That have very carefully falsified numerous data, Lieutenant Cassie are placed among greatest fifty toward checklist of them who would slip to your canal you to nights
Lieutenant Cassie, a beginner singer since youthfulness and you will a beneficial psychologist once his army services, passed away on a medical house in the Surrey, England, into April 5, his child, Adrian, told you.
His decision to remain about thereon fateful time troubled him for the remainder of his life. To possess given that breakout is regarded as one of Britain’s momentous acts out-of heroic take care of into the World war ii, it did not end since hoped. Of 76 escapees, 73 had been in the future recaptured, and you can 50 of those was indeed performed towards sales of Hitler.
“The four off my hut friends got sample,” Mr. Cassie informed the british newsprint The sunlight when you look at the 2001. “Commonly You will find expected myself, ‘Why don’t I go?’ I can not get rid of the fresh new obscure sense of guilt, you to why should I have been this new happy one?”
When you’re almost every other prisoners have been looking around three tunnels (code-entitled Tom, Knob and you may Harry) according to the half a dozen substances at go camping, shoring him or her with forums from their bunks, Lieutenant Cassie along with his fellow forgers have been at the office within the small rooms.
“One of Dean and you will Dawson’s work-related problems is actually they had to stay because of the a windows so that they may get adequate white due to their finicking functions,” Paul Brickhill, a beneficial prisoner at the camp, published within his 1950 book, “The favorable Avoid,” which became the cornerstone of your motion picture. Fellow prisoners status exterior do signal if a guard reached.
A guard “nearly caught him or her several times,” the publication continues, “nonetheless was just able to safety the work just before the guy attained the latest windows.”
To produce their forgeries, Mr. Cassie informed Sunlight, “we had the best of new papers regarding flyleaves off books and therefore come to the fresh new go camping” through the Reddish Mix. “The remainder – ink, photographer, timetables, etc. – are bribed in the Germans. It absolutely was incredible just what several smoking cigarettes you can expect to create.” They bought a typewriter which have good Italian language typeface. Lieutenant Cassie utilized cool beverage so you can decades files. The guy engraved specialized-searching seal of approval out of boot heels.
From the movie, starring Steve McQueen and James Garner, Donald Pleasence starred an excellent forger located in region into the Lieutenant Cassie. “Just like the an item of cinematic entertainment, they positions very extremely, it actually a particularly real historical list,” Mr. Cassie informed the brand new Scottish magazine The Aberdeen Drive and you will Log within the 2000, and this realized lovestruck review that there’s no jaunty, baseball-tossing, McQueen-particularly Western leading the breakout.
Of your own forgers, Lieutenant Cassie try “the most unique, to look at in any event,” Mr. Brickhill blogged in the book, that have good “high thatch off a lot of time ginger locks that fell more than his sight like an effective Skye terrier and you may little tufts regarding ginger beard staying out-of separated locations to his chin.”
Lieutenant Cassie is the fresh pilot from a regal Air Force bomber, traveling missions more than Germany and you can France, when their planes are shot down immediately after it attacked a beneficial submarine regarding the Bay out-of Biscay from inside the September 1942. The guy and his awesome team had been picked up by a French fishing vessel and you may turned-over to your German government.
He had been 95
New lieutenant is instantly brought to Stalag Luft III. The guy stayed around up to January 1945, whenever, for the Soviets dancing from the eastern, brand new Germans emptied brand new P.O.W. camps and you may pressed a huge number of inmates to march western. They certainly were liberated because of the Uk into the April.
Alexander Cassie, also known as Exotic, was born in Cape Province, Southern Africa, on Dec. 22, 1916, really the only kid regarding George and you will Jessie Cassie, who’d emigrated away from Scotland. Once senior school, the guy visited Scotland and began monitoring mindset on College or university away from Aberdeen.
