Paul Royle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Paul Royle
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|---|---|
| Birth name | Paul Gordon Royle |
| Born | 17 January 1914 Perth, Western Australia |
| Died | 23 August 2015 (aged 101) Perth, Western Australia |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/ |
 Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | 1938–45 |
| Rank | Flight Lieutenant |
| Unit | No. 53 Squadron RAF |
Flight Lieutenant Paul Gordon Royle (born January 17, 1914 – died August 23, 2015) was an Australian pilot who flew for the Royal Air Force (RAF). He was one of the last two people still alive from the 76 men who managed to escape from a German prisoner-of-war camp called Stalag Luft III during World War II. This famous event is known as The Great Escape.
Contents
Early Life and Becoming a Pilot
Paul Royle was born in Perth, Western Australia. He went to Hale School and later worked in mining in Kalgoorlie.
The Royal Air Force (RAF) visited Australia to find new pilots. Paul was chosen for pilot training. He learned to fly different planes, starting with a de Havilland Tiger Moth by himself. Then, he learned to fly bigger planes like the Avro Anson (a twin-engine trainer) and the Bristol Blenheim aircraft. After his training, he was sent to No. 53 Squadron RAF in northern France as a pilot officer.
Becoming a Prisoner of War
On May 17, 1940, Paul Royle was on a mission when his plane was attacked by Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters. His aircraft crashed, and he was captured by German soldiers.
He spent a year in a prisoner-of-war camp called Stalag Luft I. Later, he was moved to Stalag Luft III in Sagan, Germany (which is now Żagań, Poland). At Stalag Luft III, Paul was one of the prisoners nicknamed "the penguins." These prisoners helped hide the sand that was dug out from escape tunnels by carrying it in their trousers and secretly scattering it. Paul even started a tunnel under Block 68 of the camp.
The Great Escape
On the night of March 24, 1944, Paul Royle was part of the famous escape plan. He was number 57 in the line of prisoners waiting to get out. He teamed up with Flight Lieutenant Edgar Humphreys, who was right behind him.
After being pulled through the narrow tunnel on a small trolley and climbing out, Royle and Humphreys quickly ran for the safety of the pine trees. Their goal was to reach Switzerland. They managed to avoid being caught for two nights and even crossed a big highway (the Berlin to Breslau autobahn). However, they were arrested by local home guard officers when they entered a village.
Both men were questioned by the Gestapo (the German secret police) in Görlitz. Paul Royle was sent back to solitary confinement at Stalag Luft III. Sadly, Edgar Humphreys was one of the 50 escapers who were killed by the SS on the orders of Adolf Hitler.
Life After the War
In January 1945, with Soviet forces getting very close to the camp, the prisoners, including Paul Royle, were forced to march west to another prisoner-of-war camp called Marlag und Milag Nord.
Paul was finally freed by British troops on May 2, 1945. He was flown back to Britain and left the RAF. He then went to the Royal School of Mines. When he returned to Australia, he worked in the mining and engineering industries.
Paul Royle was married twice and celebrated his 100th birthday in January 2014. He passed away on August 23, 2015, at the age of 101. After his death, Dick Churchill was the only remaining survivor of the 1944 Great Escape from Stalag Luft III. Churchill himself died four years later.
