Maurice Bricout - 'The Border Policeman' Part One

Maurice Bricout

 

Photographs For False Identity Cards

George Watt 

Hank Johnson

Edward Johnson

By the middle of 1943 it was no longer possible for the Comete Escape Line to traffic evaders directly to Paris over the Belgium/France border. German control had increased significantly on the trains and border points. Unless the evaders spoke fluent French and were well briefed with information to accompany their false papers they stood little chance of making it through to Paris.

 

Comete had also been significantly damaged in June by the arrests of key players. New tactics had to be adopted quickly and a plan implemented; evaders were still filtering their way into the line via Holland and Belgium. Main operators Jean-Francois Nothcomb (‘Franco’), Yvon Michiels (‘Jean Serment’) and Antoine d'Ursel (‘Jacques Cartier’) met at Orval on July 15 1943 to discuss the problem.

 

‘Jean Serment’ took on the responsibility of finding someone to formulate other routes and means of crossing the border into France. Only one suitable alternative was currently known, which was a passage via the village of Sivry, and this was utilised on foot.

 

Twenty four year old Albert Mattens (‘Jean-Jacques’) (already known to another major Comete operator Jules Dricout) was recruited to find, organise and oversee the implementation plus operation of the new routes. Variation would reduce the risk of arousing suspicion and discovery and if a route was found by the enemy the others could still be used.

 

The Belgian border town of Rumes became a starting point for one of the six passages. Evaders were escorted on foot under cover of darkness across the border to the sleepy French village of Bachy. Maurice Bricout was a 36 years old Customs Officer living and working in the Bachy area. He had returned to the job from serving in the French artillery after France had surrendered and its army had been demobilised.   

 

‘Jean Jacques’ had met Maurice and his brother Albert through his own work in Belgian customs. Albert became instrumental in the Sivry-Sars-Pottery route whilst Maurice operated via Rumes-Bachy.

 

These were dangerous times and the trafficking of evaders required careful structure and planning. Each route had its own system of convoying, which was varied when circumstances dictated.

 

On the Rumes to Bachy crossings, evaders arrived at Rumes railway station and were usually led to a rendezvous point where they would be met by new guides. They would be taken to a house on the edge of the village and there exchange their Belgian identity documents and money for French equivalents.

 

Sometimes the initial contact with their new guides was at the end of the station platform as George Watt describes in his book the ‘Comet Connection:

 

Watt got off the train at Rumes with his guide and another escapee. The ride from Brussels to the French border had taken about an hour and the two fugitives were led to the end of the platform where they stepped into a shadow behind a large structure. Waiting there was Hank ‘Tennessee’ Johnson the Flight Engineer in Watt’s B17 aircraft.

 

Johnson describes in his debriefing report what happened after Watt’s guide from the train left them:

 

‘Two girls and a man took us to a house where our Belgian money was changed into French and where we were given French identity papers. A short stocky man took us with the two girls to a French policeman’s house.’

 

Numerous evading airmen describe either being led into France by a French Policeman or Border Policeman or being taken to his house. The assumption with certain evaders that Bricout was a Policeman occurred because of the similarity (particularly in the darkness) between the uniform of the Customs officer and French Policeman.

 

Bricout did not always wear his uniform though as RAF Dambuster Edward Johnson observed in his report.

 

‘We were given new Identity Cards and handed in all our Belgian money. We were escorted by a Border Policeman in civilian clothing and stayed the night at the Policeman’s house.’  

 

...to be continued next week.




Sources

The Comet Connection - George Watt

Comet - Cecile Joan

Network Comet - Remy

US Archives Evaders Reports

National Archives Kew Evader Report

© Keith Morley

Blackout and Occultation

Occultation

Enforcing Blackout Regulations

Occultation Instructions

Evaders and escapers on the run in Nazi occupied Europe were no strangers to the blackout that was in force there. Most servicemen would have been stationed at some point in Britain or an Allied territory where it was already operational.

Aircrew were used to flying over a dark unlit Europe at night. Only the lights of neutral countries such as Spain, Portugal and Switzerland shone out of the void. Escapers and evaders often described seeing the twinkling lights of Spain with a sense of magic behind the words. It must have been a special experience for exhausted men to finally see tangible evidence that their journey was nearly over.

