A 1939 pocket book belonging to a World War Two Great Escape hero is set for auction after being found during a Midlands house clearance.
The ‘amazing discovery’ was kept in wartime by Australian-born RAF Flight Lieutenant Paul Gordon Royle. He will be forever remembered as one of 76 Allied airmen who escaped a Nazi prisoner of war camp 80 years ago in one of the most famous jail breaks in history. The German Luftwaffe designed the Stalag Luft III camp to be escape-proof but airmen, immortalised in 1963 film The Great Escape, proved them wrong.
On March 24, 1944 Paul was number 55 in a line of prisoners waiting to crawl out through a tunnel named ‘Harry’. During the build up, he was one of the so-called ‘penguins’, inmates who disposed of sand dug out of the tunnel by letting it secretly fall out of their trousers. During the escape, he teamed up with Flt Lt Edgar Humphries. Armed with civilian style clothes, rations and a compass, they made their way out of the tunnel on to snow-covered ground at 2.30am on March 25, 1944.
They spent 24 hours on the run before being recaptured by German Auxiliary Police. Reprisals were brutal. Edgar lost his life. He was one of 50 escapees executed by the Gestapo, believed to be on direct orders from Adolf Hitler. But Paul lived to tell the tale. He was interrogated and put into solitary confinement but his life was spared. He was liberated on May 2, 1945 and discharged from the RAF. He returned to Australia and lived to the grand old age of 101. He died in 2015 in Perth, the last but one veteran of The Great Escape.
Matt Crowson, Head of Militaria at Hansons Auctioneers, which will offer the memorabilia on August 7, said: “It’s an amazing discovery. The pocket book was acquired some years ago during a house clearance at the home of former Nottingham-born England cricketer and WW2 Flight Lieutenant Reg Simpson RAF (1920-2013). As Royle and Simpson were both flight lieutenants it’s likely they got to know each other during the war. An RAF officer’s cap is included in the lot, faintly marked Flt Lt Reg Simpson. The vendor disposed of many of Reg’s WW2 possessions some time ago. The cap and pocket book are the only remaining items.
“The 1937-issue book was signed by Paul on May 16, 1939, just three days after he was inducted into the RAF. It covers all manner of service-related matters, such as flag recognition, ranks within the armed forces, the powers of commanding officers, court martial procedures, rations, knot tying, discipline during flights, world currencies and information useful for a young pilot officer.
“I am guiding it at £300-£500 but worldwide interest in The Great Escape could see it achieve more. In May a swagger stick that belonged to WW2 Great Escape hero Marcel Zillessen sold for £1,000 at Hansons from a £100-£150 estimate. It had been languishing at the back of an airing cupboard in Ticknall, South Derbyshire, for 20 years. It was discovered when a plumber was called to fix the boiler.
“It’s extraordinary to find another memento from this famous prison break in the Midlands, especially as Paul was born in Perth, Western Australia in 1914. In 1938 he was recruited by the RAF and, at the age of 25 in 1939, travelled to England. His first stop was the No.7 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School at Desford in Leicestershire. He embarked on his first dual flight on March 14, 1939, and a solo flight on March 29.
“Paul continued his training, and after the declaration of war on September 3, 1939, his flight experience and training were accelerated, resulting in him emerging from his course as one of the most experienced pilots.
“He was posted to No.53 Squadron on May 14, 1940, and was involved in a reconnaissance mission over France. After being attacked by German fighter aircraft, he was forced to land his Blenheim Mk IV in a field at Fontaine-au-Pire.
“In need of medical attention, he made his way, with fellow flight crew, to a nearby village. Six hours later German forces took them into captivity. Paul endured a year in Stalag Luft I before being transferred to the infamous Stalag Luft III in Sagan, Germany.
“The Nazis did their utmost to make Stalag Luft III escape-proof but those 76 Allied airmen had other ideas. The mass escape was significant due to the impact it had on the Nazi leadership. It demonstrated the determination of Allied prisoners to resist Hitler’s tyranny.”
Auction: The Great Escape pocket book of Flt Lt Paul Gordon Royle will be offered in Hansons Auctioneers’ August 7, 2024 Medals and Militaria Auction.
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Enquiries: [email protected]
Catalogues/bidding: www.hansonslive.co.uk | www.the-saleroom.com | Catalogue due live July 31
