2025 marks the 84th Anniversary of Formation and WWII Overseas Deployment of No. 450
2025 marks the 84th Anniversary of Formation and WWII Overseas Deployment of No. 450
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filler@godaddy.com
The 24/25 March 1944 was a momentous night for those hundreds, incarcerated in Stalag Luft III, a German Prisoner of War camp for air force officers located at Zagań, Poland.
It was the night of a major prison escape.
This escape involved the simultaneous digging of three tunnels in the hope that at least one would not be detected by the Germans. The tunnels were known as Tom, Dick and Harry. In the process of digging, 'Tom' was detected by the Germans and blown up, and 'Dick' was stopped as a new part of the camp was to be built over it, and its exit. Now all work focused on 'Harry'…
Initially the plan was to include about 200 prisoners in the escape but on the night in question this was reduced to 100 due to freezing temperatures; snow; an air raid and a collapsing tunnel. Finally 76 prisoners made it through the tunnel and into the surrounding forest.
WWII illustration depicting Air Force Officers of The Great Escape
courtesy of the family of Ley B. Kenyon, illustrator.
Of the 100 airmen selected to take part in this bold escape for freedom Squadron Leader John Edwin Ashley Williams DFC, RAF; Flight Lieutenant Reginald Victor Kierath, RAAF; Flight Lieutenant Leslie George Bull, DFC, 109 Squadron RAF; and Flight Officer Jerzy Mondschein, 304 (Polish) Squadron RAF, joined up with a group of eight other airmen, after their escape and started to walk in an easterly direction to a small train station in Tschiebsdorf, Poland, disguised as foreign workers on leave.
At about 4am, they finally reached the train station where Jerzy Mondschein with his flawless German, was to buy twelve train tickets to Boberröhrsdorf, Germany near Jelenia Gora, Poland. The clerk behind the counter was somewhat suspicious of the group, but Jerzy’s nerve held and the group successfully boarded the train heading south toward Boberröhrsdorf, at the Czechoslovakian border.
After leaving the Boberröhrsdorf,train station, the group divided, leaving the four airmen—Williams, Kierath, Bull and Mondschein together to continue on foot.
The four airmen began walking in the direction of Harrachov and tried to cross the snow covered Giant Mountains to reach Czechoslovakia, walking the last 20 kilometres or so in waist deep snow drifts. The Germans had already initiated a national alert, which resulted in the capture of many groups of prisoners within a short time after the escape, especially those who were on foot. Williams, Kierath, Bull and Mondschein were also recaptured by a German mountain patrol near the border, taken to Reichenberg jail and interrogated by the Gestapo.
According to the war crimes investigation at 0400 hours on Wednesday 29 March 1944, Bull, Mondschein, Kierath and Williams were taken from Reichenberg jail, to the city of Brüx, which is now known as Most, in the Czech Republic, and shot by the Gestapo.
These brave men were among 'the 50' escapees that were selectively shot by the Germans after what we all know now, as The Great Escape.
Their bodies were cremated in the local crematorium that same day. Records however, show the order for their cremation was clearly dated 28 March 1944, an unforgivable sign of intended premeditated murder by the Gestapo, and a violation of their rights as prisoners of war, under the Geneva Convention.
The fifty escapees cremated (to disguise the manner of their deaths) had their ashes returned in urns to the Senior British Officer, G/Capt. Massey, at Żagań, Poland. These urns were placed in a purpose-built memorial constructed by the prisoners in the camp during the summer of 1944 with the permission of the German Kommandant, Oberst Franz Braune.
Ashes of SL John Edward Ashley ‘Willy’ Williams DFC
Plot 8, Row D, Grave No.1
Poznan Old Garrison Cemetery, Poland.
British War Graves Commission.
After the war these ashes were recovered and reinterred in the Poznan Old Garrison Cemetery in Poland. Today the cemetery is under the control of the British War Graves Commission. The ashes of SL John Edward Ashley ‘Willy’ Williams DFC are in Plot 8, Row D, Grave No.1, and those of F/Lt Reginald ‘Rusty’ Kierath are in Plot 8, Row D, Grave No.3.
Both SL John Edward Ashley ‘Willy’ Williams DFC and F/Lt Reginald ‘Rusty’ Kierath were posthumously awarded an MID (Mention in Despatches) on the 8 June 1944.
Circa 2012—Most Municipal Cemetery, Pod Konskym vrchem Most, Czechia
After extensive research and dedication by a Czech commercial pilot Michal Holy whose long standing interest in aviation history led him to the story of the four Great Escape allied air force officers executed near Most in the Czech Republic, a granite memorial dedicated to these four airmen was officially unveiled on the 24 March 2012. This memorial is located in the WWII section of the MOST Municipal Cemetery, approx. 100 metres from the Most Crematorium, where the bodies of these four brave men had been cremated.
Michal's research has brought together descendants of the four men. Immediately after the memorial service, they spent three days tracing the ill-fated footsteps of their ancestors.
The surviving veterans of No. 450 Squadron RAAF and descendants of the many men who have since passed on, honour the memory of FL Leslie Bull DFC; FO Jerzy Mondschein; SL John ‘Willy’ Williams DFC, MID; and FL Reginald ‘Rusty’ Kierath MID and pay homage to Michal Holy, whose dedication has brought their story to the attention of the people of the United Kingdom, Australia and the Czech Republic, ensuring that the names of these heroes of the Great Escape are now inscribed in stone forever—Lest We Forget
I was privileged to represent our association at the ceremony and visit the site of Stalag Luft III along with other sites important to the story of the these four airman. Our squadron website contains a detailed story of the dedication as well as photographs and links to Louise Williams’ website dedicated to the honour of the fallen four. I would encourage everyone to visit both websites to learn more about this amazing Story of Our Heroes of the Great Escape.
Photos of my trip, including several others recently sent to me showing the Stalag Luft III site in winter this year as photographed by the memorial’s initiator and newfound friend, Michal Holy from the Czech Republic, can be located on our website.
At the same hour on the same day, to coincide with the service being held in Most, Czech Republic a service was conducted in Australia at No. 450 Squadron’s Memorial located in the grounds of RAAF Base Williamtown, NSW. This service was coordinated by members of our association with assistance from No. 3 Squadron and was attended by members of the Kierath and Williams’ families, with representatives from RAF No. 50 SQN; RAAF No. 3, 77, 75 SQNs; and 450 SQN association members, families and friends.
To complement the memory of this auspicious occasion Peter Kierath, nephew of FLT Reginald ‘Rusty’ Kierath MID, who also attended the Most ceremony, has kindly donated a beautiful album of wonderful photographs of his trip to Most, highlighting the memorial service, for our association archives of which we are sincerely grateful.
Michael Thompson
President and Child of the 450
—Memorial Service held at RAAF Base Williamtown, NSW
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