 tired of the everyday routine ever dream of a life of romantic adventure want to get away from it all we offer you escape escape designed to free you from the four walls of today for a half hour of high adventure we escaped to the coast of Flanders in October 1914 into the story of a man chosen by a strange destiny to win the first world war as Robert Buckner tells it in his classic tale the man who won the war gentlemen I've asked this board to meet by the authority vested in me as chairman of the Naval Committee of the House of Commons a great run has been done gentlemen and I have been asked by my colleagues of the house to see if it cannot be righted an English naval officer was found guilty of treason by this board ten years ago I've asked you gentlemen to meet and reconsider his case I ask you to remove the stigma from the name of a man whom I consider to be one of England's greatest heroes I refer to commander Edward Bradman now see here mr. Ordway yes Admiral I am compelled to say mr. Ordway and it is a waste of the Admiral his time and a sorry commentary upon the times in which we live when the Royal Navy is brought to heel by a parliamentary committee here Bradman had a thoroughly fair court martial no single piece of evidence came to light to substantiate his fantastic story there is no record of his action in the Belgian war office there is not a single witness to his weird adventure upon the Flanders beach that night in October 1914 why damn me man the Royal Navy itself tried to find the evidence but we couldn't and why couldn't we because it does not exist I have evidence gentlemen new evidence that is why you have been asked to meet and as for the Navy's attempt to clear Bradman's name I would like you to meet a young man and listen the moment to him Edward Edward would you kindly tell the gentleman your name I'm Edward Bradman the third how old are you Edward 13 years and six months who is your father Edward commander Edward Bradman sir and your grandfather who was he Admiral Edward Bradman and your great-grandfather Lieutenant Edward Bradman sir he was killed in action aboard the victory at Trafalgar and you Edward what do you wish to become a midshipman sir I shouldn't be surprised and have you made application yes sir at the Royal Naval College at Dartmouth and where you accepted no sir why not they they said there was no place in in the Royal Navy for for traitors or their sons well gentlemen this is scarcely added proof and I must censor you Mr. Ordway for bringing this lad in here wrapped in the Union Jack so to speak subjecting him to such an ordeal at a disgraceful cheap show Admiral I am not on trial here the Royal Navy is you want added proof of commander Bradman's innocence you shall have it here here is a letter from the commander brought to me three days ago by the gentleman sitting here beside me commander Bradman is lying ill at Newport across the Channel in Belgium seriously ill of a tropical fever he contracted during those years when he fled the disapproval of Navy men throughout the Empire this may be the last word you will ever hear from commander Bradman gentlemen I charge you listen carefully it is dated October 24th oh bearish de Dermatelo Newport Belgium gentlemen it is 10 years ago tonight that I first set foot upon this Flemish Beach I have returned here tonight under a sort of compulsion like a criminal returning to the scene of his crime but I am no criminal and what I did here 10 years ago was no crime I am tired of saying it and of being disbelieved I am tired and I am ill I shall not make this statement again I make it this last time at the encouragement of the man who brings it to you the proprietor of this little in and the one man in the world who has ever believed my story when the war began I was placed in command of the destroyer firebreak attached to Admiral Hood's battle force on North Sea Patrol on the night of October the 28th 1914 the firebreak was cruising up the Belgian coast to join the main fleet we taken aboard some extra shells and ammunition at Plymouth along with several cases of Scotch whiskey since the fleet was looking forward to extended action and I'm afraid those cases were uppermost in our mind that night as we sat around the wardroom after dinner I say commander what brand of whiskey the chip supplies put aboard I don't know Johnny Walker I don't believe so sir Cameron Highlander I think it said on the box oh come down Mr. Ainslie they always supplies with Johnny Walker black label Johnny Walker Cameron Highlander essence of the Loch Nessy serpent so long as there's whiskey aboard now that wouldn't be a hint but it is nippy on deck tonight do you concur Mr. Ainslie oh yes indeed sir the winds got a bite to it man could catch himself a nasty cold out there tonight very well you scoundrels hopper I say go down to the storeroom and break out a bottle of that whiskey we took a board this afternoon anything new on the fighting in Flanders commander what there is he's all bad general Hague has his hands