Lieutenant O’Brien’s wartime escape from German capture
Synopsie I at O’Brien of Momence Illinois served in the American Flying Corps on the Mexican border in 1916 and in the British Royal Flying Corps in Canada. He fought German pilots at the front, was shot down at 8 000 feet, woke in a German hospital, then a prison camp at Courtrai. He escaped by leaping from a moving train seeking liberty.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Synopsie
O'Brien
Momence
American Flying Corps
Fotom
Royal Flying Corps
Canada
France
Courtrai
Trate Sound
Germany
Through Germany to Liberty Sainted Years in Flight
A first person account recounts a perilous escape from a damaged train in occupied Germany. The narrator describes bleeding, hunger, and freezing nights, swimming canals, dodging patrols, and relying on stars and a mapped route to reach safety toward Holland. He details gear loss, wet clothes, and relentless travel through forests and villages while avoiding capture.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Germany
Holland
Strassburg
Luxembourg
Nine Days in Luxembourg Escape Memoir Chronicle
A first person account describes a perilous trek through Luxembourg toward Belgium. The narrator details brutal days of hiding in brush, crossing wide rivers by swimming, losing footing and bearings, enduring hunger, rain, and constant fear of capture while seeking safety and freedom amid hostile terrain.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Alimont
Luxembourg
Belgium
Germany
Belgium Becomes Focus in Narrow Escape Narrative
An escaped figure recalls crossing into Belgium days after a pursuit began. He describes slipping through the country’s lines, hearing a German voice, and realizing for the first time that he was being tailled.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Belgium
Home Aid Sought After Incident Involving Improvised Weapon
A home security incident prompted concerns as residents sought aid and police investigated reports of an improvised weapon found in a bin. Authorities are reviewing footage and interviewing witnesses to determine a potential threat level and nearby risks.
Fragmentary OCR Note Signals Incomplete Text
A partial OCR snippet shows garbled quotes and stray letters. It appears to be an incomplete historical newspaper fragment with unreadable segments and no coherent event or names identifiable.
Also Mentioned on This Page
Pat O'Brien
Iwright
Pat Alvi
Atara
Courtral
Capa
Flying Corps
Creo
Dunk
German Beck Yard
Snattoc
Sam
Whods
Pol
North Star
Elds
Penta
Luzern
Ten Ika
Larembourg
Progrese O'Brien
Prom Wall
Jack
This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!