After just a few weeks he was transferred to an Italian prisoner of war camp where he remained for the next 15 months. When the Italian Armistice was declared on 8th September 1943, the Italian administration of the POW camps ended. At the same time, an Allied instruction had been issued informing all Senior British Officers to keep POWs in their camps and wait for the arrival of the Allied forces. An Allied advance from the beachheads had been expected but was thwarted. The Germans had reinforced Italy to the north as well as central areas of the country, preparing substantial defences in the process. It quickly became obvious that if swift action was not taken, the Germans would move the POWs out to new camps and work camps in Germany. Many of the Italian camp guards fled which left the Senior British Officers in control. Some of these British Officers used the military communication system of bugles to call the men out on parade equipped with pre-packed small packs. Once they were in company formations, they were marched out of camp by the Senior British Officers, the Italian guards having opened the gates and turned a blind eye when the prisoners fled the camps. Some of the northern camps in Italy were re-occupied by the Germans which resulted in their POWs being moved to Germany.