Once those travelling through Spain reached Gibraltar, they would have encountered a British held port where there was no blackout. With the Rock being stuck at the end of neutral Spain which had its lights unrestricted, throwing up a hundred per cent blackout would have served very little purpose especially with night bombing attacks highly unlikely.  

The man on the run in occupied territories would often travel at night. In the towns and cities, he moved around under cover of darkness before curfew and in the countryside it was better to journey after dark, then rest up and hide during the day. (A major difference from Britain was the introduction of curfew during the dark hours. Times and length varied depending on the location and state of civil unrest or resistance activity.)    

Occultation, as it was termed in France and Belgium came into effect almost immediately those countries fell to the Nazis, and like Britain, lights were shielded or extinguished at night. An extract from the May 24 1940 proclamation by Brussels Burgomaster Van De Meulebroeck relating to an occultation order is self explanatory:

 
"At nightfall, the lights in all houses and living quarters must be completely occulted.

Vehicles in movement must also be occulted; the light slit of the headlights may not be larger than 1cm in height and 8 cm in width. Infringers will be severely punished."

 
Specially occulted yellow lights were placed on top of some sign-posts in order to facilitate traffic in darkness, and window occultation material was used to cover windows and glass. Trams, buses and trains all had their sources of light shielded via shields, masks or blinds.
 

Families and businesses in the occupied territories often made up their own structures for covering windows and doors after dark so that light did not leak out, just as they did in Britain. Wooden frames with dark material stretched across became common, and these would fit on to the window. Outer shutters were closed where they existed and thick curtains lined with light resistant fabric were also used instead of or in addition to the main covering. A major difference existed in the colour of material or covering used for keeping light from showing out from of buildings. In Britain, whilst similar methods were utilised to cover windows and doors, black was the standard colour. In Belgium and France this was associated with bad luck and death, so a dark navy became the prevalent colour.

 
Edouard Reniére recounted his experience of blackout as a boy in Brussels:

‘I remember the decalcomania my parents applied on the glass panes of our apartment in Brussels. These were thin decorated plastic sheets with one side to be moistened before applying to the glass.’

 
The main result in villages, towns and cities were communities relying largely on moonlight or any dregs of natural light left, although evaders in Paris in 1943 reported the existence in some places of faint shielded street lighting lit by small blue glim bulbs.

The evader and escaper would often travel at night. In towns and cities, they moved around under cover of darkness before curfew and in the countryside it was less risky to get about after dark then rest up and hide during the day. RAF evader Alfie Martin reported an unusual incident in the darkness when he was taken at 4.00am to catch an early train in Lille. He said it was still dark and there were only a few people about. Of these some were searching the streets with torches. Bewildered by their behaviour he quickly realised that they were collecting cigarette ends. 

 

Sources

Thanks to Edouard Reniére for information and memories on occultation

Bale Out Escaping Occupied France with the Resistance – Alfie Martin 

© Keith Morley

 

‘I Know Because I Was There’

German Checkpoint - Occupied France

 

From the Escape Kit

Escape Map

German Checkpoint

The Escape Line is now 6 months and 20 posts old. That time has passed in an instant for me. The written and verbal comments I receive on and off line are greatly appreciated and hundreds of you read the posts every week. Please continue to let me know what you think of them. I always welcome any feedback or discussion and look forward to hearing your views and stories.

 

This ‘war within a war’ makes fascinating reading and learning, but it is still in my view a vastly underrepresented area of that conflict in terms of public awareness. In Britain, of the generations outside the war years many know about ‘The Great Escape’ because it is on TV almost every Christmas, some may recall the story and film of the Wooden Horse, but the work around the actual escape lines often passes through unnoticed.

 

The reverence shown to the Allied fallen of both World Wars is second to none in the European countries formerly under German occupation. Additionally in Britain and its Commonwealth the focus on sacrifices made has been sharpened amongst the modern generations since the conflicts in the Falklands, Gulf War, Iraq 2 and Afghanistan. It is to these generations that we also look to keep the memories of both World Wars alive in the future.

