Churchman Goes Underground

No one in Tunis was more tickled to see the British First Army than the Rev. Isaac Dunbar, British rector of St. George's Church.* The victory ended Mr. Dunbar's 167 days of hide-&-seek with the Nazis and Italians.

Shortly after the Axis occupation of Tunis, Mr. Dunbar got word that he was on their hostage list. He gathered some convert Jews and other trusted friends, held a last secret religious service. Then he went into hiding. The Italians and Nazis were hot after him, and eight times he was forced to seek new shelter. Once he shivered: General von Arnim set up headquarters in the next villa; one night, when he slipped back to the old rectory to fetch some medicine, the Nazis moved into his refuge, and he escaped capture only because friends tipped him off.

Last week cheers in the streets got the best of Mr. Dunbar's curiosity. Although he had not before shown his face at a window lest he be recognized, he took a peek, saw British tanks rolling down the street. He buttoned on his clerical collar, stepped out into the open for the first time in five months, added his cheers to the others'.

*In St. George's churchyard John Howard Payne, author of Home, Sweet Home, lies buried. Payne was American consul at Tunis when he died there in 1852.

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