30 Aug 1943	Baled out & landed ~6 miles from Ophoven (~60 kms NNE of Liège), Belgium. Taken by two men to Cyhoven. Arrived ~5:00. Fed & sheltered for that night & next day.
31 Aug 1943	At 21:00, taken by a gendarme, Jean Hilven of Dorstraat 18, Ophoven to a farm house of the family Hendrickse, Donkstraat N. 60, Ophoven. Stayed until ....
3 Sep 1943	Cycled with Gertrudis Hendrickse (daughter) to Maeseyck (~55 kms NNE of Liège). Met Jean Hilven and Joseph Vandenbosch. Went with Vandenbosch, by tram to Tongres (~17 kms NNW of Liège). Spent the day at his café at 104, Rue des Tarraux. After dark, taken to Mme Jeanne Fransen, Rue St Ursule, Tongres. Two daughters Marie José and Antoinette. Stayed until ....
5 Sep 1943	By tram (escort unknown) to Liège. Taken to the home of an RC priest, who arranged shelter with a M.Nicholas Hackens & family, 173 rue Neniot, Liege. Also there were Lt. Bill Turner & a Sgt. Waist-Gunner (USAAF), possibly S/Sgt Albert Diminno or S/Sgt. Gerald Tucker. Stayed until ....
~10 Sep 1943	By train to Brussels, with Turner and a young lady escort. Met by Michou (Micheline Dumon of Comète). Taken to the home of an old lady - a tall old house. Photo'd for id cards. One photographer was called Eli Mirior (Rio). 2 US airmen, from the Schweinfurt raid (17 Aug 1943) were also sheltering there. One might be S/Sgt Albert Diminno or S/Sgt. Gerald Tucker. Stayed until ....
~12 Sep 1943	Robb & Turner taken by Michou to meet Mirior. Mirior took Turner to one safehouse - a café, then Robb to the flat of M.Maca, rue Val d'Or, Brussels. Son & daughter, Henri & Marie. Also staying were Arthur Johnson (RCAF), a Halifax rear gunner, & a US airman from Texas, a Fortress pilot. Stayed until ....
5 Oct 1943	Taken by Mirior & Maria Maca to meet Michou at Gare du Nord. She was accompagnied by Lt. Carlyle Darling (USAAF) & a young man (our guide). Train to Blandain (~17 kms E. of Lille) with Darling & guide, then across the frontier, at Hertain-Camphin, on foot. Frontier guard was Lt. Maurice Desson. Bus to Lille, then train to Paris. Met by a fair, well built man of ~35 (well dressed with a military moustache) & taken to a small flat in Montmartre for 1 night. Also supplied id cards.
6 Oct 1943	Robb & Darling taken to a large house, by a new guide - man ~27, smartly dressed in a grey suit & kid gloves. Then another guide to a Dr's house near to Marie L'issy metro. Guide was middle-aged, well-dressed, medium height, lean angular features, round shouldered, horn-rimmed glasses. Stayed until ...
11 Oct 1943	Robb & Darling taken by same guide to flat of Suzanne Bastin (of Possum), near Sacré Coeur Cathedral. Flat full of RAF & USAAF evaders (max 21), including Sgts Gillman & Shaw* (RAF). Visited by Potier. Stayed until ....
13 Oct 1943	Potier & Bastin took train to Fismes with Robb, Darling, Gillman,, Shaw* & 1/2 other evaders. Met by Camille Rigaux, Jr. Robb, Darling, Gillman & Shaw* driven by Raymond Gallet to meet Abbé Fontaine, who took them to a farmhouse in Prin (just SW of Savigny). While there Sgts. Whalen & Browning (USAAF) arrived.
14 Oct 1943	Abbé Fontaine moved them all to a cave, as the Germans were making a house-to-house search. Stayed until ....
~18 Oct 1943	Robb & Darling taken by Abbé Fontaine to the chateau of Comte Joseph de Bury (near Savigny). Sheltered ~2 weeks.
start Nov 1943	Driven by Paul Quenot to Damery. Sheltered by Armand Graser for ~2 weeks.
mid Nov 1943	Driven by Quenot to Cuisles-par-Chatillon. Sheltered by Eugène Moussé, at his vineyard, for ~12 days.
mid Nov 1943	Taken on foot by Edmond Moussé to Baslieux-sur-Chatillon. Sheltered by Amedee Vizeneux & his housekeeper Madeleine Remi for ~2 weeks. Robb, ill, attended by Dr. Clement Marot from Chatillon-sur-Marne.
~28 Nov 1943	Driven by Quenot to Reims. Stayed at the flat of Renée Weigel. While there met Weigland, Lucienne Marmot, Conrad Lafleur, Raymonde Beuré & Marcel Tavernier, a butcher, who supplied black market food. Robb, ill again, attended by Dr. Bettinger. Joined by Lt.Robert Chase** (USAAF).
15 Dec 1943	Robb & Darling taken by Beuré to Reims train station. Met Sgt Robert Harper & Sgt. Baker. (Note: Robb claims that Potier was also there, but this could not be so, as he was in England at this time) Train to Fismes; met by Camille Rigaux, Jr. Robb & Harper taken to the house of Rigaux's parents, also a cobblers shop.
20 Dec 1943	Robb & Harper assist in a parachute operation with Quenot & Camille Rigaux Jr. Probably operation Brasenose III, which saw the arrival of Dominique Potier, Jean de Blommaert (aka Rutland) & Willy Lemâitre (aka London).
31 Dec 1943	Robb, Harper & Camille Rigaux's parents arrested by Hauptscharfuhrer Joseph Weissensee of the SD.