 

The various World War 2 Escape Organisations and researchers dedicated to Allied commemoration, kinship, history and help to others are all doing amazing work (some excellent factual links below). Their membership and involvement often has a personal or family connection to a patriot or escaper/evader who was involved in an escape line or the resistance. It is right and proper that this should be so, but as the protagonists who took part in the actual events pass into history, it is also vital that those outside of this sphere are also drawn in to learn more of what happened in the escape lines so they are also ready to pass the information and memories on to the next generation.

 

Recently I took a step back to look at the tone and pathway taken on the blog since my early posts. Factual themes have overtaken the specific threads signposted to writing, which I interspersed into my early initial posts, but I intend to bring the latter back from time to time. As blog posts are different to web sites in their length, depth and focus, a more ‘bite sized’ brevity will always remain the target, giving the reader a taste of the subject. The Escape Line still remains on this course. Towards the safety of a neutral country or Allied lines. 

 

The title for today’s post stuck in my mind when I first thought about the pitch and tone I initially wanted for The Escape Line. ‘I Know Because I Was There’ is synonymous with the Welsh entertainer Max Boyce as he was present at many memorable matches where the Welsh rugby union team triumphed in their glory years, and he used it in his act. It was a strange analogy to sit with a blog which was about to focus on escape and evasion, but there is no substitute for personally experiencing and witnessing events at first hand and then recording them from the heart.

 

Whilst the connection here is made purely on the human side rather than from any rugby subject matter, ‘I know because I was there’ made an impression on me when I was young. I was not a rugby union fan and England were not in great shape at the time, but I never forgot what Max Boyce said, and as my interest in World War Two grew,  I began to read diaries, memoirs, eyewitness accounts, personal reminiscences and listen to audio recordings of men, women and children who were there at the time. I wanted to get close, so accompanied by film footage, pictures and visiting the locations this is still the best way. It is also a good angle from which the new reader/listener can look in. They are straight on the front line with the narrator and are ideally placed to see things as they really were, before making a choice as to whether to delve deeper or not. This is often the hook that generates further interest and with this in mind the shape of The Escape Line developed.

 

I hope that the extracts  from documents, unpublished memoirs, interviews and the paraphrased short pieces from books that I include spark an interest and encourage readers to seek out more information, or even find the book for a full account.

 

My own book is nearing completion, which brings the usual commitments and tasks on final edit/ submissions. Consequently for a few weeks some of the posts may be a little shorter, but will still retain the same style. I intend to blog weekly every Thursday or Friday from now on.

 

Do stay in The Escape Line with the patriots and their charges; they fought for what they believed in and they fought for our freedom.

 

The views expressed here are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of others.

 

© Keith Morley

http://www.ww2escapelines.co.uk/

 

http://www.evasioncomete.org/

 

http://wwii-netherlands-escape-lines.com/research/links-to-other-escape-and-evasion-websites/escape-and-evasion/

 

http://www.cometeline.org/

 

http://www.conscript-heroes.com/

 

http://www.rafinfo.org.uk/rafescape/

 

http://webspace.qmul.ac.uk/fsegreyer/

 

http://www.christopherlong.co.uk/pri/secpap.html

 

http://www.comete-bidassoa.com/intro.htm

 

http://cometeline.blogspot.co.uk/

 

http://home.clara.net/clinchy/neeball.htm

The Food - Part Three

Paris 1943 - André Zucca







Paris 1943  André Zucca



As evaders and escapers reached the main towns/cities and were hidden in safe houses, it could become a matter of pure luck as to the kind of accommodation and food they were given. Times were difficult; obtaining extra food was a constant problem and risk.

A few of the patriots who sheltered fugitives had more robust finances, which opened the door  to useful ‘food’ contacts and access to the higher end of the Black Market. The others battled on and continually managed to serve up meals with very little to work with. American flyer Art Horning and other airmen noted the versatility of their hosts serving just potatoes prepared so many different ways, fried, boiled, wedged and roasted.  

In their evasion reports, the servicemen rarely specified any detail around their food once they had reached the point of receiving help and shelter, confining the references to having a meal, visiting a café/restaurant or noting any circumstances when they were not fed for a specific length of time (evaders crossing the Pyrenees via the longer routes were subject to this.)

In interviews and also published or unpublished accounts, there is often a single common theme stringing the sequence of events together on the journey; recollections around food in vivid detail. Given what airmen had been used to at home this is not surprising, but the magnificent efforts of those who sheltered the men on the run should not be underestimated. 