full in the center on the right the French are just barely holding but the real danger is right up there to our stubborn house that's a left flank the Belgian sector one cooks third army is pressing hard if he breaks through the Belgian line you can write off France I don't understand sir well if the Belgians don't hold one cook will cut off the channel ports Calais Boulogne and Le Havre nothing to stop him until he reaches the Atlantic and that will also cut off our supply line to our troops precisely it's the close of its strategy strategy for the conquest of Western Europe Paris would be bypassed and caught between giant pincers to be taken later at the Kaiser's leather thank you for it here's hopper with our weed drop as well you needn't have brought the whole case up and I wanted you to see it sir I've open four of them and the contents are all the same you see I was right it says Cameron Highlander on the box yes sir but the contents are not Cameron Islander whiskey they're Cameron Islander uniforms what yes sir see it the kilts the Glengarys the spore and but where's the whiskey well near as I can make out there ain't any sir what's that but I'd say them box contain nearly 200 scotch Islander uniforms oh well I'm afraid that this will be a dry voyage gentlemen how could they have made such a stupid mistake blame it on the war well I just hope that our shells don't turn out to be coffee canisters what should I do with these boxes oh throw them out of the way until we make port again hopper meantime I dare say there are some first scotch beggars somewhere in France will have to do with their old clothes a little while longer there's a speech speaking to sir oh acknowledge will you please mr. Gilliam yes what kind of trouble you're supposed to adults run into are you coming along easily might as well can't drink kilts and glengarys freshening up a bit yes you'll be on a beam ends before morning yes mr. Pueblo thought you ought to see this sir what look out there on our starboard quarter a tiny light oh yes I see it yeah take a look through the night glasses flashing on and off according to my reckoning we're off the mouth of the Issa River now if you look at this chart you'll see that there are no light houses along this Fletcher coast yet there's a flash in light when no light ought to be perhaps it's a signal of some sort yes undoubtedly but who's Germans can't have gotten this far how can you be sure mr. and wait a minute that lights flashing a message in most code G R O G G ROG a quarter master I change course to 110 change course to 110 isa what you're gonna do sir I'm gonna take a closer look but sir this might be a trap yes it might but don't you recognize the code word Grog mr. Tweddle no sir you um who didn't serve in the Royal Navy as a midshipman did you mr. Tweddle no sir my apprenticeship was in the merchant service well then of course Grog wouldn't mean anything to you I don't understand sir well mr. Tweddle G ROG is a midshipman's joke it means good rum on goose days I still don't understand sir when is goes there that's the joke mr. Tweddle goose day never comes the juvenile I admit but fascinatingly esoteric when you're 14 years old but why would anybody be sending a midshipman's code word from the coast of Belgium in the middle of a war that mr. Ainsley is what we're going in to find out be good enough to take off a landing party will you number two power launch we'll go ashore in 10 minutes captain you have your orders mr. Ainsley yes sir you can't be serious I am mr. Tweddle this might be a trap we have no way of knowing whether the Germans have advanced beyond this point or not yes it might be a trap or it might be some poor beggar trying to escape the advance well it's well worth looking into if they were sending a plain SOS I might be suspicious but the choice of that half-secret snot is code word makes me think it's worth looking into but suppose it is a trap a mr. Tweddle it would be somewhat the reverse of the classic rules of warfare for a land force no matter how large to attempt the capture of a naval vessel on the high sea never the less the enemy's devilishly clever don't you worry mr. Tweddle I'm not asking you to go ashore I'm leading the landing party myself well it's not a matter of fear actually one of caution yes of course half speed ahead I am quite aware of the contents of the fleet orders mr. Tweddle and they state that elements of the Royal Navy are to give all possible aid and a system to shore positions they also limit such a to ship to the class of the mercy in seven that is very true then we'll stretch the limits of that portion of the order the little shall we put them all were under specific orders to round the boo with the flagship at dawn then we may be a little late sir I protest mr. Tweddle apparently things are different in the merchant service but in his majesty's fighting ships an executive officer does not protest to his commander you will heave to and drop anchor if I've not returned within an hour you'll proceed to