad education offered at Stalag Luft VI, Leslie Matthews lectured on the history of magic and on famous magicians to his fellow prisoners. In doing this, “he found a ready audience.” And, magic historians believe, he taught simple magic tricks to those POWs who showed an interest in the subject. Unlike some of the other courses which offered formal qualifications, Matthews’ efforts were primarily for interest and entertainment. He delivered his lectures in the designated education block and in individual barrack blocks. In the latter, the POWs living in the block would clear out a space for ‘touring’ lecturers and entertainers who went from block-to-block in an organised entertainment programme.
It’s possible Matthews also performed magic, acted, or contributed to the constant stream of amateur theatrical productions which were put on in one of Stalag Luft VI’s wooden barrack blocks, which had been converted into a theatre and church.
Diagram of Stalag Luft VI POW camp(Source: Ken Fenton’s War)While at Stalag Luft VI, the Swiss Protecting Power informed Sergeant Matthews that he’d been promoted by the RAF and given the commissioned rank of Pilot Officer, with effect from 9 June 1943. Six months later, on 9 Dec 1943, he was promoted again to Flying Officer.
Stalag ‘Kopernikus’ (aka Stalag 357)
In July 1944, as Soviet forces advanced westwards and the Americans, British and others broke out of Normandy, Hitler ordered all POWs to be moved to the rear. This instruction prolonged the war for hundreds of thousands of Allied soldiers, sailors and airmen, forcing them into misery, starvation and, in sometimes, death.
Flying Officer Matthews was moved by train to Stalag ‘Kopernikus’ (aka Stalag 357) in Thorn (now known as Toruń) in Poland. He spent two days crammed into a cattle car with other POWs, arriving at Stalag ‘Kopernikus’ on 16 July 1944. Later, the camp became known as Stalag XXA.
The camp, already inhabited by 7,000 mainly army POWs, now became home to an additional 3,000 air force NCOs.
Stalag XI-B / Stalag 357
But the Soviet advance continued into Poland, so Matthews only stayed at Stalag ‘Kopernikus’ for a few weeks. In late August 1944, the Germans moved him and the other ‘Kopernikus’ POWs to a vacant camp at Stalag XI-B near Bad Fallingbostel in northern Germany. The camp was filled with the ‘Kopernikus’ POWs and was re-designated Stalag 357. Gradually more POWs arrived from other camps, pushing the camp’s population to 12,000, way above its intended capacity. Conditions, already bad, became worse. Worse still, summer turned to autumn and then winter.
The library had been left at Stalag Luft VI as the Germans did not provide transport to move it. The Barbed Wire University struggled on but with limited support. There was no theatre but a few entertainers travelled from barrack to barrack to provide entertainment. Matthews was probably one of these, either performing magic or lecturing about it, as he had done before.
(Source: Ken Fenton’s War)
There wasn’t enough food to feed everyone. Many of the prisoners were sick and starving, the pounds had fallen off them, and at around eight stone, and the average prisoner’s thoughts were on where and what they could eat. These thoughts took their minds away from their deepest fears. They could sense the chaos around them as things went badly for the Germans. Would they kill them out of retribution or anger?
The Long March
On 6 April 1945, the Germans hastily evacuated Stalag 357 at Fallingbostel. In columns of 2,000 men, the POWs were marched off towards the area of Denmark and Schleswig-Holstein in which the Germans planned their last stand. After 10 days, they arrived at Gresse, east of the Elbe. They were issued with Red Cross parcels, but were then unfortunately strafed by British fighter-bombers, mistaking them for German troops. Sixty POWs were killed and many wounded.
On 3 May, the British VIII Corps broke through the German lines and liberated the prisoners. Among the freed prisoners was Flying Officer Leslie Mathews, somewhat worse for wear – emancipated, hungry and footsore - but alive.
Five days later, on 8 May 1945, Victory in Europe was declared. Not long after, as part of Operation EXODUS (the British operation to bring POWs home), Leslie Matthews made it back to the UK a free man.
Post-war: magic or a new profession?