Evaders in safe houses in Paris during 1943 give good examples of the contrasting fortunes.  American airman Sergeant George Watt recounted how he stayed with fellow American Flyer ‘Tennessee’ Johnson in the Vanves suburb of Paris.

‘Food was likewise scarce. There was much less than we had in Belgium. Our main staples were potatoes, bread, small quantities of vegetables and very little meat or fowl. For dessert there was sometimes apples or cheese…our hosts had so little to work with and were marvellous cooks… but we were hungry all of the time.’ 

American, Sergeant Harold Pope was staying in another Paris safe house at the same time.

‘I lived mostly off string beans. One day this guy came in with a sack on his back, it was fresh meat – I hadn’t eaten horsemeat before. It was good – there’s nothing wrong with it its cleaner than pork, it’s sweet and stringy.’

One airman reported staying in a house where the woman with scabs all over her face, constantly complained of not being paid enough money to cover her costs and served up poor food. Another remained in a flat for 16 days in the most primitive of conditions.

Others fared better, with Jimmy Elliot recalling in his unpublished memoirs how he stayed with Dambuster Flying Officer ‘Johnny’ Johnson and American 2^nd Lt Donald Mills at 11 Rue Descombes with Odile Hochpied who they called 'Mammy' because she was like a mother to the airmen sheltered there.

‘Mammy’s son Robert and his wife Fernande also lived in the house… Robert was a chef in a Paris restaurant…frequently Robert would bring home food from the restaurant kitchen, greatly appreciated by the three of us. We seemed to be perpetually hungry.’

In his safe house, RAF Pilot Officer Dennis Hornsey described a special dinner of oysters and champagne prepared for the chief of the escape organisation (who did not arrive.) The day to day reality is captured.

‘Madame had the hardest task for she had to find food for us and run her home. Our food was all obtained from the black market in which the Germans themselves had a big financial interest. Every day she would do the round of shops to obtain under-the-counter goods. This in itself was a risk since there was the danger someone would wonder why she required so much extra food. Yet never once were our rations cut low. By our standards the food was inadequate, but compared with what the average Frenchman had we lived like kings.’

American Airman John Justice (see last weeks post) described yet another food steeplechase with fellow US evader Carl Spicer one Sunday dinnertime in their Paris hideout.

‘… it started with several dozen oysters on the half shell which Carl could not swallow and I didn’t care for as they had come from the Seine river and tasted and smelled like sewage. The main course was served and it consisted of approx four dozen snails. This was the last straw for Carl and needless to say I had to make up for his failure to appreciate what they were doing for us.’

In the Comete Escape Line, during one period in 1943 evaders were taken to a café or restaurant for a meal immediately before their long train journeys south to Bordeaux and beyond. 

Dennis Hornsey describes his.

‘The meal in the restaurant before catching the night train to Bordeaux was Vienna cutlets, cabbage and potatoes preceded by soup.’

On the train south, some guides carried sandwiches for the journey as it would be nine hours before changing trains at Bordeaux. Others did not and were unable to position themselves directly with their charges because of the risks involved. The airman in my book kept a piece of bread and cheese in his pocket after being handed it wrapped in paper before he left his safe house in Paris. He had his meal at the restaurant and finally ate it around 9.00am the next day. 

Once they left the train, evaders journeying towards the Pyrenees often travelled long distances by bicycle to the Café Larre in Sutar (a village south of Bayonne (see ‘The Safe Houses’ post.) Jimmy Elliott describes cycling with three other airmen, a girl cyclist and two guides and taking a refreshment stop along the gruelling ride.

‘Having started out at 08.30 hours all of us welcomed the break which was taken in the early afternoon.’ (The airmen were taken to a spot not visible from the road and away from any farmhouses.) ‘Out of the panniers on her bike the girl produced enough food and wine to provide a substantial ‘ploughman’s lunch.’ 

Australian Bob Kellow experienced a similar break, although alcohol free with ‘lime cordial.’

Other airmen describe ‘bread baguettes cheese and wine.’ This rest and refuel became vital for the exhausted evaders riding on heavy basic bicycles and struggling to keep pace with their guides. Some had taken little or no food and drink since leaving Paris.   