the fleet rendezvous is that clear yes sir carry on I'd say we're about a half mile down the beach in the light now sir good swing I ensure I said that light is getting dimmer and dimmer it's probably only a pocket torch batteries burning out all right men listen to me when we get to the beach we'll spread our 10 feet apart and proceed toward that light I'll keep well darn walk with the utmost quiet if you encounter a sentry you try to knock him out before he challenges you use your firearms only as a last resort we are not here to get into a battle only to investigate that light if we should be engaged by the enemy I will fire three rapid shots as a signal to return to the boat hopper and spurgeon will remain with the boat it or hopper if we have to retreat in a hurry you wait until the last possible moment before you shove off yes sir any questions all right break yourself lead coming to the sir I mean move over the side and hold your rifles high in just a moment we will continue with the second act of escape but first you'll be hearing double on the CBS Crosby show this Wednesday night for Bing will be joined by brother Bob who soon comes back to CBS with his own show they'll team up for a couple of swell duets and Bing will solo with Chattanooga shoe shine boy and a dream is a wish your heart makes the Bing Crosby show is a regular Wednesday night feature on most of these same CBS stations and now we return you to the second act of escape you may imagine the fearful anxiety with which our little landing party hit the beach that October midnight in 1914 we had no way of knowing whether the coast was in Belgium or German hands we did not know indeed whether we were being drawn into a German trap by the tiny light we had seen flashing out to sea that tiny weakening light toward which we were now slowly advancing spread out across the beach alert for any danger watchful for enemy sentries or patrols and then at a hundred yards from where we landed we encountered a German sentry he was asleep I suppose he imagined no one would be around the sand dunes in the middle of the night and he was undoubtedly done in he was sitting on a log he'd taken off his boots to bury his aching feet in the cool sand I'm afraid he wasn't a very fearful example of the German military machine that night but with no trouble at all Mr. Ainsley and I crept up on him had him bound and gagged before he was quite awake there we are I don't think you'll raise too much of a hue in a cry now sir I should think not now my friend leitensie only went in and we have nix passieren take him along Mr. Ainsley market sir put on this fellow spiked helmet remain at his post if a relief sentry appears you take care of him but no shooting unless absolutely necessary yes sir let's get cracking men hold up sir that's it thought I heard voices all right then hold speaking French in their allies still we must make certain we take two of the men and come up on them from the rear yes sir I'll approach from the side I'll do the talking if it's a trap I'll give the signal to fire after one volley you break for it and round it with the launch yes sir Evan Stanley come with me I said Wilkins Rodman no I said you follow me quietly keep your heads you hello yes it was a boy here we have used the outside if you please it was said to approach the building in the French Bonsoir, monsieur. Bonsoir, mon ami. Est-ce que vous parlez anglais? Comment, euh, why, yes, I speak English a little. Hmm. Well, I do say your English is better than my French. Eh, may I introduce myself? I'm Commander Bradman of his Majesty's ship, Fadrik. Oh, I can't tell you how glad I am to meet you, Commander. And I am Major de Lesseps of the Third Belgian Dragoons. This is Lieutenant Chapotin. Je suis chante, chante, chante, monsieur le commandant. And, uh, here's one of my company, Lieutenant Ainsleeve. Lieutenant Ainsleeve. And who is this bound and gagged? Oh, that's, uh, enemies sent you who picked up on the way. You can have them. Thank you. We saw your light from the ship. I never made you flash the word grog. Oh, I thought a Royal Navy man would respond more quickly to grog than SOS. As if it's an inspiration, but where did you, uh, learn it? Oh, I used to sail in the regattas at cows when I was younger. And one of my best friends was Albert Hollister. He was a midshipman in those days. Oh, Bertie Hollister. Yes, I knew him well. Oh, he's a street striper now, gunnery officer on the repulse. Uh, yes. Uh, we can go into that another time. Um, what was the reason for your signal, Major? Simply this, Commander, we're in trouble, serious trouble. We've been pushed back day after day until our men are completely exhausted. Our orders are to make a stand here at the Isle River, long enough to give the sappers time to blow the dykes. Once the dykes are broken, the river should stop the enemy. For how long will it take to blow the dykes? We must hold the line until sundown, roughly 18 hours. And you can't do that? A seriously doubted commander. We've appealed