At the war’s end Leslie Matthews demobilised and returned to civilian life. He reconnected with his magic friends, studiously sending his apologies for not being able to attend the annual general meeting of The Magic Circle on 20 July 1945. After that – apart from a brief statement in The Magic Circular (the club magazine of The Magic Circle) explaining that Matthews had arrived home* – references to him in magic archives dry up.
Perhaps, after a year at the Barbed Wire University, he turned away from the stage and put new skills and qualifications into practice for his post-war career.
Research suggests Leslie Matthews (aka Lincoln Lee) died in 1994, aged 81.
* The Magic Circular states that Matthews had returned from Stalag Luft III. This is almost certainly an error, as official records do not support this.
If anyone knows more about Leslie Matthew’s magical or military life, or what he got up to after the war, do please let us know by leaving a comment below.
For more information on Pilot Officer Thomas Forbes and the rest of Leslie Matthews’ crew, see this website by his grandson, Tom Forbes.
Stalag Luft VI: The Barbed Wire University
A few days after arriving at Dulag Luft (Oberursel), the Germans transferred Matthews to Stalag Luft VI, a thousand miles away at Heydekrug (now Šilute in today’s Lithuania). Stalag Luft VI was Nazi Germany’s northernmost camp. Near to the Baltic Sea coast, at one stage, it was home to around 10,000 Allied POWs.
Of the estimated 170,000 to 200,000 British, Commonwealth and Empire POWs in Europe and 90,000 Allied POWs in the Far East, only a tiny majority were escapers. Most were preoccupied with the mundane courage of keeping going their health and wellbeing intact in difficult circumstances. To stave off boredom and monotony, POWs engaged in recreation, like sport, playing card and board games, or camp entertainments. They also read and studied.
With access to a library of 6,000 books supplied by the Red Cross, welfare organisations and from the POWs family and friends, Stalag Luft VI provided a ripe resource for those wanting to use their time in captivity to learn and better themselves. In fact, Stalag Luft VI earned the nickname of the Barbed Wire University. As well as sitting exams for university subjects, POWs studied for professional occupations, from chiropody to beekeeping.
As part of the broad education offered at Stalag Luft VI, Leslie Matthews lectured on the history of magic and on famous magicians to his fellow prisoners. In doing this, “he found a ready audience.” And, magic historians believe, he taught simple magic tricks to those POWs who showed an interest in the subject. Unlike some of the other courses which offered formal qualifications, Matthews’ efforts were primarily for interest and entertainment. He delivered his lectures in the designated education block and in individual barrack blocks. In the latter, the POWs living in the block would clear out a space for ‘touring’ lecturers and entertainers who went from block-to-block in an organised entertainment programme.
It’s possible Matthews also performed magic, acted, or contributed to the constant stream of amateur theatrical productions which were put on in one of Stalag Luft VI’s wooden barrack blocks, which had been converted into a theatre and church.
While at Stalag Luft VI, the Swiss Protecting Power informed Sergeant Matthews that he’d been promoted by the RAF and given the commissioned rank of Pilot Officer, with effect from 9 June 1943. Six months later, on 9 Dec 1943, he was promoted again to Flying Officer.
Stalag ‘Kopernikus’ (aka Stalag 357)
In July 1944, as Soviet forces advanced westwards and the Americans, British and others broke out of Normandy, Hitler ordered all POWs to be moved to the rear. This instruction prolonged the war for hundreds of thousands of Allied soldiers, sailors and airmen, forcing them into misery, starvation and, in sometimes, death.
Flying Officer Matthews was moved by train to Stalag ‘Kopernikus’ (aka Stalag 357) in Thorn (now known as Toruń) in Poland. He spent two days crammed into a cattle car with other POWs, arriving at Stalag ‘Kopernikus’ on 16 July 1944. Later, the camp became known as Stalag XXA.
The camp, already inhabited by 7,000 mainly army POWs, now became home to an additional 3,000 air force NCOs.