Once they reached the Café Larre the evaders were well fed. Many mention the excellent meal they enjoyed. Jimmy Elliott was so exhausted he remembered little about it except somehow finding his way to where the beds were and falling instantly asleep until the next morning. Alfie Martin had potato omelette, green peas, fried eels, wine then coffee and cigarettes afterwards.

The next day the airmen would begin their journey on foot across the Pyrenees, and for those taking the longer routes, this would be their last proper meal for days.

Some evaders and escapers who reached neutral Spain via organised escape lines were taken by car to the British Consulate in San Sebastian (prearranged pick up.) Dennis Hornsey had a breakfast of ‘bananas, oranges, tangerines, grapes, fried egg, fried bread, coffee and cream.’ which he never forgot. To the dirty, exhausted and hungry fugitives, this must have been a special moment, as many would not have seen the fruit for years.

The hospitality continued as the evaders were driven in a diplomatic car to the British Embassy in Madrid. They were often ushered through the back entrance to be welcomed in for ‘drinks,’ and some were introduced to Lady and Sir Samuel Hoare, the British Ambassador to Spain. Numerous evaders and escapers highlight how well they were looked after in the Embassy and also on escorted visits around Madrid.

Jimmy Elliott arrived on 24 th December and was immediately invited to a Christmas Eve Ball at the Embassy by an RAF Group Captain who had clearly been assigned to look after the new guests. After a ‘clean up’ the evaders were presented with ‘ lucky bags of jackets, trousers, shoes, shirts, ties and socks’ to find suitable attire which fitted.

The Group Captain advised ‘If I was in your position, I would feel like a big celebration tonight. There will be lots of free drink at this Ball, and I put all of you on your honour not to denigrate your flying badge, RAF or USAAF in front of so many important foreign diplomats.’ He added. ‘My flat is only five minutes walk from here, and I promise all of you that after the Ball finishes at 01.00 hours you will have a party well worth waiting for.’ Elliott later says ‘ He was an honourable, honest and hospitable man.’  

After an exceptional meal the four evaders went to the Ball, were introduced formally by rank and name as they entered, met Sir Samuel Hoare and mingled with guests. The contrast to what they had been through must have seemed unreal. 

Elliott said that the Christmas Day meal was traditional and exceptional.

…‘the chef had really excelled himself. Although we ate in an adjacent room which doubled as a games room …all the tables and walls had been decorated with tinsel and holly. Undoubtedly the ladies of the Embassy staff had come up with this brilliant idea, which all of us really appreciated.’

It would be easy to ask what more could they want at that moment?  Elliott sums up the shift in priorities.

‘The meal was a cheerful affair, with the Americans as ever, competing with their compatriots in the slickest smartest repartee. Unfortunately the latter part of the day was somewhat of an anti-climax, for I think, most of our thoughts were back home, with our families.’

Their thoughts must also have returned to the helpers and guides who made the journey possible. The men, women and children left behind to face the daily diet of deprivation and danger and to risk their lives for complete strangers.

Within days the evaders were back in England and the Americans subsequently  returned to the USA.

Sources:

Unpublished Memoirs   - John Justice

Bale Out! Escaping Occupied France with the Resistance – Alfie Martin

The Comet Connection – George Watt

The Pilot Walked Home – Dennis Hornsey

Unpublished Memoirs ‘An Unusual Day’ – Jimmy Elliott

© Keith Morley

The Food - Part Two

Rutabagas



Black Bread

French Farm During WW2

Maurice Bricout - 'The Border Policeman'

Evaders in North Western Europe during World War 2 encountered a diverse range of experiences around food and meals once they reached their first shelter. The difficulties faced were generic to all escape networks in that part of the world.  

The overall picture for patriots trying to feed evaders looked bleak. The range and volume of food available was often in short supply in the occupied countries; especially in the cities. Helpers trying to satisfy young men’s appetites often had to resort to creativity, subterfuge and the black market. British and Commonwealth servicemen initially coped better than their American counterparts as the former were used to rationing, but most Americans dug in and played their part once they knew the stakes.

