Squadron Leader Laurence Reavell-Carter’s bomber was shot down over the Kiel Canal on the night of June 26, 1942. He took part in the “Great Escape,” but surrendered to save the life of another escapee when a sentry stumbled across “Harry’s” exit. This is the statement he gave to RAF investigators after the war:
On the night of 24/25 March 1944, I attempted to escape from the North Compound of Stalag Luft III (Sagan) by means of the tunnel known as “Harry.” I was number seventy-five and was followed by Flight Lt. A.K. Ogilvie and Flight Lt. M.M. Shand. I was wearing a wind-breaker jacket, which I had made in the camp. Underneath this I wore Army battle-dress. I carried a LI-LO* for the purpose of enabling me to cross rivers. I had been supplied with false identity papers, purporting that I was a Hungarian worker, and had maps, compass, food concentrate, chocolate, raisons, etc.
On leaving the tunnel at about 0500 hours just before dawn, I received the “all-clear” signal on the rope from Flight Lt. Langlois. I followed the rope, passed Langlois, and joined Flight Lt. Bethell. He then left with his party, and I awaited the arrival of the other eight members of my party. A few minutes later, I was joined by Flight Lt. A.K. Ogilvie. Flight Lt. M.M. Shand emerged from the exit a few moments later and was crawling along the rope towards me. At this moment, a sentry on patrol outside the fence began to approach the exit of the tunnel. I then signaled on the rope to Shand to be still. When the guard got closer to the exit of the tunnel, he appeared to notice the track through the snow caused by the escapers crawling in the woods. In the interval, Shand resumed crawling and the guard raised his rifle in the direction of Shand and shouted. I thought that the guard was about to shoot Shand, so I jumped from my place of concealment in the wood and shouted to the guard in German, “Do not shoot!” He then fired a shot in the air and began to call for assistance. I advanced towards the guard continuing to shout to him in German. In the meantime, Ogilvie and Shand escaped into the woods without the guard being aware of the fact.
A few minutes later, an N.C.O. arrived from the guard room and took Langlois, Squadron Leader McBride, Royal Canadian Air Force, who was caught just as he was about to emerge from the tunnel, and myself back to the guardroom. There, I destroyed my maps, papers, etc., in the fire. The camp commandant, Oberst Von-Lindeiner, the Abwehr Officer, Major Broli, and the Lager Officer, Haputmann Pieber, arrived and began to question us. Major Broli wanted to know how many had escaped. When we refused to tell him, he said, “That will be so much worse for you.”
At this stage, Von-Lindeiner, who had gone into another room, returned and appeared to be in a terrific rage. He was virtually incoherent in his speech and did mention that the Gestapo would have a hand in the affair. Pieber told me that we would never be allowed to return to the compound. We were then placed in a room in the guardhouse, where we remained for about two hours. We were then taken to the cells in the Vorlager [solitary barracks] and placed in separate cells. We were not allowed to have any heating, food, or washing facilities. Those conditions were enforced for two days, and we were told by one of the guards that it was the commandant’s orders. At the end of that time, normal cell conditions applied, and at the end of the week we were sentenced to twenty-one days detention. This was to include the time already spent in the cells. On 15 April, we were released into the North Compound.
ESCAPE ACTIVITIES
From January 1941 until March 1942 at Stalag Luft I (Barth), I was engaged on the construction of four tunnels. All were discovered prior to completion. About June 1943 in the North Compound, Stalag Luft III, I devised a scheme of getting out of the camp. Over a period of weeks, I instituted the practice of collecting all wastepaper, etc. This was stacked in sacks and taken out of the camp into the Vorlager of the East and Center Compounds by horse-drawn wagons. My scheme was to get into a sack, which would be tied, and to be taken out of the camp with the sacks of waste paper. On the road between the gate of the North Compound and the entrance to the East and Center Compounds, I would cut my way out of the sack, jump off the wagon, and escape into the woods which were close to the road at this point. The distance between the gates was about 200 yards.
The scheme was approved, but I was not to use it as I am too big. It was decided that Flight Lt. Carter, Royal New Zealand Air Force, and Lt. Spires, United States Army Air Force, should be allowed to attempt to escape by this method. On the selected day, these two men were placed in sacks and loaded on the wagon under my supervision. I was assisted by [Flying Officer] Dennis Cochran, Royal Air Force, (now deceased). The wagon left the compound, and Carter and Spires escaped on the way to the main camp as planned. Carter was recaptured on the Island of Rugen about a week later. Spires was recaptured near the camp.
LIBERATION
I was liberated by Allied Forces near Lübeck on 5 May 1945 and sent to Rheine. From there, I was sent by air to the U.K, arriving on May 8.
Source: Statement by Squadron Leader Laurence Reavell-Carter, M.C., 49 Squadron. Air 40/2491/150-153.
* An air mattress.