‘They Have Their Exits’ by Airey Neave

My Review (5 stars out of 5)

Long before he became a senior member of Thatcher’s Government and his subsequent assassination by the IRA, Airey Neave had a distinguished war record. Taken prisoner in 1940, he made several escape attempts and was one of the few British prisoners to successfully make a ‘home-run’ from Colditz Castle.

This book has been on my to-read shelf for seven years, so I’m delighted to finally mark it off my list. They Have Their Exits is a very readable account of Neave’s time at Colditz where he was involved in several escape attempts, including a failed one of his own. However, when he did make a successful break along with another soldier, the route took him through France, Switzerland and Spain, and threw him and his fellow escaper into many difficult situations where they risked being recaptured. The book goes on to relate Neave’s part as a member of the International Military Tribunal at the Nuremburg War Crimes trials, where he encountered the likes of Herman Goring and Rudolf Hess.

Aside from way too many exclamation marks, this is a fascinating account of a challenging and dangerous escape from one of World War Two’s most infamous prisons.

Back to the Blog