RAF Wittering commemorates two Prisoners Of War from WW2
RAF Wittering, which was used as a repatriation site for Prisoners of War (POWs) returning from Germany after the Second World War, has held a special event to commemorate two Stalag Luft III survivors.
Stalag Luft III is best known for two escape plots organised by allied POWs, which were later immortalised in the films The Wooden Horse and The Great Escape.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of both escape plots.
Juliet Stockford, whose father Flight Lieutenant Allan Ball DFC became a prisoner in Stalag Luft III after being shot down over Berlin in August 1943, attended with her son Larry.
They brought a selection of artefacts from Allan’s time in the camp.
Larry said, "My grandfather was a Path Finder with 35 Squadron and was at Stalag Luft III from November 1943 to March 1944.
"He took part in the tunnel excavations as a ‘penguin’, dispersing the tunnel sand around the compound through his trouser pockets".
Flight Lieutenant Ball was eventually repatriated in March 1944 and upon his return to the UK he lectured at RAF Wittering about his experiences at the camp.
Captain Stuart Green, whose father Flight Lieutenant Alan Green was a POW in Stalag Luft III, spoke about how his father, a navigator on 218 Sqn, was captured after his aircraft was shot down in May 1942.
Flight Lieutenant Bentley, who organised the event, said "It was a privilege to meet Larry, Juliet and Stuart and to hear their moving and inspirational family stories.
"Preserving and sharing our history through events such as this is vitally important, particularly for each new generation of RAF personnel."
Join Our Newsletter
