Paul Royle distributed dirt from the 380-foot tunnel the Allied prisoners dug by releasing soil from his pants legs in similar-colored soil. Upon getting away from the camp, he spent two days hiding in a snow-covered forest before he was recaptured.
Flight Lt. Royle was a pilot in the RAF and shot down on May 17, 1940. he was finally liberated by British troops from the Milag Norg prison camp in Germany on May 2, 1945. That was a really long time to be a POW.
He was born in Perth, West Australia in 1914.
--GreGen
The USS North Carolina (BB-55) My all-time favorite warship. As an elementary school student in North Carolina, I donated nickels and dimes to save this ship back in the early sixties.
Showing posts with label "The Great Escape". Show all posts
Showing posts with label "The Great Escape". Show all posts
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
Australian Survivor of "The Great Escape" Dies-- Part 1: Only One Remains
From the August 28, 2015, Fox News/ AP.
Paul Royle, 101, an Australian pilot who participated in World War II's "Great Escape" died August 23, 2015. He and the others were the subject of the 1963 movie by the same name starring Steve McQueen. Now, only one survivor of the 76 POWs who escaped from StalagLuft III, 100 miles southeast of Berlin, remains, British flyer Dick Churchill, 94, a former flight leader.
Paul Royle said he didn't much like the movie and they also never used motor bikes in their escape.
Only three of the escapees, 2 Norwegians and a Danish man made it home. Fifty others were shot to death when captured and another 23 were returned to StalagLuft III or other prison camps.
--GreGen
Paul Royle, 101, an Australian pilot who participated in World War II's "Great Escape" died August 23, 2015. He and the others were the subject of the 1963 movie by the same name starring Steve McQueen. Now, only one survivor of the 76 POWs who escaped from StalagLuft III, 100 miles southeast of Berlin, remains, British flyer Dick Churchill, 94, a former flight leader.
Paul Royle said he didn't much like the movie and they also never used motor bikes in their escape.
Only three of the escapees, 2 Norwegians and a Danish man made it home. Fifty others were shot to death when captured and another 23 were returned to StalagLuft III or other prison camps.
--GreGen
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