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Title: WW11 Hero Post by: Colchester Kev on October 05, 2008, 07:58:49 PM http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7652091.stm
John Fancy, died recently aged 95 years. Known as "the Mole" due to his habitual tunnelling escapes, he was the man whos real life antics inspired the film "The Great Escape" I have been to Stalag Luft and seen what this man and his comrades achieved and endured. The fact he lived to the ripe old age of 95 is remarkable when you know the story of "the Great escape" and see how many men lost their lives. http://blondepoker.com/forum/index.php?topic=26256.msg532791#msg532791 The first pic is my Son Liam at Satalag Luft 111, at the spot where the escape tunnel "Harry" opened up (a good few feet short of the trees). The second pic is a memorial built by the surviving POW's after the murder of their comrades who were captured after escaping. http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/64390/Great-Escape-s-hero-tunneller-dies-aged-95 RIP Warrant Officer Navigator Fancy Title: Re: WW11 Hero Post by: Robert HM on October 05, 2008, 08:26:22 PM Hero! RIP
Title: Re: WW11 Hero Post by: tikay on October 05, 2008, 08:48:23 PM Thanks Kev.
John was a proper man, & in an age where the word is over-used, he really was a Legend. RIP. Title: Re: WW11 Hero Post by: Colchester Kev on October 05, 2008, 08:52:57 PM "In 1945 when he was liberated from Lithuania by allied soldiers, they described finding him as “a six-stone, lice-ridden, walking skeleton – but still digging his way under the wire”.
Went on to be a proud grandparent of 10 ... thats some legacy. Title: Re: WW11 Hero Post by: Div on October 05, 2008, 09:23:01 PM I remember as a child reading The Colditz Story by Pat Reid. The ingenuity and endurance of the habitual escapers was quite astounding. The Colditz guys built a glider inside the prison roof! From memory they planned to launch it using a catapult built from a bathtub filled with concrete.
Even now I still find it fascinating to see the obituaries in The Telegraph of people whose names are entirely unknown to me, but when you read what they went through in WW2 they are genuine heroes. This story caught my eye today too. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7653681.stm Ted Briggs, last survivor of the sinking of HMS Hood, died aged 85. Over 1400 men on board, and only three survived when a huge explosion tore the ship apart without warning during a battle with the Bismarck. The battle lasted 15 minutes. Imagine living with that burden for almost 70 years. Title: Re: WW11 Hero Post by: technolog on October 05, 2008, 09:26:08 PM RIP
We have a lot to thank these heroes for. Title: Re: WW11 Hero Post by: cia260895 on October 06, 2008, 01:12:00 AM RIP We have a lot to thank these heroes for. real men .. Title: Re: WW11 Hero (Calling Ironside) Post by: Div on December 05, 2008, 07:40:47 PM Had to bump this thread after my mention of the Colditz glider and my fondness for the Telegraph obits came together today in this article.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/3550917/Brigadier-Hugo-Ironside.html Is he a relative of our very own army legend? |