Eric Dowling
Encyclopedia
Eric Perry Dowling was a British Royal Air Force
navigator who participated in the World War II
breakout known as "The Great Escape".
250 POWs, in all, had been set to attempt an escape via three tunnels ("Tom", "Dick" and "Harry"). One tunnel was uncovered by guards. Another was used to store the earth excavated from Harry. The remaining tunnel, whose entrance was concealed beneath a stove in one of the huts, was too short to allow the airmen to emerge in the nearby woodland, and the men made a dash for over open ground.
76 men managed this undetected, but the next man was spotted and the escape curtailed. All but two of the escapees were recaptured.
50 officers among them were executed on Hitler's orders. Dowling, who personally knew some of those officers, was reportedly less than impressed with the Hollywood film
version of the events.
While imprisoned he became fluent in five languages. He achieved the rank of Squadron Leader
. He later worked in Norway as an air crash investigator for the RAF, where he met the woman who would become his wife, Agnes Marie.
at Filton
, Bristol. Agnes Dowling died in 1997.
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
navigator who participated in the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
breakout known as "The Great Escape".
250 POWs, in all, had been set to attempt an escape via three tunnels ("Tom", "Dick" and "Harry"). One tunnel was uncovered by guards. Another was used to store the earth excavated from Harry. The remaining tunnel, whose entrance was concealed beneath a stove in one of the huts, was too short to allow the airmen to emerge in the nearby woodland, and the men made a dash for over open ground.
76 men managed this undetected, but the next man was spotted and the escape curtailed. All but two of the escapees were recaptured.
50 officers among them were executed on Hitler's orders. Dowling, who personally knew some of those officers, was reportedly less than impressed with the Hollywood film
The Great Escape (film)
The Great Escape is a 1963 American film about an escape by Allied prisoners of war from a German POW camp during World War II, starring Steve McQueen, James Garner, and Richard Attenborough...
version of the events.
While imprisoned he became fluent in five languages. He achieved the rank of Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
. He later worked in Norway as an air crash investigator for the RAF, where he met the woman who would become his wife, Agnes Marie.
Family
They married in January 1946 after a six-week courtship. They had a son, Peter, and a daughter, Susan. After leaving the RAF, Eric Dowling worked for British AerospaceBritish Aerospace
British Aerospace plc was a UK aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was in the Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire...
at Filton
Filton
Filton is a town in South Gloucestershire, England, situated on the northern outskirts of the city of Bristol, about from the city centre. Filton lies in Bristol postcode areas BS7 and BS34. The town centres upon Filton Church, which dates back to the 12th century and is a grade II listed building...
, Bristol. Agnes Dowling died in 1997.