The Great Escape
Discussion
and31 said:
The silk map- I doubt very much he had the map during his time in stalag luft 3,but the compass possibly..
Conk was a serial escaper and had he been allowed to go out on the great escape, ( he was told he was too important digging tunnels for future escapes and wasn’t allowed to go, something he was furious about at the time) , he would probably have been one of the 50 executed.
p_wil88 said:
Thank you. That is very kind.
Sorry for the poor pics-the map didn’t come out too well at all!There was a couple more maps of China! He stayed in the RAF for some years after the war.
My mum was able to borrow his log books,I distinctly remember the bit where he was shot down(in a wellington I think) and captured ,and someone had put presumed killed in the log book, and he put a question mark and lots of exclamation marks in it when he got back in 1945
Not sure if I mentioned it previously in this thread but I was lucky enough to see his scrapbook(it was more a collection of bits and pieces of paper and drawings),lots of journalists and writers and TV people would borrow this, and sadly it would return with less and less content every time apparently
p_wil88 said:
Wow, thank you very very much for sharing these incredible items. I’m going to Zagan next week for the 80th anniversary of the Great Escape. It’s interesting to hear why he had to stay behind in the camp too. I believe Robert Ker Ramsay was told to stay behind too to help out with future escapes.
On a previous escape, (I think it might have been the de-lousing party escape-)Conk thought he was away and on a train he noticed to his horror, the camp doctor was sitting almost opposite him -he hid behind a newspaper for what seemed like an age, only for the doctor to tell him “ I’m sorry Canton, I have to take you back” or something similar!!Another escape he made it to Sweden, only to be turned over back to the Germans by the Swedes-he absolutely hated the swedes for that-quite understandably
He was also a cleptomaniac after the war,he’d steal anything that might have been any use to him without thinking!
There is a passage in paul brickhill’s book about the great escape about conk swiping a long length of wire from the camp electricians-this was used to light one of the tunnels for quite some way…
He was also a cleptomaniac after the war,he’d steal anything that might have been any use to him without thinking!
There is a passage in paul brickhill’s book about the great escape about conk swiping a long length of wire from the camp electricians-this was used to light one of the tunnels for quite some way…
and31 said:
Another escape he made it to Sweden, only to be turned over back to the Germans by the Swedes-he absolutely hated the swedes for that-quite understandably
He was also a cleptomaniac after the war,he’d steal anything that might have been any use to him without thinking!
There is a passage in paul brickhill’s book about the great escape about conk swiping a long length of wire from the camp electricians-this was used to light one of the tunnels for quite some way…
I never knew that about his escape to Sweden and the Swedes turning him in to the Germans, that’s terrible. I wonder why they did that? I’m not surprised that he wasn’t too keen on the Swedes after the war. I remember reading about the delousing break in Brickhills book, and his unfortunate encounter with the camp Doctor. Thank you for all of this information, it is very much appreciated. Do you know which year he passed away? Did he attend many POW reunions? He was also a cleptomaniac after the war,he’d steal anything that might have been any use to him without thinking!
There is a passage in paul brickhill’s book about the great escape about conk swiping a long length of wire from the camp electricians-this was used to light one of the tunnels for quite some way…
p_wil88 said:
I never knew that about his escape to Sweden and the Swedes turning him in to the Germans, that’s terrible. I wonder why they did that? I’m not surprised that he wasn’t too keen on the Swedes after the war. I remember reading about the delousing break in Brickhills book, and his unfortunate encounter with the camp Doctor. Thank you for all of this information, it is very much appreciated. Do you know which year he passed away? Did he attend many POW reunions?
I’m going to say it would have been roughly 2009 ish that he passed away-he got too infirm to live in his own house any longer, despite the best efforts of a few people helping to look after him(he was also almost blind too as I recall) and was moved to a care home in Leatherhead.I think he was there about six months before he passed away-my parents attended his funeral where they met one of conk’s fellow pow’s from stalag luft 3-Jimmy JamesJimmy quite liked the attention of the media and going to events and signings and stuff according to conk, whereas he himself really didn’t like to be in the spotlight.
My mother passed away in 2011 -she would have been able to give you much more information-she was very fond of Conk.
I also have conk and Jimmy James’ signatures in my paul brickhill book(a much treasured item!)
p_wil88 said:
Wow, thank you very very much for sharing these incredible items. I’m going to Zagan next week for the 80th anniversary of the Great Escape. It’s interesting to hear why he had to stay behind in the camp too. I believe Robert Ker Ramsay was told to stay behind too to help out with future escapes.
Please post some of your experiences of your visit-I’m very interested obviously!!There’s been limited engagement from outside of the two core posters on this thread. I suspect that’s because it feels like we are intruding on a very private conversation. But, I wanted to say how fascinating this is and how the memories need to stay “alive”.
This thread update is very timely. Being in the US, we have holocaust survivors meeting with kids to let them know what it was like as a child in the war. Some tough conversations have been had with my kids. But, they are necessary.
This thread update is very timely. Being in the US, we have holocaust survivors meeting with kids to let them know what it was like as a child in the war. Some tough conversations have been had with my kids. But, they are necessary.
