WW11 Hero

[Colchester Kev]

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

[Robert HM]

Hero! RIP

[tikay]

Thanks Kev.

John was a proper man, & in an age where the word is over-used, he really was a Legend.

RIP.

[Colchester Kev]

"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.

[Div]

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.

[technolog]

RIP

We have a lot to thank these heroes for.

[cia260895]

RIP

We have a lot to thank these heroes for.

real men ..

[Div]

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?