Great Escapes

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Plan your visit

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https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/visit-us/

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This exhibition reveals iconic and under-told stories of prisoners of war and civilian internees.

Explore famous escape attempts such as the escape from Stalag Luft III that we know as 'the Great Escape', and British officer Airey Neave’s escape from Colditz Castle dressed as a German soldier. Discover remarkable stories of individuals seeking escape through art, music and finding love.

Drawing on The National Archives’ vast collections of wartime era documents and photographs, the exhibition features never previously displayed records from MI9 – a highly secretive British government agency set up to help military personnel evade and escape capture. It includes recently-catalogued War Office records and incredible loans from organisations including:

• IWM
• Tate
• Leicester Museum and Art Gallery
• Eden Camp Modern History Museum

Glimpse the courage and ingenuity possible in desperately hard times.

★★★★☆ – A revelatory insight into the prisoner-of-war experience

The Telegraph

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Great Escapes: Exhibition tour

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Exhibition highlights

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