Glan Evans played a small role in the first big escape from the prison camp.

The escape involved a box that the prisoners could jump over to keep fit.

The box was called a ‘wooden horse’ – and the escape was known as the Wooden Horse Escape.

A man hid inside the box every day to dig a tunnel out of the camp.

Prisoners would jump over the box so the guards would not check if there was someone inside or hear the man digging in the ground below. 

Glan was one of the prisoners pretending to exercise.

When the tunnel reached beyond the wire fence of the camp three men escaped and eventually got home to Britain.

<table><thead><tr><th scope="col" colspan="2">Tricky Word</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><th scope="row">To exercise:</th><td>To carry out an activity to keep fit.</td></tr></tbody></table>

The first major escape from Stalag Luft 3 happened in Glan’s part of the camp ‒ the East Compound. In fact, Glan had a small role in it.

The prisoners created a hollow vaulting horse – the ‘wooden horse’ – out of the wood from the crates that Red Cross parcels of food came in.

Inside was the space for a man to hide and hooks on which he could hang bags of sand and earth.

Three prisoners were to be tunnellers. Every day one of them would hide in the vaulting horse and be carried out into the area used for sport.

The man would dig a tunnel as other prisoners pretended to exercise. Glan was one of the men who ran and jumped over the ‘horse’ while the tunneller worked.

The vaulting horse was always set down in the same spot, so the tunneller could get back down the tunnel and continue to dig. At the end of the day when he finished he placed a cover over the hole and pushed sand and earth over it.

It took more than four months to build the tunnel. Then, in October 1943, three men made their escape. 

Eric Williams and Michael Codner travelled together and escaped to Sweden. Oliver Philpot travelled alone via Danzig and also reached Sweden. All three made it home to Britain!

<table><thead><tr><th scope="col" colspan="2">Vocabulary Checkpoint</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><th scope="row">Hollow:</th><td>Having an empty space inside.</td></tr><tr><th scope="row">Vaulting horse:</th><td>A wooden structure for jumping over, usually found in a gym.</td></tr></tbody></table>

The first major escape from Stalag Luft 3 happened in Glan’s part of the camp ‒ the East Compound. In fact, Glan had a small role in it.

The prisoners created a hollow vaulting horse – the ‘wooden horse’ – out of the wood from the crates that Red Cross parcels of food came in.

Inside was the space for a man to hide and hooks on which he could hang bags of sand and earth.

Three prisoners were to be tunnellers. Every day one of them would hide in the vaulting horse and be carried out into the area used for sport.

The man would dig a tunnel as other prisoners pretended to exercise. Glan was one of the men who ran and jumped over the ‘horse’ while the tunneller worked.

The vaulting horse was always set down in the same spot, so the tunneller could get back down the tunnel and continue to dig. At the end of the day when he finished he placed a cover over the hole and pushed sand and earth over it.

Gradually over four-and-a-half months the tunnel was built. One night in October 1943, three men made their escape.

Eric Williams and Michael Codner travelled together and escaped to Sweden. Oliver Philpot travelled alone via Danzig and also reached Sweden. All three made it home to Britain!

The first major escape from Stalag Luft 3 happened in Glan’s part of the camp ‒ the East Compound. In fact, Glan had a small role in it.

Escaping

The Wooden Horse