Once they had escaped from the camps the prisoners had the following options -

• to stay hidden in the woods and fields and rely on help from those who knew of their whereabouts

• to look for accommodation with a family, often working on the land in exchange for board and lodging

• to make for the hills and join one of the newly-formed bands of partisans

• to head for the Swiss border, either on their own initiative or with the help of an organisation such as those run by engineer Giuseppe Bacciagaluppi or industrial chemist Fulvio Borghetti

• after the Allied invasion of France, to cross the French border

Many escapers stayed with families until their presence put their hosts in danger, then moving on to live rough or to join the partisans.

Some of the descriptions of their experiences have been digitalised and can be downloaded from The National Archives website. For those available see asterisk in prisoners' list.