* It is Ian Robb who makes mention of Sgt. Joe Shaw. However, I cannot trace this person. Robb might have been referring to Sgt. Joseph (Joe) Kenny (RAF).
** Again, it is Ian Robb who makes mention of someone I cannot trace - Lt. Robert Chase. It is possible that the person was Sgt. Robert Deghetto (USAAF), who arrived at Renée Weigel's one day after Darling and Robb. Darling and Deghetto, subsequently travelled together.

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[Note: this report was OCRed from the original and then edited]

UKNA:SPG/LIB/1256

Members of the crew

Pilot	F/S W H CLAGUE	Killed in action	-
Flight Engineer	Sgt J A WHETTON	Killed in action	-
Bomb Aimer	P/O Gerald LORNE	Evaded	UKNA:SPG/1750
Navigator	W/O Ian ROBB	Narrator	UKNA:SPG/LIB/1256
Wireless operator	Sgt H BUTLER	Killed in action	-
Upper gunner	Sgt C C HOLDEN	Killed in action	-
Rear gunner	Sgt A FREDERICKSON (RCAF)	POW	-

1. EVASION AND CAPTURE

On the night of 30 Aug 43 I was returning from a raid over GLADBACH in Belgium when I was shot down by fighters. I baled out and landed about 6 miles from OPHOVEN (N.W. Europe 1:250,000 Sheet 3/K78). I disposed of my parachute and then heard two civilians talking Flemish so I took a chance and went and spoke to them. They hid me in a haystack ard gave me blue overalls and took me to a house where I hid up for the day. At 1800 a Frenchman arrived who took me to a farmhouse after making sure I was British. I stayed in the farmhouse until 3 Sep 43, when the Frenchman brought a bicycle and took me to MAESYCK (N.W. Europe 1:250,000 Sheet 3/K67). We then took a train from MAESYCK to TONGRES (N.W.Europe 1:250,000 Sheet 3/K44). My guide took me to a cafe and gave me a meal. In the evening he took me to a house in TONGRES where I stayed the night. At mid-day on 5 Sep 43 I was taken by train to LIEGE and sent to a house in the suburbs where I stayed for five or six days.
About 12 Sep 43 I was taken by train to BRUSSELS. I was hidden in a house for two weeks. I was supplied with identity cards. Also on 2 Oct 43 I was taken to the station where I met an American, Lt. Carlisle DARLING, Army Air Corps. We were taken by train to BLANDAIN (N.W. Europe 1:250,000 Sheet 2 H/83). We got off and walked across the frontier and stopped at a house and collected fresh papers. We took a bus into LILLE. We boarded a train from LILLE to PARIS the same day. We got to PARIS and walked to a church where we were supposed to meet another guide. The guide did not turn up so our guide from LILLE took us to a small flat in MONTMARTRE. The next evening we went to another church and our guide handed me over to a Frenchman. Our new guide took us to a doctor's house in PARIS where we stayed for five days. Then we were handed over to a Frenchmen who took us to a flat near Sacre Coeur Cathedral where we joined about 10 other evading air crews. We remained here approximately three days. About 12 Oct 43, 4 of us were taken by train to FISMES (N.W.Europe 1:250,000 Sheet 2 T/08). We got to SAVIGNY (Sheet Z.T.18) where we stayed the night. The next day we were informed there were Gestapo looking out for us so we were hidden in a cave and supplied with guns.
We remained in the cave for three days. A priest who had looked after us since we arrived at SAVIGNY took us to a Chateau. We all split up and Lieut. DARLING and I stayed two weeks in the Chateau. I spent 2 1/2 months in farms and villages in the area of REIMS. About 15 Nov 43 we were taken to a flat in REIMS where we remained for two weeks, . While we were here a French Canadian used to visit us frequently. He was always asking questions about our identity, and collecting information. He was supposed to have been evading since landing at DIEPPE. Later we discovered he collected information and gave us all away. At REIMS station I met Robert HARPER R.A.F. Bomb Aimer. The French Canadian took us to FISMES about 1 Dec 43 and we met a Frenchman who took us to his father's shop. We remained here until 31 Dec 43, when the Gestapo arrived early in the morning and took us prisoners. Our last helper before we were taken prisoner was also caught by the Gestapo and died in BUCHENWALD.

2. CAMPS IN WHICH IMPRISONED

 

3. ATTEMPTED ESCAPES

Nil.

4. LIBERATION

While on the march I was liberated 5 May 1945 by British 2nd Army near LUBECK.

NOTE

W.O. Robert Harper, Bomb Aimer, R.A.F. 49 Sqn (?) 3 Group, Bomber Command, flying Stirling,, shot down in Nov near VERDUN. Home address 96 Gorsey Lane, Warrington. Lancs. Above has written to HARPER since return to U.K. and has had no reply. Several other people have done the same and have had no reply. I met him at REIMS station and we stayed at FISMES until capture. We were in camp together until 7 Nov 44 at SAGAN. He was moved to a camp BELARIA and I have not heard anything since.

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APPENDIX A

The following information was obtained from BRITISH personnel who have been repatriated.

If further circulation of this information is made it is important that its source should not be divulged.

Signed by P.H.Hayfield

Major, I.O.