They Have Their Exits

Some wartime memoirs are content to recount events from a comfortable distance. They Have Their Exits takes a rather more direct approach, largely because its author spent a significant portion of the Second World War escaping from German prisons and helping other people do the same.

Written by Airey Neave, soldier, escapee, intelligence officer, future politician, and owner of what may have been one of the most adventurous CVs in twentieth-century Britain, this remarkable memoir tells the true story of captivity, resistance, ingenuity, and determination during the darkest years of the war. Neave became the first British prisoner of war to make a successful escape from the supposedly escape-proof Colditz Castle, a feat that sounds improbable enough to belong in fiction but happened nonetheless.

The book is packed with tunnels, disguises, forged documents, secret plans, and all the other ingredients one expects from a wartime thriller. The difference is that the participants did not enjoy the luxury of knowing they would survive until the final chapter. Every scheme carried genuine risks, every setback had serious consequences, and every successful escape represented a small but meaningful victory against an enemy determined to prevent it.

One of the great pleasures of the book is Neave’s understated style. Rather than presenting himself as an action hero, he writes with a calm practicality that somehow makes the events even more extraordinary. The reader is frequently left with the impression that tunnelling out of a high-security prison, crossing occupied Europe, and repeatedly deceiving hostile authorities was all part of a reasonably busy week.

This 1955 Pan Books edition belongs to a golden age of paperback publishing, when dramatic real-life stories were sold in compact volumes small enough to fit into a coat pocket and sturdy enough to survive journeys on trains, buses, and holidays by the seaside. There is no ISBN because the publishing industry had not yet discovered the joy of assigning long strings of numbers to everything in sight.

Condition is Fair. This particular copy has lived an eventful life of its own and has clearly decided that surrender was not an option. The spine and inner front hinges have been repaired and reinforced, making the book pleasingly sturdy once again. The repairs are honest rather than invisible and remain visible to the careful observer, which is reflected in the Fair grading. In a curious way this feels rather appropriate for a memoir about resilience, endurance, and carrying on despite sustaining a few knocks along the way.

For readers interested in the Second World War, escape stories, military history, Colditz, espionage, or simply accounts of remarkable courage under pressure, They Have Their Exits remains one of the great wartime memoirs. It is a reminder that history was shaped not only by armies and governments, but also by individuals armed with determination, ingenuity, and an almost unreasonable refusal to accept confinement.

As sold by Crappy Old Books: because some books survive the decades gracefully, while others stage a daring breakout from structural failure and carry on regardless.

Keep browsing: See more War books Other books by Airey Neave