After the defeat of France in June 1940 thousands of British prisoners of war were marched north, through France and Belgium, on their way to prison camps in eastern Germany. Many escaped and hid on farms in the Flemish countryside. From there they were taken to Brussels where groups of friends, who were the first roots of the famous Comete Line, tried to arrange their safe passage home. This is the story of their experiences and of the people who helped them. http://home.clara.net/clinchy/neeball.htm
I have been reading a book, SHOT DOWN and ON the RUN RAF and Commonwealth aircrew who got home from behind enemy lines by evading the Germans. It mentions the comet line and at times reads like a boys own adventure untill you come across the places where the escape organisations were betryed by either English deserters trying to save their own miserable life from the Germans and other French or Flemmish betrayers. The two largest organisations were the Comet and the Pat lines. and the samller Mare-Claire line. Many young women and men travelled many miles with the evaders getting them from Belgium and France over the Pyrenees to Spain.. Its a short read and I recomend it to those who wish to learn a bit more about these wonderful people.
