Last Saturday I read a fascinating article in The Times about Roger Bushell. He was dramatised as 'Roger Bartlett' in The Great Escape, played by Richard Attenborough. He was born in S Africa to British parents and sent back to Britain to school at the age of 14. He clearly had a good brain and qualified as a lawyer and became fluent in French and German at the same time as pilot training in the RAF. He was also excelled at athletics and skiing. On his first engagement with enemy aircraft in May 1940 he damaged two German planes and was then shot down himself. He became a prisoner of war and was sent to a camp near Frankfurt from where he escaped in June 1941. He was recaptured only a few hundred yards from the Swiss border. In October 1941 he escaped again while being transferred between POW camps and was hidden with the Czech underground movement until May 1942 when he was rounded up by a not very gentle Gestapo and sent to Oflag IV-C - Colditz. The rest is, as they say, in the movie.... The article mentioned that he is listed on multiple memorials including in the cloisters at Pembroke College and after I dropped Rachel at work I nipped in to look for it. It had me very confused for a while as the names stop at 1943 and it took me quite a while to realise that the dates refer to matriculation (registration) at the college not the year that the men died.
Three good things:
1. Stories behind names.
2. Heroism
3. Bake Off on in 15 min - first decent telly in weeks!
Well done for the research. I read that in The Times too and I'm sure Ray did and will be interested to see your post. Agree, decent telly - hardly any!
@quietpurplehaze I'm rather glad that your dad didn't go in for the boys' own, public school indestructible approach and lived to see another day - I'm sure these men must also have been pretty arrogant!
@quietpurplehaze Sadly for all the heroics it seems very few men actually properly escaped and they were probably doing more good spying within the camp. And they shouldn't have been executed as it was against the law - which doesn't mean I don't think they were very brave - just also a 'type'!!
Such wonderful bravery of those young men & to continue to escape after being captured was of the highest order. They don't make as many of that type of young man today!!
Bake off was tremendous wasn't it ...loved that there are lots of men on again...pity about Toby , he was lovely....so many cut fingers!!
@happypat Yes it's a shame that they don't get a practice week!! But I didn't want any to go really - one or two possibly annoying characters coming up though!
Oops, sorry Judith. I don't know why I said Carole. Please forgive me. I must have been looking at her shot and it was still in my head. Anyway, your information was very interesting and this is a great shot.
That's one of the nicest things said to me here on 365 - thank you and he said himself that he didn't want to be a hero but just to get home.
I understand what you say.
Bake off was tremendous wasn't it ...loved that there are lots of men on again...pity about Toby , he was lovely....so many cut fingers!!