The patriots did the best with what they had, and fared better in the countryside than the cities, where supplies were often non-existent without going into the Black Market. The Germans were effectively taking away 70% of local pre war food production for use by the Reich, which left occupied Europe with the remaining 30%. At one stage half of the farmers were POWs which further reduced production. Farmers and the locals put aside what they could to help others (some of it on the Black Market), but despite this the harsh reality meant that the occupied territories were left living on 20-50% of their pre-war production. In the cities people were starving whilst still having to work or be deported to forced labour in Germany. This situation worsened as the war progressed, so for the initial helpers and escape lines, feeding an evader created a stiff set of challenges. 

Yvonne de Ridder Files, resistance operator and escape line helper lived in Brussels at the time. She noted during 1943 that food was becoming scarcer by the day. There was little around apart from the basic diet of beans which continued to be rationed by the month and rutabagas which were available at times. The two together caused a disastrous effect on the digestive system, which became blatantly apparent especially on public transport.

The rationed bread bore little resemblance to the real thing. A heavy gluey grey substance stuck together inside a hard crust. Monthly ration coupons were available for a variety of items, but there was never anything to use them on. Any dogs and cats that roamed the streets quickly disappeared.  The black market thrived, although foodstuffs were still scarce and most of what could be obtained via this method went to the airmen. Times were desperate, but the Belgians got on with it, determined to stick it out and wait for the invasion they always believed would come. 

In the country areas the shortage was often not so acute. German inspectors still took their quota from farms and small holdings, but discreet amounts of produce disappeared before the officials arrived or became ‘relocated around the farm.’ Families who had some degree of self-sufficiency fared better than others. Alfie Martin (see last week’s post) stayed on a small farm about 2 miles west of Sains du Nord in France for six weeks during the early part of his evasion. The family had no arable land, although they kept a dozen cows, two horses and a few hens and pigs. They grew their own vegetables on a small plot of land and along with what milk etc. they were left with, it was enough to keep them going.  Martin described how he got good plain food and how it punctuated the running of the farm.

8.30 am Breakfast  – coffee, black bread, butter, a white creamy soft cheese, black treacle, sometimes a boiled egg.

12.30 pm Another meal – large bowl of vegetable soup followed by bread with no butter. A large dish of potatoes with leeks or turnips with sometimes a small piece of meat possibly ham or some kind of minced meat which had a sauce spread over it made from the cream of milk. Cider accompanied this meal followed by ersatz coffee.

8.30pm Last meal of the day after work ended and the cows milked - Warm bread and milk or soup with bread butter treacle and coffee. There was wine on Sunday with midday meal.

Martin could not go out, so did jobs inside the farmhouse such as peeling potatoes and scraping carrots, washing dishes and helping at the separator after milking. He was lucky, as was American First Lieutenant John Justice, who also fared better than most in the early stages of his evasion. His experiences, written in unpublished memoirs give a snapshot into the routine and running of a Dutch home which sheltered and fed an evader in a small town. They also illustrate how suitable employment for a helper, whilst raising the risk stakes did also create ‘inside’ opportunities to enhance sheltering operations.

‘It turned out to be the home of the Chief of Police in the City of Barnveld……I was given a bedroom in the attic which was to be my home for thirty days. The daily routine was every morning about seven O’ clock I would go downstairs , wash and have breakfast. The breakfast each day consisted of a choice of three types of bread, cheese and ersatz coffee. The father and daughter would go to work and I would return to the attic. Mid morning the wife would bring my tea and cookies. At noon I would come down again for lunch . The lunch each day consisted of a small roast, potatoes and either blumcol, vitchecol or arroiecol (cauliflower, red cabbage, or white cabbage.) The next day lunch would be the same, except we would finish the roast having it cold. I then returned to my attic room and in the mid-afternoon was served tea and cookies. The evening meal was always the same as the breakfast meal and I was allowed to stay downstairs until bedtime, unless they had visitors from the underground…. An explanation of why we had meat each day was that the daughter worked in the ration office for the city and could get extra coupons.’

Justice explained the reasons for the long stay.

‘I was told that I had been detained there for that period of time because the Germans had maintained checkpoints in an attempt to capture me. After the checkpoints were closed, they were taking me on my way.’ 

