Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Wilson (4 November 1911 – April 2002) was a British Army officer of the Second World War. He escaped twice from captivity, having been taken and becoming a prisoner of war.

Military career

Wilson worked as a draughtsman for the

Bristol Aeroplane Company The Bristol Aeroplane Company, originally the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company, was both one of the first and one of the most important British aviation companies, designing and manufacturing both airframes and aircraft engines. Notable a ...

and served as a gunner in the Territorial Army, before commissioning into the 5th Survey Regiment of the Royal Regiment of Artillery on 2 September 1939. He served in the

Battle of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...

with the 3rd Survey Regiment, Royal Artillery before being evacuated from Dunkirk. In November 1940 he joined a 'Folbot' section of

No. 8 (Guards) Commando No. 8 (Guards) Commando was a unit of the British Commandos and part of the British Army during the Second World War. The Commando was formed in June 1940 primarily from members of the Brigade of Guards. It was one of the units selected to be sen ...

and saw service in the Middle East. In April 1941 he was a founder member of Roger Courtney's Special Boat Service (SBS) and participated in operations in the Mediterranean and North Africa. In February 1942 he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his role in six SBS raids in Egypt and Libya. In September 1942 he was captured during an operation in Italy and was marked for transportation to a German prisoner of war camp, but successfully escaped at Modena station. Wilson was recaptured in Rome on 8 January 1944 and held at

Stalag IV-B Stalag IV-B was one of the largest prisoner-of-war camps in Germany during World War II. Stalag is an abbreviation of the German ''Stammlager'' ("Main Camp"). It was located north-east of the town of Mühlberg in the Prussian Province of Sa ...

. He was later transferred to

Oflag VIII-F Oflag VIII-F was a World War II German prisoner-of-war camp for officers (''Offizierlager'') located first in Wahlstatt, Germany (now Legnickie Pole, Poland) and then at Mährisch-Trübau, Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia (now Moravská Třebov ...

and then to

Oflag 79 Oflag 79 was a German World War II prisoner-of-war camp for Allied officers. The camp was located at Waggum near Braunschweig in Germany, also known by the English name of Brunswick. It was located in a three-story brick building that had previo ...

, which was liberated by US forces on 12 April 1945. On 20 December 1945 he was awarded a Bar to his DSO is recognition for his actions during and after his capture. Between February 1946 and September 1947, Wilson served as Battery Commander, 66th Airborne Anti-Tank Regiment Royal Artillery in Palestine during the Palestine Emergency. He then returned to UK and served as a Battery Commander in heavy anti-aircraft and light anti-aircraft regiments and then as a Staff Officer Royal Artillery at the Army Air Transport Development Centre. From 1951 to 1953 Wilson was a Battery Commander in the

14th Regiment Royal Artillery 14th Regiment Royal Artillery is a training regiment within the Royal Artillery, part of the British Army. History 14 Regiment Royal Artillery was formed in Woolwich in March 1900, with roots traced through the history of 28th Field Brigade, ...

, and served in the Korean War. On 24 April 1953 he was

Mentioned in Dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

. Between 1953 and 1956 he was Second-in-Command of the 38th Training Regiment RA in North Wales, before serving as Commanding Officer of the 37th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment RA in Malta. Wilson retired from the regular army in April 1958 with the rank of lieutenant colonel. Wilson was the subject of a 1985 book by Rex Woods, called ''Special Commando : the wartime adventures of Lt-Col Robert Wilson, DSO and Bar''.'Wilson, Robert' in
British Army Officers 1939–1945
' at unithistories.com, accessed 3 July 2015

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Robert 1911 births 2002 deaths British escapees World War II prisoners of war held by Germany British military personnel of the Palestine Emergency British Army personnel of the Korean War British Army personnel of World War II British World War II prisoners of war Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Royal Artillery officers Special Boat Service officers Royal Artillery soldiers British Army Commandos officers Military personnel from Lancashire