Memories of Service 1 - Ernest Davenport

We were fully prepared for the end of the war to actually defend ourselves or whatever was necessary. We'd even bought arms from the Germans by our system of trading which was to get them to bring something in in exchange for a tin of Red Cross coffee, and then blackmail them to bring in something a bit more serious. We even had pistols.

– Ernest Davenport on being a prisoner of war, towards war's end

There was an escape committee in the camp which I promptly joined and decided I was going to escape and go home. They had a tunnel partly completed. I was down for the second night on that, but unfortunately when the night came round the tunnel was discovered after about five people had got out. So the second night was a non-event.

– Ernest Davenport, on a failed attempt at escape

The skipper actually didn't get out... The rear gunner said he bailed out and looked back and saw the wing fall off, so I suspect that was the end for the skipper. No one knows what happened to him.

– Ernest Davenport on being shot down on a bombing raid over Germany