Ian Lachlan Mackay McGeoch (1914-2007) was born in Helensburgh on 26 March 1914. After graduating from naval school in Pangbourne, he enlisted in the Royal Navy as an officer cadet and served on warships and submarines. In 1936, he was promoted to Lieutenant and took service on the HMS Clyde in Malta, where he remained until the beginning of the Second World War. In 1940, he returned to the United Kingdom and participated in several maritime operations in the Mediterranean and North Africa on the submarine Splendid as part of Operation Torch. 

On 17 April 1943, he boarded the Splendid once more, leaving Malta for Capri. Off the coast of the Italian island, on 21 April, the Splendid was intercepted and sunk by a German destroyer. The crew was captured by the Germans, who brought the men ashore and handed them to the Capua PG. McGeoch , wounded in one eye (he would eventually go blind from that eye), was interrogated by the Germans in Capua and managed to get in touch with the camp’s British Senior Officer, who explained to him the Italian railway network in case he could attempt to escape from a train headed to Germany.

However, because of his wound, McGeoch was handed over to the Italians and transferred to the Caserta Military Hospital. At this point, he was determined to escape at the first chance. With other prisoners in the hospital, he began plotting his escape by digging a tunnel; however, their plan failed as they were all transferred to another ward before they could finish. On 21 June 1943, McGeoch and other prisoners were loaded on a train to an unknown destination, but, taking advantage of the sentry’s sleepiness, they managed to jump off the train and head into the surrounding countryside. 

After their meeting with the farmer, the group decided to resume their journey northwards along the main road. Along the way, they ran into an old vagrant, who joined them for the day. However, after a couple of hours, they were intercepted by some Carabinieri who arrested them and brought them to their barracks. There, they discovered that they had fallen for the man’s trick, as he was not a vagrant at all. 

Ian was brought to Rome and confined in a hut used to shelter horses, waiting for interrogation. After that, he was loaded onto a car, but, while on the road, his captors were forced to stop because of an Allied bombing raid. Taking advantage of the confusion, McGeoch attempted to escape, running away along the street and looking for an air raid shelter. He planned to stay put for a while and then get protection from the Vatican. However, once more, he was recaptured shortly after and brought back to a PG. 

On 10 July 1943, McGeoch was transferred to PG 5, Gavi. After a few attempts, he was listed among the PoWs to be exchanged due to health reasons. He eventually left the camp on 31 August, as he was transferred to the Piacenza Hospital. McGeoch stayed there until 7 September when, after a trip by train, he was moved to the Bergamo Military Hospital. The next day, while he was still waiting for repatriation, he learned of the Armistice.

On 10 September, McGeoch got permission from the British Senior Officer to escape, even though the BSO warned him that many German soldiers were in the town (but not in the hospital).

The next day, McGeoch marched to the village of Mezzoldo, where he met a shepherd who gave him lunch and shelter in a cellar in Passo San Marco. He shared his accommodation with a few Italian soldiers who were also trying to go back home. On 12 September, McGeoch and the soldiers managed to reach Genoa, where he was able to find a ride to the town of Morbegno.

However, as he was boarding the train to Tirano, McGeoch was stopped by a Carabiniere who asked him for his papers, and since he had none, he was brought to the local barracks. There, McGeoch confessed he was an escapee trying to reach Switzerland, and the Italian Captain decided to simply let him go, warning him that the Germans were patrolling the border and he should go through Monte Masuccio.

Once in Switzerland, McGeoch spent a few days in Poschiavo with a banker who had married an Englishwoman. He was then sent to Samedan and finally to Berne, where he was greeted by the British Military Attaché, who immediately arranged for him to get eye surgery. On 16 September, he was treated at the local hospital and underwent two surgical operations that, for the time, were successful. However, he had to wait another five months before he could return home. On 8 March 1944, he finally landed in the United Kingdom, having crossed France and Spain and reached Gibraltar.