We were joined by Rafe Bethell, the son of Richard Anthony 'Tony' Bethell, to tell us about his life as a pilot, Great Escaper, Rugby 'Barbarian' and his life in Canada after the war. Rafe also shared about his father's legacy through the Bethell Hospice, which bears his name, and cares for people in their days of life. If anyone wishes to support the work of the Bethell Hospice, you can do so here: https://bhf.akaraisin.com/ui/bhfdonations/donations/start

For You The War Is Over is a podcast that looks at the real life stories of Prisoner-of-War escapes from the the Second World War. Hosted by Dave Robertson and Tony Hoskins, each episode looks at a new escape. 

If you would like to follow us, you can find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram or if you would prefer to email us, we can also be reached on [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Casey became a prisoner of war very early on, and so became involved in many escape attempts, including one in which he escaped with the future Carry On actor, Peter Butterworth. For the Great Escape he was both the ‘trapfuhrer’ for tunnel Tom, and then in charge of the safeguarding of the escape contraband. Using previously unseen letters sent to his escape partner’s father, we can also reveal how he escaped, with whom, and where he was recaptured.

For You The War Is Over is a podcast that looks at the real life stories of Prisoner-of-War escapes from the the Second World War. Hosted by Dave Robertson and Tony Hoskins, each episode looks at a new escape. 

If you would like to follow us, you can find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram or if you would prefer to email us, we can also be reached on [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Photo Reconnaissance Spitfire pilot from Scotland who was shot down while photographing the Tirpitz in Norway, he would become a tunneller and escape with Mike Casey. His biographer, and regular co-host, Tony Hoskins, shared with us his life story.

For You The War Is Over is a podcast that looks at the real life stories of Prisoner-of-War escapes from the the Second World War. Hosted by Dave Robertson and Tony Hoskins, each episode looks at a new escape. 

If you would like to follow us, you can find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram or if you would prefer to email us, we can also be reached on [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shot down before his native Canada had even declared war on Germany, he was taken to meet Goering as one of the very earliest Allied servicemen to be taken prisoner of war. He was involved in scrounging, talking to guards, bribing them to get the contraband needed for the Great Escape. We were joined by his son, Andrew Thompson, and grandson, Jesse Beauchamp, to share his story with us.

For You The War Is Over is a podcast that looks at the real life stories of Prisoner-of-War escapes from the the Second World War. Hosted by Dave Robertson and Tony Hoskins, each episode looks at a new escape. 

If you would like to follow us, you can find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram or if you would prefer to email us, we can also be reached on [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We were delighted to be joined by three members of Bill Cameron's family, his daughter, Vanessa, his son, Fraser, and his nephew, Ron, who kindly shared his fascinating story. One of the more unassuming members of the Great Escape, Bill Cameron was a Canadian of few words, which belied an incredible life story.

For You The War Is Over is a podcast that looks at the real life stories of Prisoner-of-War escapes from the the Second World War. Hosted by Dave Robertson and Tony Hoskins, each episode looks at a new escape. 

If you would like to follow us on Twitter we can be found @FYTWIO we can also be found on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/FYTWIO/ or if you would prefer to send a more long form message we can also be reached via email at [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Inspired by his uncle’s service in the Royal Flying Corp during the First World War, Cyril Swain became a pilot even before the outbreak of the Second World War. Shot down after spending some time as an instructor following an eye injury, we believe he became involved in the carpentry team for the Great Escape, helping to cut and prefabricate the bed boards used for shoring the length of the tunnel. 

For You The War Is Over is a podcast that looks at the real life stories of Prisoner-of-War escapes from the the Second World War. Hosted by Dave Robertson and Tony Hoskins, each episode looks at a new escape. 

If you would like to follow us, you can find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram or if you would prefer to email us, we can also be reached on [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Robert Campbell 'Bob' Stewart worked for a tunnelling company prior to the war - a useful employment to have as a future POW escaper - before being shot down on his thirtieth operation, on what would have been his last mission before completing a tour of duty in Bomber Command.

For You The War Is Over is a podcast, hosted by Dave Robertson and Tony Hoskins, which looks at the real life stories of Prisoner-of-War escapes from the the Second World War.

If you would like to follow us on Twitter we can be found @FYTWIO we can also be found on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/FYTWIO/ or if you would prefer to send a more long form message we can also be reached via email at [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Patrick Nelson joined us to tell us about his father, Bob Nelson, whose experience as a mechanical engineer was put to good use by the carpentry team for the Great Escape, helping Jens Muller with the making of the air pumps. After the war he would also go on to work for the UN as an aircraft accident investigator.

For You The War Is Over is a podcast that looks at the real life stories of Prisoner-of-War escapes from the the Second World War. Hosted by Dave Robertson and Tony Hoskins, each episode looks at a new escape. 

If you would like to follow us on Twitter we can be found @FYTWIO we can also be found on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/FYTWIO/ or if you would prefer to send a more long form message we can also be reached via email at [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dick Churchill's sons, David and Roger, join us to tell us about the long life of their father, the last surviving Great Escaper. He had originally been due to escape with Tom Kirby-Green, but Kidder was deemed the better fit, and so he escaped with Bob Nelson instead. After the war, he was instrumental in organising the reunions attended by the surviving Great Escapers.

For You The War Is Over is a podcast that looks at the real life stories of Prisoner-of-War escapes from the the Second World War. Hosted by Dave Robertson and Tony Hoskins, each episode looks at a new escape. 

If you would like to follow us on Twitter we can be found @FYTWIO we can also be found on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/FYTWIO/ or if you would prefer to send a more long form message we can also be reached via email at [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A crewmate of Johnny Bull who was shot down at the same time as the first man out of the tunnel, Grisman would also become an enthusiastic tunneller for the Great Escape. We were joined by Jackson Van Uden from the "History with Jackson" Podcast to share the story of Jack Grisman with us.

For You The War Is Over is a podcast, hosted by Dave Robertson and Tony Hoskins, which looks at the real life stories of Prisoner-of-War escapes from the the Second World War.

If you would like to follow us on Twitter we can be found @FYTWIO we can also be found on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/FYTWIO/ or if you would prefer to send a more long form message we can also be reached via email at [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.