HOME
*



picture info

Dominic Bruce
Dominic Bruce, (7 June 1915 – 12 February 2000) was a British Royal Air Force officer, known as the "Medium Sized Man." He has been described as "the most ingenious escaper" of the Second World War. He made seventeen attempts at escaping from POW camps, including several attempts to escape from Colditz Castle, a castle that housed prisoners of war "deemed incorrigible". Famed for his time in Colditz, Bruce also escaped from Spangenberg Castle and the Warburg POW camp. In Spangenberg Castle he escaped with the ''Swiss Red Cross Commission escape'', it is also argued he co-innovated the wooden horse escape technique while serving time inside Spangenberg. In Warburg he escaped dressed as a British orderly in a fake workers party. Inside Colditz Castle, Bruce authored the ''Tea Chest Escape'' and also faced a firing squad for an attempted escape via a sewer tunnel. While held in solitude in Colditz Bruce, along with two other prisoners, became a key witness to the post war Musketo ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Hebburn
Hebburn is a town in the metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear, England. It governed under the borough of South Tyneside; formerly governed under the county of Durham until 1974 with its own urban district from 1894 until 1974. It is on the south bank of the River Tyne between Gateshead and Jarrow and opposite Wallsend and Walker. The population of Hebburn was 18,808 in 2001, History In Saxon times Hebburn was a small fishing hamlet upon the river Tyne. It is thought that the name Hebburn may be derived from the Old English terms, ''heah'' meaning "high", and ''byrgen'' meaning a "burial mound", though it could also mean ''the high place beside the water''. The first record of Hebburn mentions a settlement of fishermen's huts in the 8th century, which were burned by the Vikings. In the 14th century the landscape was dominated by a peel tower. A wall, a portion of which still remains at St. John's Church, could also be seen. The Lordship of the Manor of Hebburn passed throug ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  




Newcastle Law Courts
Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England * Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle, New Castle or New Cassel may also refer to: Places Australia *City of Newcastle, a local government area in New South Wales *County of Newcastle, a cadastral unit in South Australia *Division of Newcastle, a federal electoral division in New South Wales *Electoral district of Newcastle, an electoral district of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly * Electoral district of Newcastle (South Australia) 1884–1902, 1915–1956 in the South Australian House of Assembly *Newcastle, New South Wales, a city in New South Wales *Newcastle Waters, a town and locality in the Northern Territory *Newcastle West, New South Wales, inner suburb of the city *Toodyay, Western Australia, known as Newcastle until 1910 Canada * Ne ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


United Kingdom Declaration Of War On Germany (1939)
The United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ... declared war on Germany on 3 September 1939, two days after Invasion of Poland, Germany invaded Poland. France also France declaration of war on Germany (1939), declared war on Germany later the same day. The state of war was announced to the British public in an 11 AM radio broadcast by the prime minister Neville Chamberlain. Historical context At the conclusion of the First World War, the German Empire signed the Armistice of 11 November 1918 as an end to hostilities with France, Britain, and the United States during the convoluted German Revolution of 1918–1919, which began on 29 October 1918. Negotiations between the Allied powers regarding post-war Europe started on 18 January 1919 in the Salle de l' ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Invasion Of Poland
The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week after the signing of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact between Germany and the Soviet Union, and one day after the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union had approved the pact. The Soviets invaded Poland on 17 September. The campaign ended on 6 October with Germany and the Soviet Union dividing and annexing the whole of Poland under the terms of the German–Soviet Frontier Treaty. The invasion is also known in Poland as the September campaign ( pl, kampania wrześniowa) or 1939 defensive war ( pl, wojna obronna 1939 roku, links=no) and known in Germany as the Poland campaign (german: Überfall auf Polen, Polenfeldzug). German forces invaded Poland from the north, south, and west the morning after the Gleiwitz incident. Slovak military forces ad ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


Air Observer
An air observer or aerial observer is an aircrew member whose duties are predominantly reconnaissance. The term originated in the World War I, First World War in the British Royal Flying Corps, and was maintained by its successor, the Royal Air Force. An air observer's Aircrew brevet, brevet was a single wing with an O at the root. Although today sometimes a manned aircraft is still utilised for aerial observation, industry and the military use both satellites and Unmanned aerial vehicle, remotely piloted vehicles (RPV) for this function. The term is also used in some non-military contexts, such as Police aviation in the United Kingdom, police helicopter units. The first recorded RAF "kill" of the Second World War, on 20 September 1939, was by air observer Sergeant F. Letchford, aboard a Fairey Battle, flown by Flying Officer L.H. Baker. Observers were also issued with weapons, and expected to engage with enemy aircraft#Military, aircraft in the early days of military aviation ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


