[Col Bruggy]

Hello,

A bit more on P/O J.D.Agrell:

Stalag Luft III - Part III: North (Officer's) Compound - March 1943 - January 1945.

ESCAPE ORGANISATION.
GATE WALK-OUT SCHEMES.
Second Attempt:

On 14th July, 1943 an escape was made by 89786 F/Lt J.D.Agrell RAF*. The guard on the Compound gate was a new man, unfamiliar with Ps/W, his fellow guards and the procedure. Agrell, wearing a German uniform over civilian clothes, told the guards he was an Abwehr man and demanded to be let through the gate. Agrell, who spoke fluent German, had identity papers.
He got through the gate and disposed of his uniform. His civilian clothing had Swedish laundry marks and he was posing as a Swedish workman. He travelled by train from Sagan to Strasbourg where he visited a priest whose address the Escape Committee had given him.The priest was unable to help him so he travelled by train to Mulhouse where he visited a hotel proprietor whose address he had been given by the Escape Committee. This man was unable to help him.
He met a French P/W worker, told him his story and was advised to try and reach Switzerland via Weil. He went by train to Weil but could not show any papers allowing him to cross the frontier. He was accused of being a spy and eventually had to confess his true identity.

* 914000 John Douglas AGRELL (89786) RAFVR. (POW No.1636/Camps:7C/10C/6B/L3).

See:
Stalag Luft III - An Official History of the "Great Escape" PoW Camp.
No Author.
Barnsley:Frontline Books,2016.
pp.183-4.

See also:
Lonesome Road.
Harsh,George
London:London Group,1972.
pp.175-186.

Col.