Nickodell
Donation Time
Sydney Dowse who has just died at age 89, was one of the main constructors of the Great Escape tunnel at Stalag Luft III, as featured in the film of the same name. A Spitfire pilot, Dowse was shot down over France in September 1941 and had to bale out with a wounded leg. Thus started a series of escapes unequalled in WWI or II.
First, he escaped from the hospital where he was being treated, but was recaptured three days later crossing the German/Dutch border. Sent to Stalag Luft IXC, he mingled with a working party and got away again, catching a train to Belgium, then on foot to the border. There, suffering from exhaustion and exposure he was captured again and imprisoned at Oflag VIB, where he helped to build four tunnels, through one of which four officers escaped in April 1942.
From there he was sent to the "punishment camp" Stalag Luft III, at Sagan, one of Goering's "escape-proof" camps where multiple escapees were sent. From this he made two more unsuccessful attempts, before joining the escape committee headed by Sq. Ldr. Roger Bushell (played by Richard Attenbrough in the movie), known by the code name Big X.
Three tunnels - Tom, Dick and Harry - were started, and Dowse worked on Harry, the one that was ultimately used in the big escape. His other job was to obtain up-to-date passes and other documents essential for any successful escape. He did this by befriending a German corporal guard, ultimately obtaining numerous authentic documents for the camp "forgers" to copy, and even civilian clothes. (James Garner's part as "The Scrounger" in the movie was partly based on Dowse's exploits.)
By mid-March 1944, Harry was ready, and on the night of the 23rd. the tunnelers broke out, to find that they were a few yards short of the trees intended to cover their escape. Dowse was the 21st. to exit, along with his Polish friend "Danny" Krol (played by Charles Bronson in the movie), and the two headed for the Polish border. Dowse, through his German guard, had obtained a three-week supply of genuine food vouchers, which they used along the way for meals, masquerading as Polish workers. After walking for 14 days they were close to the Polish border when they were recaptured (easily the last of the tunnel escapers to be caught). While Dowse was taken to Berlin for interrogation, Krol was one of the 50 murdered on the orders of Adolf Hitler.
After interrogation, Dowse was sent to the death camp at Sachsenhausen, where he found three others of the tunnel escapees. Undeterred by the threat of execution, the four dug a 110 ft. tunnel, using a kitchen knife. On the night of September 23 they broke out, causing consternation among the Germans, who put a high price on their heads. To confuse the enemy, they headed west instead of east towards Poland, but were captured near Berlin. Back in Sachsenhausen they were chained to concrete floors for five months of solitary confinement, then moved to another notorious death camp, Dachau, where they were scheduled for execution, but were finally liberated by Allied forces in May 1945. Dowse was awarded the Military Cross for his escape activities.
Trivia Note: Donald Pleasance, who plays "The Forger" in the movie was in real life a POW in Stalag Luft III, but not chosen as one of the escapees - which would probably have deprived us of the pleasure of seeing him in numerous films, like Telefon (ironically, also featuring Charles Bronson) and as Ernst Stavros Blofeld in one of the Bond movies.
First, he escaped from the hospital where he was being treated, but was recaptured three days later crossing the German/Dutch border. Sent to Stalag Luft IXC, he mingled with a working party and got away again, catching a train to Belgium, then on foot to the border. There, suffering from exhaustion and exposure he was captured again and imprisoned at Oflag VIB, where he helped to build four tunnels, through one of which four officers escaped in April 1942.
From there he was sent to the "punishment camp" Stalag Luft III, at Sagan, one of Goering's "escape-proof" camps where multiple escapees were sent. From this he made two more unsuccessful attempts, before joining the escape committee headed by Sq. Ldr. Roger Bushell (played by Richard Attenbrough in the movie), known by the code name Big X.
Three tunnels - Tom, Dick and Harry - were started, and Dowse worked on Harry, the one that was ultimately used in the big escape. His other job was to obtain up-to-date passes and other documents essential for any successful escape. He did this by befriending a German corporal guard, ultimately obtaining numerous authentic documents for the camp "forgers" to copy, and even civilian clothes. (James Garner's part as "The Scrounger" in the movie was partly based on Dowse's exploits.)
By mid-March 1944, Harry was ready, and on the night of the 23rd. the tunnelers broke out, to find that they were a few yards short of the trees intended to cover their escape. Dowse was the 21st. to exit, along with his Polish friend "Danny" Krol (played by Charles Bronson in the movie), and the two headed for the Polish border. Dowse, through his German guard, had obtained a three-week supply of genuine food vouchers, which they used along the way for meals, masquerading as Polish workers. After walking for 14 days they were close to the Polish border when they were recaptured (easily the last of the tunnel escapers to be caught). While Dowse was taken to Berlin for interrogation, Krol was one of the 50 murdered on the orders of Adolf Hitler.
After interrogation, Dowse was sent to the death camp at Sachsenhausen, where he found three others of the tunnel escapees. Undeterred by the threat of execution, the four dug a 110 ft. tunnel, using a kitchen knife. On the night of September 23 they broke out, causing consternation among the Germans, who put a high price on their heads. To confuse the enemy, they headed west instead of east towards Poland, but were captured near Berlin. Back in Sachsenhausen they were chained to concrete floors for five months of solitary confinement, then moved to another notorious death camp, Dachau, where they were scheduled for execution, but were finally liberated by Allied forces in May 1945. Dowse was awarded the Military Cross for his escape activities.
Trivia Note: Donald Pleasance, who plays "The Forger" in the movie was in real life a POW in Stalag Luft III, but not chosen as one of the escapees - which would probably have deprived us of the pleasure of seeing him in numerous films, like Telefon (ironically, also featuring Charles Bronson) and as Ernst Stavros Blofeld in one of the Bond movies.