Pete Tunstall
Peter David Tunstall (1 December 1918 – 27 July 2013) was a squadron leader in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War and a prisoner of war (POW) held at Colditz Castle. He holds the record for the most time spent by an Allied POW in solitary confinement. Early life Tunstall was born in Chadwell St Mary, Essex, in 1918 and moved to the nearby village of Orsett at the age of three. As a schoolboy he took his first flying lesson from a local airfield, paid for by shooting and selling rabbits to his local butcher. He joined the RAF in 1937 and trained at No 61 Squadron at Hemswell in Lincolnshire and eventually became a Hampden pilot. During his RAF training he was told by A.J. Evans – a World War I Royal Flying Corps pilot and double prisoner-of-war escapee – that if he was captured, "Your first duty was to try to escape. Your second duty was to be as big a bloody nuisance as possible to the enemy." Tunstall took the advice to heart. Second World War Tunstall ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Leading Aircraftman
Leading aircraftman (LAC) or leading aircraftwoman (LACW) is a junior rank in some air forces. It sits between aircraftman and senior aircraftman, and has a NATO rank code of OR-2. The rank badge is a horizontal two-bladed propeller. The rank was renamed air specialist (class 2) (AS2) in the Royal Air Force in July 2022. History The rank originated in the Royal Air Force, when it was formed in 1918. It replaced the Royal Flying Corps rank of air mechanic 1st class (which wore the same badge). It was only a trade classification until 1 January 1951, when it became a rank, although it is non-supervisory. Countries Australia Leading aircraftman is also a rank in the Royal Australian Air Force (which uses a single chevron rather than a propeller device) where it is the senior aircraftman rank. Bangladesh Bangladesh Air Force Canada It was a rank until 1968 in the Royal Canadian Air Force being replaced by the army rank of private after unification, which then in 2 ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Pontefract
Pontefract is a historic market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England, east of Wakefield and south of Castleford. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is one of the towns in the City of Wakefield District and had a population of 30,881 at the 2011 Census. Pontefract's motto is , Latin for "After the death of the father, support the son", a reference to the town's Royalist sympathies in the English Civil War. Etymology At the end of the 11th century, the modern township of Pontefract consisted of two distinct and separate localities known as Tanshelf and Kirkby.Eric Houlder, Ancient Roots North: When Pontefract Stood on the Great North Road, (Pontefract: Pontefract Groups Together, 2012) p.7. The 11th-century historian, Orderic Vitalis, recorded that, in 1069, William the Conqueror travelled across Yorkshire to put down an uprising which had sacked York, but that, upon his journey to the city, he discovered that the cro ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  




DOMINIC BRUCE RECEIVES AFM
Dominic is a name common among Roman Catholics and other Latin-Romans as a male given name. Originally from the late Roman-Italic name "Dominicus", its translation means "Lordly", "Belonging to God" or "of the Master". Variations include: Dominicus (Latin rendition), Chiziterem (Igbo), Dominik, Dominick, Domenic, Domenico (Italian), Domanic, Dominiq, Domonic, Domènec (Catalan), Domingo (Spanish), Dominykas (Lithuanian), Domingos (Portuguese), Dominggus and Damhnaic (Irish); feminine forms like Dominica, Dominika, Domenica, Dominga, Domingas; as well as the unisex French origin Dominique. The most prominent Roman Catholic with the name, Saint Dominic, founded the Order of Preachers, also known as Dominican friars. Saint Dominic himself was named after Saint Dominic of Silos. Notable people named Dominic, Dominik or Dominick include: People Saints * Saint Dominic of Silos (1000–1073), Spanish monk * Saint Dominic de la Calzada (1019–1109), Spanish saint * Saint Do ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Radlett
Radlett is a village in Hertfordshire, England, between Elstree and St Albans on Watling Street, with a population of 8,042. It is in the council district of Hertsmere in the south of the county, and is covered by two wards; Aldenham East and Aldenham West. It is located inside the M25 motorway. Locality Radlett lies in the valley of Tykes Water, a stream that runs north from Aldenham Reservoir to the River Colne. Now entirely surrounded by the Metropolitan Green Belt, it is subject to significant 'infill' development and there is pressure to relax the Green Belt restrictions. Radlett is located 14 miles (22.5 km) north west of the centre of London. It is one of the wealthiest places in Britain and the second most expensive town to buy a house outside London. The town contains many substantial detached houses with large gardens. In the older centre there are also a few streets with Victorian semi detached and terraced houses. Watling Street, which is the main road th ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


Handley Page H
Handley may refer to: Places In the United Kingdom *Handley, Cheshire, a village *Handley, a hamlet in the parish of Stretton, Derbyshire *Middle Handley, a hamlet in the parish of Unstone, Derbyshire *Nether Handley, a hamlet in the parish of Unstone, Derbyshire *West Handley, a hamlet in the parish of Unstone, Derbyshire *Handley, a village in Dorset now known as Sixpenny Handley In the United States *Handley, Dallas County, Missouri *Handley (Fort Worth), a former town currently located with the city of Fort Worth, Texas *Handley, West Virginia *John Handley High School, Winchester, Virginia Other uses *Handley (surname) *Handley Page H.P.42 The Handley Page H.P.42 and H.P.45 were four-engine biplane airliners designed and manufactured by British aviation company Handley Page, based in Radlett, Hertfordshire. It held the distinction of being the largest airliner in regular use in ..., British four-engine long-range biplane airliners in service from 1931 to 1940 See also ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Scampton
Scampton is a village and civil parish in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. The population of the civil parish including Brampton and Broadholme at the 2011 census was 1,358. It is situated north of Lincoln, south-east of Gainsborough, and immediately west of the A15. In the civil parish, between the village and the A15, is RAF Scampton, to which the parish lends its name. The airfield first opened in 1916 as Home Defence Flight Station Brattleby, becoming Scampton the following year, and then closing in 1919; it re-opened in 1936 as RAF Scampton. Attractions Scampton church dedicated to St John the Baptist is mainly from the 18th century, with parts from the 17th century. Many war dead are buried in its churchyard, including 64 British Commonwealth personnel, eight German Luftwaffe airmen, and a further 43 personnel who died on active service. Commonwealth airmen include those who flew from RAF Scampton with the Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]