to General Hague for help, but he's completely engaged on our right and can't send us any reinforcements. The French are too far south and they have their hands full too. It was my suggestion at tonight's staff meeting to seek help from the sea. It's our last chance. Well, what do you want us to do? Stand by us. Bring your guns to bear on the enemy's advance. But we're only a destroyer, Major. Our firepower is too low to do any good whatsoever. And we haven't the range for offshore bombardment. Hell, us. Then we are finished. And so is the war. There is nothing between Von Kluck and Paris but us. I'm sorry, Major. Uh-huh. They are starting the barrage early this morning. I suppose they know this is the last day. Yes, I suppose. Oh, wait a minute. I have an idea. Mr. Inslee. Sir? The kilts. The kilts, sir? Yes, we can put a company of Cameron Highlanders into the Bowdoin lines. I'm sorry, sir. Major, we can help you. It's a long, long shot, but it might work. What might work, Commander? Well, somebody made a botch back in Plymouth and loaded us with eight cases of Scotch uniforms instead of Scotch whiskey. There are nearly 200 complete uniforms of the first Cameron Highlanders aboard. Yes, but I don't understand. We'll give them to you, Major. You put them on a company of your men. Let them show themselves in the front line. When the attack begins this morning, perhaps... Perhaps the Germans will think the British have rushed in a crack division to reinforce you. Yes, yes, it might work. Yes. We can let you have a few Lewis guns, too, but they will not be much help unless the uniforms do the trick. It's, as you say, a long shot, but let's try it. Very well. Mr. Inslee. Sir? You go back to the ship at once, fetch those cases of uniforms and four cases of Lewis guns with ammunition. Aye, sir. I'll remain here with the Major and help him get his men lined up. Oh, and, uh, Inslee. Sir? Should Mr. Tweedle inquire, you might tell him I'll be, uh, detained while longer than winning the war. Yes, sir. It was a sight I shall never forget. Two hundred men solemnly changing their battle dirty green uniforms for the gay kilts and tartans in the pale light of the setting moon. Everything was done with the utmost dispatch and in utter silence. And it seemed to me that the bright clad put new energy as well as hope into the battle weary Belgians. They look like the real thing, don't they? Yes, they certainly do. You know, I believe this will work. Oh, I nearly forgot, sir. What, Inslee? Mr. Tweedle asked me to tell you the flagship's been trying to reach up a wireless. Uh-huh. What did they want? Mr. Tweedle didn't say, sir. Well, they'll have to wait until this business is finished. Mr. Tweedle said he'd replied, sir. Oh, well, very well then. No, that's the last of them. A thousand thanks. Oh, not at all. Scott kilts a precious little used to a ship full of sailors. But they may do a turn for you this morning. I feel sure they will. Well, we, uh, we must be on our way. Less than an hour until daybreak. Goodbye, Major. Goodbye, Commander. Are you, uh, you almost looked me up after the war. Don't always reach me at the Navy Club in St. James's Square. Thank you, sir. I'll do that. Au revoir. Au revoir, Major. A, uh, bon chance. And that sort of thing. All right? We can get underway now. Uh, finished with your visitor, sure, sir. Scarcely a social call, Mr. Tweedle. I think we may have been of some help to our allies this morning. Of course, sir. Uh, oh, Captain, the flagship's been trying to reach you. Yes, yes. Mr. Inslee said something. I signaled him that you'd gone ashore. Oh, you did? Well, that must have intrigued them. Well, I shouldn't say they were pleased. Adjusted, received, disreplied from them. Hmm? As senior officer present aboard, you are ordered to take command of Fire Drake and proceed to Fleet Rendezvous immediately. Well, that's a neat double cross, Mr. Tweedle. I'm sorry, Mr. Bredman, for my responsibilities to the ship on which I serve. Yes, yes, I can see it is. However, since you're once more aboard... Oh, no, Mr. Tweedle. You have your orders from the flag? Follow them. Meddling rulebook sailor. His captious wireless message had made an unnecessary embarrassment for me. But I had no doubts that my explanation of the night's work would fully satisfy the Admiral. So, let Mr. Tweedle have his little moment of triumph and command. I stood out on the starboard bridge wing as we pulled away from the Belgian coast. And through my binoculars in the grey dawn, I thought I saw the flashing red and yellow of the Cameron plaid as the last day of the first battle of Flanders began. As I expected, the Admiral made a thorough investigation of the matter and a few days later I faced him in his quarters aboard the flagship. Mr. Bredman, your little adventure of a few nights ago involves some very serious breaches of discipline. You disposed of war material without authorization. You left your ship without authorization. You deliberately violated the fleet orders regarding assistance