Over the Wire

In this WWII memoir, a British POW recounts his captivity, his thrilling escape, and his time as a fugitive on the run through occupied France.

British army doctor Philip Newman was left behind after the evacuation from Dunkirk. As a prisoner of war, he was first held in France, then in Germany, where he treated the wounded and sick and planned to escape. After several failed attempts, he finally got out over the wire and journeyed for weeks as a fugitive from northern France to Marseilles.


Newman was guided along the way by French civilians, resistance fighters, and the organizers of the famous Pat O'Leary escape line. He eventually crossed the Pyrenees into Spain, reaching Gibraltar and freedom.


In this memoir, Newman vividly recounts his work as a doctor at Dunkirk, life in the prison camps, and his dramatic escape. His story shines a light on the ingenuity and courage of the ordinary men and women who risked their lives to help him on his way. It is also one of the best accounts we have of what it was like to be on the run in occupied Europe.