RAF Pilot Officer Dennis Hornsey (see last weeks post) stayed in a safe house on the outside of Louvain and noted how it was possible to obtain butter now and again, but milk was very scare and meat unobtainable. His main meal consisted of dried peas and beans soaked before cooking, fried potatoes, soup and black bread and cakes. Large quantities of fat were used in the cooking and the majority of the food was fried or stewed in fat, even green vegetables if they could be obtained. This experience was more typical for evaders, although Hornsey’s fortunes changed briefly once he crossed the border into France, staying for a few hours in a small chateau with a count, countess and a very rare bottle of apricot brandy.

Most helpers did everything they could for their charges, especially if the latter were only staying briefly. This is illustrated by Maurice Bricout, identified by many airmen as ‘the border policeman’ on account of his uniform. Bricout was in fact a customs officer on the Belgium/France border. Accompanied by  Belgian guides he took evaders over the frontier at night to his ‘farmhouse’ in the French village of Bachy. Evaders stayed there until they left very early the next morning to continue their journey.

American flyer George Watt described what happened to him after he had followed the ‘Border Policeman’ across the fields into France with a group of fellow evaders.

‘We came to a large farmhouse. The guides went in first, then beckoned us to follow. Inside the kitchen there were five or six people – one woman, three or four men and a twelve year old boy….Food and wine appeared. They toasted us, we toasted them. We drank to the death of Hitler, we laughed and ate and the wine flowed freely. We got pleasantly high.’

RAF Flying Officer George Ward was also there that night and described ‘quite a party, with good food and wine.’

A few weeks later John Justice was probably at the same place.  

‘We stayed the night in the farmhouse. The ‘farm family’ were so called smugglers….One of the smuggled items was butter and the farmer had a cooler full. For our meal that night we are French fried potatoes cooked in pure butter.’  

This must have been a welcome change for Justice and another American evader Second Lieutenant Carl Spicer from their recent meal adventures in the ‘safe’houses of Brussels.

Justice and Spicer had been moved urgently to the fourth floor attic of a safe house above a bar owned by a resistance operator ‘Cyprien’and his wife. Cyprien worked days as a policeman and used this as a ‘front’ for his other activities.

There was just enough room for a double bed in the attic room and nothing else. It was a corner building with the bar on the ground floor, the kitchen and bath behind it, with the second and third floors being the living quarters for Cyprien, wife and young daughter. Justice describes a meal they had there:

‘One noon we had steaks and that evening when we were downstairs having drinks I was talking with Cyprien and Carl was talking with his wife. They were unable to communicate, so Cyprien and I were brought into the conversation. The wife had been asking Carl how he liked his steak at noon. She was asking him how he liked his horsemeat. Carl excused himself and went to the bathroom. I think he tried to throw up what he had eaten more than nine hours before.’

It didn’t stop there as things were about to hot up in the bar and kitchen.

‘In performing some of his duties, and because of the intense secrecy, some members of the Underground felt that Cyprien was pro- Nazi. On our last evening in their home we had retired to our loft when suddenly a huge explosion occurred. There were fire trucks, police vehicles and lights all around in the street….we were scared. We put on our clothes and lay on the bed awaiting what might happen. About two hours later we heard footsteps on the stairs and a knock on the door. They told us that homemade bombs had been thrown into the bar; no one had been hurt because Cyprien and his family had retired to their upstairs quarters. It was after curfew and they knew there would be further investigation so they instructed Carl to follow the other policeman at a distance of fifty feet and I was to follow Cyprien at the same distance. We walked through town approximately four or five miles to another home where a relative of Cyprien lived. We stayed there that night.’

The two airmen were moved the next day a few blocks away to a family in an apartment. Justice described what happened one evening:

‘One night for dinner we had hamburger ‘a la American’ which sure sounded good to Carl and I. But to our surprise it was raw hamburger patties mixed with onion, spices and an egg. Again, poor Carl Spicer just could not eat.’

Sources:

Unpublished Memoirs   - John Justice

Bale Out! Escaping Occupied France With the Resistance – Alfie Martin

The Comet Connection – George Watt

The Quest For Freedom – Yvonne de Ridder Files

Downed Allied Airmen and Evasion of Capture – Herman Bodson

Next Week The Food Part 3 – From oysters and green beans in the safe houses of Paris to hunger in the Pyrenees and Christmas dinner in Madrid.

© Keith Morley