to land forces. And I managed to stop the German advance dead in its tracks, sir. Mr. Bredman, we know that the German advance has been stopped, but it was stopped by opening the dykes of the Isle River, the plan which has been part of the Belgian and French grand strategy for years. Sir, the dykes would never have been opened if the Belgian lines hadn't held that last day of the battle. And they were held because the Germans' attack was slowed down. And it was slowed down because the Germans thought the Belgians were reinforced by the first camera in Highlanders. Mr. Bredman, I have given your story the benefit of every doubt. I have even queried the Belgian General's staff to try to substantiate it. I have their reply. They have no record of any unit being outfitted in Highlanders' uniforms. But this wasn't the General's staff matter, sir. It was on a regimental letter. I may say there is even some doubt on the part of the members of your crew. Whether or not the men who received the uniforms were Belgians. What? Yes, Mr. Dweddle says... Mr. Dweddle, that meddling fool from the cargo ship... That is enough, Mr. Bredman. It is the decision of the Fleet Inquiry Board that you will be relieved of your command, placed in irons, and be returned to Hull to face court-martial at the earliest possible moment. The court-martial at Hull sustained the Board of Inquiry's decision, and I spent the rest of the war in prison. Afterwards, naturally, I had to leave England and wherever I went. Cape Town, Vancouver, Singapore, Melbourne, sooner or later, the story, their story, followed me. Sooner or later, some ex-navy man would turn up who recognized me, and I would have to move on. At last, I have come back to this Belgian beach where it all happened, and here I have found the one man who believes my story. He is the proprietor of this little inn where I now lie ill and too tired to fight any longer. It is too late now to worry about my reputation. But he has persuaded me to write this letter that my son may not have to bear the undeserved infamy which I have been forced to endure. And he has kindly offered to carry this message to any who may yet be interested in clearing the record of Edward Bradman, Commander Royal Navy. That's all very well, Mr. Ordway. But there is not a single statement in that letter that has not been entered as evidence in Bradman's court-martial. There's no new proof. There's nothing here. Excuse me, Admiral. I wish to present to this board the bearer of Commander Bradman's letter, Mr. Wolfgang Bechtelm. Good to talk, gentlemen. You are the proprietor of the Auberg de Dermatelot, where Commander Bradman is now staying. Yeah, I am. But you're accent. You're German, aren't you? Yes. How is it that you own an inn on the Belgian coast? Uh... After the war, I could no longer bear to live in Germany in the midst of the misery that I had helped to cause. So I, too, like a criminal returning to the scene of his crime, went back to the beach at Neuport. I have been there ever since. This is all very interesting, but I don't see what it is to do. Sir, please. I am the proof you have been asking for. I swear that every word of Commander Bradman's statement is truth. Commander Bradman is indeed the man who won the war. I know. Because I am the man who lost the war. I was the sentry who fell asleep. Midshipman Edward Bradman. Here, sir. Advance three paces. Midshipman Bradman has come and down to the Royal Navy College. It is my honor, by order of his most gracious Majesty, George V, to ask you to receive this Victoria Cross awarded posthumously to your late father, Commander Edward Bradman, for gallantry and intrepidity beyond the line of duty, and to try to accept the humble apologies of a belatedly grateful Empire. Escape is produced and directed by William N. Robson, and as tonight presented, the man who won the war by Robert H. Buckner, dramatized for radio by Mr. Robson, featured in the cast was Ben Wright as Commander of the United States. The cast was Ben Wright as Commander Bradman. Also heard were John Daner, Terry Kilburn, Joseph Kearns, Barton Yarborough, Jeff Corey, Ian Wolfe, Paul Fries, Charlie Lung and John Hoyt. Special music was arranged and conducted by Del Castillo. Next week. You are standing on the floor of the sea in the middle of the sunken city of Fort Royale, those fabulous chests of treasure waiting to be hauled to the surface. But your life depends on the ship above you, where the treachery of your partners has left you with no escape. Next week, Escape will be heard at a new time on Friday evening. Next week, we escape with the story of a diver who discovered an entire city beneath the sea, Fort Royale, an exciting tale suggested by Lieutenant Harry Riesberg's book, I Dive for Treasure. Goodbye then, until a week from Friday, when once again we offer you Escape. Now stay tuned for the adventures of Philip Marlowe, which follow immediately over most of these same CBS stations. This is CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System.