SOE pencil dagger, silk escape maps and escape compasses
Article about: Another USAAF map (apoligies for the blurry photo) and a very unusual map!! I recently purchased the 'Sheet E' map, the seller stating that he got it from an elderly neighbour who use to wor
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Re: SOE pencil dagger, silk escape maps and escape compasses
Looks like an amazing book. Is there any chance of you showing the pages which mention the uniforms and how to change them into civilian clothes?
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Re: SOE pencil dagger, silk escape maps and escape compasses
Another recent addition - A rare Russian 'blood chit' which is a lot less common than the Far East 'blood chit'. This one is quite fragile and is made of Rayon.
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Re: SOE pencil dagger, silk escape maps and escape compasses
Another silk escape map. This one is interesting as I already have a silk map marked 'H2' which covers Spain and the Balearic islands, however, on the reverse is the South of France, on the recently aquired one the reverse shows North Africa. Although the printed images of Spain are identical the maps are different sizes and are edged differently. Both are made of silk.
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Re: SOE pencil dagger, silk escape maps and escape compasses
I also aquired another pair of escape boots, greedy I know, but I got them for £45 at auction! The boots appear to have been stored in an attic for some time and have been resoled. They are unfortunately minus the knife (like the other pair I own), however, both sets of laces (they are different) are metal tipped. Allegedly the metal tips were magnitised so that they could be used as compass. Some laces also contain a metal wire for use as a saw, neither lace has wire inside.
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Re: SOE pencil dagger, silk escape maps and escape compasses
And now for something very special and unusual! I bought this silk map along with the North Africa map above. I have never seen a map like this before. It is printed on silk and is identical in construction to others that I own, however, it details a complete escape route giving instructions on how to reach Switzerland. It also shows the escape route taken from Oflag VII C. From the little research that I have done it appears that the first successful escape by a prisoner of war from a camp in Germany was made from Oflag VII C.
I can only assume that this is a very early escape map, which would have 'smuggled' into P.O.W camps (as opposed to being carried by aircrew) as it appears quite naive to write word for word the journey that an escapee should take.
(Apoligies for the order of the pictures but my computer doesn't like the new server and it won't let me drag the pictures!)
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Re: SOE pencil dagger, silk escape maps and escape compasses
Very nice hard to find items.
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Re: SOE pencil dagger, silk escape maps and escape compasses
Another escape map. This one is marked T.1 and T.3.
T.1. covers Turkey and the Black Sea and T.3. covers Egypt and Syria. It is hemmed around the edge and is made of Rayon or similar.
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Re: SOE pencil dagger, silk escape maps and escape compasses
Another Rayon escape map. Marked 43/K it covers South West France and Portugal. It is interesting to note that it has not been printed correctly and is 'wonky'!
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Re: SOE pencil dagger, silk escape maps and escape compasses
Having had to dig through a couple on boxes of my collection I thought I'd take the opportunity to photograph again some of items already shown, for my reference as much as everybody elses!
First up is the 'blood chits' photographed with a ruler to give you an idea of the size. I have also shown the largest escape map in my collection (Sheet G / H of the South East Asian Theatre) alongside the smallest (H2 covering Spain)
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