The escape of an Australian soldier

Private Stan Carroll, a soldier from Western Australia, found a 16-foot Greek fishing boat and decided to escape. He used a piece of driftwood as a mast, a fishing spear as a boom, and a piece of bamboo as the peak. For a sail he used an old piece of light canvas which he had found in a flour mill.

Carroll set sail on the night of 11 June, intending to sail along the coast in search of other soldiers. But after coming under German fire at each attempt, he changed his mind and set off alone for Egypt with six tins of chocolate and less than ten litres of water on board.

On the seventh day the wind picked up and the sea became very rough. The boat started to take on water and eventually it broke up. He could see land in the distance, so using the almost empty water tin to stay afloat, he began to swim. It took him seven hours to reach the shore, where he was later found by British troops.