Thaindian News

A British airman who is known to be the last surviving member of the “Great Escape”, and epic prison break which occurred during World War II has passed away at the age of 97 years old.

Harrison was a bomber pilot for the RAF who was taken hostage and held as a war prisoner in November of 1942, after his plane was shot down, and he crashed. He found himself taken to the Stalag Luft III prison camp and soon became a vital part of one of the greatest escape plans of all time.

Although he is now resting in peace, the story of Harrison and these men will live forever in the hearts and minds of those who know the history of “The Great Escape.” In an interview which he gave just before his death, Harrison shared some of his part of the plan.

Harrison had been assigned the job of gardener by the Germans, so his job was to get rid of the dirt which was building up as the prisoners dig tunnels for escape. There were 200 men that were supposed to run from the prison, and Harrison was 96th in line, but an unlucky turn of events caused him to never get his chance to run.

“I guess it was a blessing in disguise I never made it through, as most were shot. But the main purpose wasn’t just to escape. It was to outfox the Germans. It was a huge moral victory. It humiliated Hitler and gave the Nazis a bloody nose.”Harrison said, according to the ‘Associated Press.’

Only 76 men got the chance to use the tunnels, and 73 of those were caught. Fifty of the men who were caught were executed by the Germans. The men who did not get to escape quickly burned any evidence that they were involved.

Harrison went on to tell the tale, “The 77th prisoner was escaping when I heard the shots. I was 96th in line and I was ready to go into the tunnel. I had my kit, false ID, railway passes and German money. But unfortunately, ‘Harry’ had fallen 30 feet short of the wire surrounding the camp.

Only 76 men had emerged before a guard, who had gone to the woods to relieve himself, raised the alarm. We heard a rifle shot and it was all over. I quickly burned the forged documentation in the stove and changed out of the civilian clothing.” Harrison was finally set free when the Russian army set all of the German prisoners free.

In a statement made by his children, Harrison’s character is described, “To others he was considered a war hero, but to us he was much more than that. He was a family man first and foremost as well as a church elder, Rotarian, scholar, traveler and athlete.”