And with that, there are no more survivors of the 1944 Stalag Luft III breakout bid – more commonly known as “The Great Escape”. Although Dick Churchill was the last survivor of those who actually escaped, Jack Lyon was the final figure involved in the planning and execution. Unfortunately Gerry got wind of the plan before he could make it down the tunnel. However, being as most of those who made it down were captured and shot, perhaps it wasn’t such a problem.
Lyon described the Steve McQueen movie adaptation of the event as “absolute rubbish,” noting the lack of Americans and motorcycles in real life. He died 16 days before the 75th anniversary of the escape, ruining any plans his local BBC region had of interviewing him for the evening news that night.
Jack Lyon
2 September 1917 – 8 March 2019
Died aged 101 (unique hit)