WHEN Douglas Hudson and his comrades crashed their Blenheim bomber in North Africa and were taken prisoner they thought their war was over.

But after two-and-a-quarter years held captive, Mr Hudson was liberated and went on to fly Lancasters over Nazi Germany.

Mr Hudson (92) DFC AE RAFVR, has already sold 6,000 copies of his wartime memoirs There and Back Again: A Navigator's Story.

His latest work, Destined to Fly Again: A Navigator's Story, is a more in-depth look at his time as a PoW.

It includes his bids for freedom, the stinking camps, and even a night in a brothel.

Mr Hudson, from Heighington, near Lincoln, was taken prisoner in August 1940 and was imprisoned in three Vichy French-run camps: Le Kef in Tunisia and Aumale and Laghouat in Algeria, before he was liberated by the Allies in November 1942.

Mr Hudson, who escaped twice from Laghouat and was recaptured both times, said bids for freedom and games of bridge helped keep him sane.

Apart from the poor food, temperatures at Lahouat reached 150F, or 65C, in July and August.

His first escape attempt was over a toilet wall and the second bid for freedom was through a 194ft long tunnel.

"It took seven months to dig in disgustingly filthy working conditions," said Mr Hudson.

"As servicemen it was our duty from the moment we became prisoners of war to try to escape so we could fight again.

"We despised the Vichy French, not the French themselves, because they were traitors and collaborators. Had I been a PoW in a German camp there's no doubt I'd have been there until the end of the war."

Mr Hudson said he had been surprised at the technological advances in the RAF in the relatively short period he was incarcerated.

"I started flying again after I was rehabilitated. In total, I flew 35 operational sorties – 30 on Lancasters – and 47 instructing missions on Halifaxs and Lancasters in the war," he said.

"I was so impressed by the technological developments of radar and of course the Lancaster."

The book is published on May 1 by Tucann Books.

Publisher Tom Cann said readers can expect history from someone in the thick of it.

"Douglas was a young bloke at the time and reading this book shows that men like him who are old now were no different to the youngsters of today."