Second World War pilot involved in the Great Escape

Born: September 2, 1917;

Died March 8, 2019

JACK Lyon, who has died 101, was one of the Second World War veterans involved in the Great Escape, the bold plan to break out of the Stalag Luft III in Germany through three tunnels called Tom, Dick and Harry. The story was later told in a famous film starring Steve McQueen and Richard Attenborough - a movie which Lyon thought was a "load of rubbish".

Lyon had been serving with the RAF as a pilot when his bomber planer was struck by flak near Dusseldorf in 1941. All of the bomber's crew survived the crash-landing, only to be captured by the Nazis and taken to prisoner of war camps.

Lyon, who was a flight lieutenant, ended up in Stalag Luft III, where he was recruited by other prisoners to carry out surveillance of the compound ahead of the famed 1944 Great Escape breakout.

Around 600 men were involved in planing the escape, all involved in different roles. Some dug the tunnels; some surreptitiously disposed of the soil; others, like Mr Lyon, acted as look-outs to ensure the German guards did not discover what was happening.

The plan was eventually put into action on the night of March 24, 1944, through the tunnel known as Harry, which was shored up by planks of wood from various parts of the camp. The final plan was for 200 men to make the attempt and in the end 76 made it out of the camp. However, of those, 73 were recaptured and 50 were executed on the orders of Adolf Hitler. As for Jack Lyon, he was due to follow the other men out but the plot was uncovered before he could escape.

Lyon, who lived in Bexhill-on-Sea, in Sussex and worked as an accountant for Shell, was one of the last surviving prisoners of war from the camp.

In what is believed to be his last interview, which he did ahead of the 75th anniversary of the escape, he labelled the mission a success, but at great cost. There was a terrible aftermath to the breakout because so many prisoners were shot, he said.

Lyon, who joined the air force aged 23, said of the night of the escape: "We were allocated a position and told not to move until called. It was going to be a long night. After an hour or so of this, air raid sirens sounded and all the camp lights went out. We were left in total darkness until I heard a single shot.

"We guessed that probably meant the tunnel had been discovered so we did everything we could to destroy anything incriminating - there were maps, documents."

Lyon said he knew the odds of successfully breaking out of the camp had always been slim. He said: "In a mass breakout, with nationwide hue and cry and bad weather, I would say they were virtually nil. Well, I suppose I was lucky." Lyon later made it home a year after the war was over.

Air Commodore Charles Clarke, a 95-year-old who was a prisoner of war in the same camp as Lyon, called him an incredibly remarkable man. Air Cdre Clarke said: "He was a great entertainer, even in recent years. His eyes sparkled."

In his later years, Lyon had devoted much of his time to ensuring that the true story of the Great Escape was told and was dismissive of the film version - there were no Americans involved, he said, and certainly no motorbike.

The 75th anniversary of the prison break is on March 24 and is being marked with a commemorative film screening by the RAF Benevolent Fund, hosted by TV historian Dan Snow. The event will be streamed live to hundreds of UK cinemas, according to organisers. Jack Lyon had been due to take part.

Dick Churchill, the last surviving member of the 76-strong group who made it out of the camp, died last month aged 99.

Air Vice-Marshal David Murray, chief executive of the RAF Benevolent Fund, said: "Jack belonged to a generation of servicemen we are sadly losing as time goes on.

"His legacy and those of his brave comrades who planned and took part in the audacious Great Escape breakout are the freedoms we enjoy today. Their tenacity and determination spoke volumes about the values and bravery of the entire RAF, in helping to win the fight against the Nazis."

Jack Lyon was married to Hazel Watling for 63 years; she pre-deceased him in 2013.