Introduction

This page lists the 50 air force personnel murdered by the Germans following the mass POW escape from Stalag Luft III camp during the night of 24-25 March 1944. It was the murder of these airmen that two war crimes trails were conducted after the end of the Second World War.

To read an account of these 2 trials click here.

If you are interested in finding out more about the Great Escape then please visit my references page.

Resting Places

All the fifty airmen were shot by the Germans, either on their own or in small groups. They were collected by various Gestapo agents, and driven away. The prisoners were told to relieve themselves, as the ride to a new POW camp was very long. The airmen were then shot in the back of the head. Their remains were then cremated at various locations. All the urns were eventually returned to Stalag Luft III.

The Vault

The above photograph shows the unfinished vault, designed by Flight-Lieutenant Todd (also a POW), for the ashes of the 50 Officers who were murdered by the Germans. The Vault as it now stands has three granite scrolls rising from the granite slabs seen in the photograph on which the names of the 50 Officers are engraved.

49 of the 50 urns are now buried at Poznan Old Garrison Cemetery in Poland.

The urn containing the ashes of Flight Lieutenant Street, RAF(VR) is buried at the Berlin 1939-45 War Cemetery, Brandenburg, Germany.

The Fifty

The grave number "Coll. 9.A" refers to Collective Grave reference 9.A. The cemetery and grave references were obtained from the "Debt of Honour Register" contained on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's web site.

Name		Rank	Number	Service	Died	Age	Grave No.
Birkland	Henry	Flight Lieutenant	J/5233	RCAF	31/03/44	25	7.C.3
Brettell	Edward Gordon	Flight Lieutenant	61053	RAF(VR)	29/03/44	29	Coll. 9.A
Bull	Leslie George	Flight Lieutenant	43932	RAF	29/03/44	?	7.C.1
Bushell	Roger Joyce	Squadron Leader	90120	RAF	29/03/44	33	Coll. 9.A
Casey	Michael James	Flight Lieutenant	39024	RAF	31/03/44	?	7.D.3
Catanach	James	Squadron Leader	400364	RAAF	29/03/44	22	Coll. 9.A
Christensen	Arnold George	Flight Lieutenant	413380	RNZAF	29/03/44	21	Coll. 9.A
Cochran	Dennis Herbert	Flying Officer	122441	RAF(VR)	31/03/44	23	Coll. 9.A
Cross	Ian Kingston Pembroke	Squadron Leader	39305	RAF	31/03/44	25	7.C.2
Espelid	Halldor	Lieutenant	378	Norwegian	29/03/44	23	?
Evans	Brian Herbert	Flight Lieutenant	42745	RAF	31/03/44	24	7.C.6
Fugelsang	Nils	Lieutenant	742	Norwegian	29/03/44	?	?
Gouws	J.S.	Lieutenant	103275	SAAF	29/03/44	24	Coll. 9.A
Grisman	William Jack	Flight Lieutenant	45148	RAF	06/04/44	29	8.C.4
Gunn	Alastair Donald Mackintosh	Flight Lieutenant	60340	RAF(VR)	06/04/44	24	8.D.7
Hake	Albert Horace	Warrant Officer	403218	RAAF	31/03/44	27	7.D.4
Hall	Charles Piers	Flight Lieutenant	50896	RAF(VR)	30/03/44	?	Coll. 9.A
Hayter	Anthony Ross Henzell	Flight Lieutenant	42124	RAF	06/04/44	23	Coll. 9.A
Humphreys	Edgar Spottiswoode	Flight Lieutenant	44177	RAF(VR)	31/03/44	29	8.C.5
Kidder	Gordon Arthur	Flight Lieutenant	J/10177	RCAF	29/03/44	29	8.D.5
Kierath	Reginald Victor	Flight Lieutenant	402364	RAAF	29/03/44	29	8.D.3
Kiewnarski	Antoni	Major	P0109	Polish	31/03/44	45	?
Kirby-Green	Thomas Gresham	Squadron Leader	39103	RAF	29/03/44	?	7.D.7
Kolanowski	Wlodzimierz	Flying Officer	P0243	Polish	31/03/44	30	?
Krol	Stanislaw Z.	Flying Officer	P0237	Polish	14/04/44	27	?
Langford	Patrick Wilson	Flight Lieutenant	C/1631	RCAF	31/03/44	24	7.C.7
Leigh	Thomas Barker	Flight Lieutenant	46462	RAF	31/03/44	25	7.C.4
Long	James Leslie Robert	Flight Lieutenant	89375	RAF(VR)	13/04/44	?	8.D.6
McGarr	Clement Aldwyn Neville	Lieutenant	95691	SAAF	06/04/44	?	7.D.6
McGill	George Edward	Flight Lieutenant	J/5312	RCAF	31/03/44	?	8.C.7
Marcinkus	Romas	Flight Lieutenant	89580	RAF(VR)	29/03/44	?	Coll. 9.A
Milford	Harold John	Flight Lieutenant	103586	RAF(VR)	06/04/44	?	Coll. 9.A
Mondschein	Jerzy Tomasc	Flying Officer	P0913	Polish	29/03/44	35	?
Pawluk	Kazimierz	Flying Officer	P0740	Polish	31/03/44	27	?
Picard	Henri Albert	Flight Lieutenant	87693	RAF(VR)	29/03/44	?	Coll. 9.A
Pohe	Porokoru Patapu	Flying Officer	402894	RNZAF	31/03/44	29	Coll. 9.A
Scheidhauer	Bernard W.M.	Sous-Lt	30649	French	29/03/44	22	?
Skanzikas	Sortis	Pilot Officer	213	Greek	30/03/44	22	?
Stevens	R.J.	Lieutenant	47431	SAAF	29/03/44	24	Coll. 9.A
Stewart	Robert Campbell	Flying Officer	130452	RAF(VR)	31/03/44	33	8.C.6
Stower	John Gifford	Flight Lieutenant	107520	RAF(VR)	31/03/44	?	Coll. 9.A
Street	Denys Oliver	Flight Lieutenant	123026	RAF(VR)	06/04/44	21	3.A.24
Swain	Cyril Douglas	Flight Lieutenant	37658	RAF	31/03/44	?	8.C.1
Tobolski	Pawel Whilem	Flying Officer	P0375	Polish	02/04/44	38	?
Valenta	Arnost	Flight Lieutenant	82532	RAF(VR)	31/03/44	?	Coll. 9.A
Walenn	Gilbert William	Flight Lieutenant	73022	RAF(VR)	29/03/44	28	Coll. 9.A
Wernham	James Chrystall	Flight Lieutenant	J/6144	RCAF	30/03/44	27	8.C.2
Wiley	George William	Flight Lieutenant	J/7234	RCAF	31/03/44	?	7.D.2
Williams	John Edwin Ashley	Squadron Leader	40652	RAF	29/03/44	24	8.D.1
Williams	John Francis	Flight Lieutenant	106173	RAF(VR)	06/04/44	26	8.C.3