Stalag XI-B / Stalag 357
But the Soviet advance continued into Poland, so Matthews only stayed at Stalag ‘Kopernikus’ for a few weeks. In late August 1944, the Germans moved him and the other ‘Kopernikus’ POWs to a vacant camp at Stalag XI-B near Bad Fallingbostel in northern Germany. The camp was filled with the ‘Kopernikus’ POWs and was re-designated Stalag 357. Gradually more POWs arrived from other camps, pushing the camp’s population to 12,000, way above its intended capacity. Conditions, already bad, became worse. Worse still, summer turned to autumn and then winter.
The library had been left at Stalag Luft VI as the Germans did not provide transport to move it. The Barbed Wire University struggled on but with limited support. There was no theatre but a few entertainers travelled from barrack to barrack to provide entertainment. Matthews was probably one of these, either performing magic or lecturing about it, as he had done before.
There wasn’t enough food to feed everyone. Many of the prisoners were sick and starving, the pounds had fallen off them, and at around eight stone, and the average prisoner’s thoughts were on where and what they could eat. These thoughts took their minds away from their deepest fears. They could sense the chaos around them as things went badly for the Germans. Would they kill them out of retribution or anger?
The Long March
On 6 April 1945, the Germans hastily evacuated Stalag 357 at Fallingbostel. In columns of 2,000 men, the POWs were marched off towards the area of Denmark and Schleswig-Holstein in which the Germans planned their last stand. After 10 days, they arrived at Gresse, east of the Elbe. They were issued with Red Cross parcels, but were then unfortunately strafed by British fighter-bombers, mistaking them for German troops. Sixty POWs were killed and many wounded.
On 3 May, the British VIII Corps broke through the German lines and liberated the prisoners. Among the freed prisoners was Flying Officer Leslie Mathews, somewhat worse for wear – emancipated, hungry and footsore - but alive.
Five days later, on 8 May 1945, Victory in Europe was declared. Not long after, as part of Operation EXODUS (the British operation to bring POWs home), Leslie Matthews made it back to the UK a free man.
Post-war: magic or a new profession?
At the war’s end Leslie Matthews demobilised and returned to civilian life. He reconnected with his magic friends, studiously sending his apologies for not being able to attend the annual general meeting of The Magic Circle on 20 July 1945. After that – apart from a brief statement in The Magic Circular (the club magazine of The Magic Circle) explaining that Matthews had arrived home* – references to him in magic archives dry up.
Perhaps, after a year at the Barbed Wire University, he turned away from the stage and put new skills and qualifications into practice for his post-war career.
Research suggests Leslie Matthews (aka Lincoln Lee) died in 1994, aged 81.
* The Magic Circular states that Matthews had returned from Stalag Luft III. This is almost certainly an error, as official records do not support this.
If anyone knows more about Leslie Matthew’s magical or military life, or what he got up to after the war, do please let us know by leaving a comment below.
Sergeant / Flying Officer Leslie Matthews RAF, POW record card(Source: The National Archives, UK)
Related article: 'The Magician of Stalag Luft III' (Parts 1-3) tells the story of Lieutenant Commander John Casson naval aviator, magician, prisoner-of-war in Stalag Luft III. Blog link
Related article: "For you, the war is over": American POW makes secret radio, tells the story of Walter F. Williams, Jr., who became International President of The International Brotherhood of Magicians. Blog link.
Related article: 'Bush' Parker: The Escapist' (Part 1) tells the story of Vincent 'Bush' Parker's capture by the Germans and his early escape attempts before he arrives at Oflag IVC Colditz. Blog link
Research supported by The Good Magic Award 2021 from The Good Thinking Society
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Related article: 'The Magician of Stalag Luft III' (Parts 1-3) tells the story of Lieutenant Commander John Casson naval aviator, magician, prisoner-of-war in Stalag Luft III. Blog link
Related article: "For you, the war is over": American POW makes secret radio, tells the story of Walter F. Williams, Jr., who became International President of The International Brotherhood of Magicians. Blog link.
Related article: 'Bush' Parker: The Escapist' (Part 1) tells the story of Vincent 'Bush' Parker's capture by the Germans and his early escape attempts before he arrives at Oflag IVC Colditz. Blog link
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