Edited by h0b0 on Saturday 23 March 01:56
h0b0 said:
There’s been limited engagement from outside of the two core posters on this thread. I suspect that’s because it feels like we are intruding on a very private conversation. But, I wanted to say how fascinating this is and how the memories need to stay “alive”.
This thread update is very timely. Being in the US, we have holocaust survivors meeting with kids to let them know what it was like as a child in the war. Some tough conversations have been had with my kids. But, they are necessary.
This thread update is very timely. Being in the US, we have holocaust survivors meeting with kids to let them know what it was like as a child in the war. Some tough conversations have been had with my kids. But, they are necessary.
Edited by h0b0 on Saturday 23 March 01:56
h0b0 said:
There’s been limited engagement from outside of the two core posters on this thread. I suspect that’s because it feels like we are intruding on a very private conversation. But, I wanted to say how fascinating this is and how the memories need to stay “alive”.
This thread update is very timely. Being in the US, we have holocaust survivors meeting with kids to let them know what it was like as a child in the war. Some tough conversations have been had with my kids. But, they are necessary.
Please don’t feel like you are intruding on a private conversation if that was aimed at me-I’m embarrassed that you might think that-perhaps I could have worded stuff differently-This thread update is very timely. Being in the US, we have holocaust survivors meeting with kids to let them know what it was like as a child in the war. Some tough conversations have been had with my kids. But, they are necessary.
Edited by h0b0 on Saturday 23 March 01:56
Any information that I have shared on here is for everyone to see and the more people the better -apologies if I’ve seemed like I’ve been over familiar with peoples names and stuff
ive been doing a bit of research on an old teacher of mine that was in Stalag Lift 3. He was a navigator on the lancaster.
He was with 106 Sqn and had 2 lucky escapes with the second ending his war at the camp. Nigel Clement Francis Bloy (2 January 1923 – 7 January 1989).
He also played cricket for county and country.
1st Lancaster incident:
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/311581
2nd ending him up at Stalag left 3:
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/81177
He was the most amazing latin teacher and thoroughly good bloke. I remember arm wrestling with him and generally playing around whilst all the other teachers had disappeared to the staff room at breaks.
Apparently he acted as a look out as the tunnels were being dug and never got to be on the escape list.
They really dont make them like that any more.
He was with 106 Sqn and had 2 lucky escapes with the second ending his war at the camp. Nigel Clement Francis Bloy (2 January 1923 – 7 January 1989).
He also played cricket for county and country.
1st Lancaster incident:
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/311581
2nd ending him up at Stalag left 3:
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/81177
He was the most amazing latin teacher and thoroughly good bloke. I remember arm wrestling with him and generally playing around whilst all the other teachers had disappeared to the staff room at breaks.
Apparently he acted as a look out as the tunnels were being dug and never got to be on the escape list.
They really dont make them like that any more.
and31 said:
h0b0 said:
There’s been limited engagement from outside of the two core posters on this thread. I suspect that’s because it feels like we are intruding on a very private conversation. But, I wanted to say how fascinating this is and how the memories need to stay “alive”.
This thread update is very timely. Being in the US, we have holocaust survivors meeting with kids to let them know what it was like as a child in the war. Some tough conversations have been had with my kids. But, they are necessary.
Please don’t feel like you are intruding on a private conversation if that was aimed at me-I’m embarrassed that you might think that-perhaps I could have worded stuff differently-This thread update is very timely. Being in the US, we have holocaust survivors meeting with kids to let them know what it was like as a child in the war. Some tough conversations have been had with my kids. But, they are necessary.
Edited by h0b0 on Saturday 23 March 01:56
Any information that I have shared on here is for everyone to see and the more people the better -apologies if I’ve seemed like I’ve been over familiar with peoples names and stuff
moorx said:
I can’t really see how Ken Rees inspired the completely fictional steve McQueen character.very lazy journalism…p_wil88 said:
and31 said:
Another escape he made it to Sweden, only to be turned over back to the Germans by the Swedes-he absolutely hated the swedes for that-quite understandably
He was also a cleptomaniac after the war,he’d steal anything that might have been any use to him without thinking!
There is a passage in paul brickhill’s book about the great escape about conk swiping a long length of wire from the camp electricians-this was used to light one of the tunnels for quite some way…
I never knew that about his escape to Sweden and the Swedes turning him in to the Germans, that’s terrible. I wonder why they did that? I’m not surprised that he wasn’t too keen on the Swedes after the war. I remember reading about the delousing break in Brickhills book, and his unfortunate encounter with the camp Doctor. Thank you for all of this information, it is very much appreciated. Do you know which year he passed away? Did he attend many POW reunions? He was also a cleptomaniac after the war,he’d steal anything that might have been any use to him without thinking!
There is a passage in paul brickhill’s book about the great escape about conk swiping a long length of wire from the camp electricians-this was used to light one of the tunnels for quite some way…
williamp said:
I've just finished a book about the German nightfighters. They said that, despite neutralist Switzerland had an agreement with Germnay to send the German pilots back if they landed or crashed in Switzerland (but not the Allies). Maybe Sweden had a simmilar agreement for POW's??
I believe there was a similar unwritten agreement with Ireland, German airmen would be interned, allied personnel would be allowed to leave Ireland and return to their bases.
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