Giles Romilly
Encyclopedia
Giles Samuel Bertram Romilly, (September 19, 1916 – August 2, 1967), was a journalist
, Nazi
POW
, brother of Esmond Romilly
and nephew of Winston Churchill
. He was educated at Wellington College and Oxford, and then served as a war correspondent in both the Spanish Civil War
and in World War II
. However, he was captured in May 1940 in the Norwegian
town of Narvik
while reporting for the Daily Express
.
Romilly was the first German prisoner to be classified as Prominente, prisoners regarded by Adolf Hitler
to be of great value due to their relationships to prominent Allied
political
figures. Because of his importance to Hitler, Romilly was imprisoned in Oflag IV-C
(Colditz Castle
), from where escape was perceived to be almost impossible. Whilst at Colditz, Romilly lived in relative luxury with the other Prominente who would later join him, although they were all watched 24 hours a day in case they should attempt to escape.
Romilly used this position to his advantage and caused trouble by issuing complaints at every conceivable annoyance. Amongst the list, he took offence to the noise created by the boots of his guard outside his door, preventing him from sleeping. Following a visit from the Red Cross
, a red carpet was placed outside his door to dull the sound.
Romilly did successfully escape however, whilst the Prominente were staying at "Oflag VII-D
" Tittmoning Castle
. The camp was home to some Dutch
officers amongst whom was captain Machiel van den Heuvel
, "Vandy". Romilly and Vandy knew each other from their Colditz time where Vandy was the Dutch escape officer. Vandy was transferred to Tittmoning because of his leading role as escape officer and the Germans thought he could do no more harm in Tittmoning where most prisoners were older officers of general rank. Vandy however had his next escape plan ready and together with two Dutch officers, Romilly abseil
ed down the castle walls. The remainder of the Prominente hid in the castle in hopes of conveying the impression that they had all escaped. After four days they were all discovered. Romilly, in spite of the 3,000 men that were searching for him, succeeded in reaching the Allied lines.
This was due mainly to the gallant action of lieutenant Andre Tieleman, a Dutch officer who was fluent in German and French. With their false identity papers identifying them as French (forced) labourers they managed to escape. When interrogated by German officials, Lt Tieleman did the talking while Romilly pretended to be deaf and dumb. In this way they managed to escape into freedom.
After the war Romilly returned to journalism. In 1952 he wrote the memoir The Privileged Nightmare, later reissued as Hostages at Colditz, with fellow Prominente Michael Alexander, who had earned the status by falsely claiming to be a relative of Field Marshal Harold Alexander
. He died in Berkeley, California
in 1967 of a tranquilliser
overdose. He was in the process of researching a book on the American novel at the time.
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
POW
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
, brother of Esmond Romilly
Esmond Romilly
Esmond Marcus David Romilly was a British socialist and anti-fascist, now remembered mainly for his marriage to Jessica Mitford, one of the Mitford sisters...
and nephew of Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
. He was educated at Wellington College and Oxford, and then served as a war correspondent in both the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
and in 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...
. However, he was captured in May 1940 in the Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
town of Narvik
Narvik
is the third largest city and municipality in Nordland county, Norway by population. Narvik is located on the shores of the Narvik Fjord . The municipality is part of the Ofoten traditional region of North Norway, inside the arctic circle...
while reporting for the Daily Express
Daily Express
The Daily Express switched from broadsheet to tabloid in 1977 and was bought by the construction company Trafalgar House in the same year. Its publishing company, Beaverbrook Newspapers, was renamed Express Newspapers...
.
Romilly was the first German prisoner to be classified as Prominente, prisoners regarded by Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
to be of great value due to their relationships to prominent Allied
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
political
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
figures. Because of his importance to Hitler, Romilly was imprisoned in Oflag IV-C
Oflag IV-C
Oflag IV-C, often referred to as Colditz Castle because of its location, was one of the most famous German Army prisoner-of-war camps for officers in World War II; Oflag is a shortening of Offizierslager, meaning "officers camp"...
(Colditz Castle
Colditz Castle
Colditz Castle is a Renaissance castle in the town of Colditz near Leipzig, Dresden, and Chemnitz in the state of Saxony in Germany. Used as a workhouse for the indigent and a mental institution for over 100 years, it gained international fame as a prisoner-of-war camp during World War II for...
), from where escape was perceived to be almost impossible. Whilst at Colditz, Romilly lived in relative luxury with the other Prominente who would later join him, although they were all watched 24 hours a day in case they should attempt to escape.
Romilly used this position to his advantage and caused trouble by issuing complaints at every conceivable annoyance. Amongst the list, he took offence to the noise created by the boots of his guard outside his door, preventing him from sleeping. Following a visit from the Red Cross
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is an international humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide which was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and to prevent and alleviate human...
, a red carpet was placed outside his door to dull the sound.
Romilly did successfully escape however, whilst the Prominente were staying at "Oflag VII-D
Oflag VII-D
Oflag VII-C/Z, later renamed Oflag VII-D was a World War II German prisoner-of-war camp for officers located in Tittmoning Castle in south-eastern Bavaria from 1940 to 1942. It existed only a short time...
" Tittmoning Castle
Tittmoning
Tittmoning is a town in the district of Traunstein, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the border with Austria, on the left bank of the river Salzach, 38 km northwest of Salzburg. Population 6,151 . Postal code 84529....
. The camp was home to some Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
officers amongst whom was captain Machiel van den Heuvel
Machiel van den heuvel
Machiel van den Heuvel was the Dutch escape officer in Oflag IV-C Colditz for Dutch POW's held in Germany during World War II. A similar role to that held by Captain Pat Reid, the author of The Colditz Story, for the British POW's...
, "Vandy". Romilly and Vandy knew each other from their Colditz time where Vandy was the Dutch escape officer. Vandy was transferred to Tittmoning because of his leading role as escape officer and the Germans thought he could do no more harm in Tittmoning where most prisoners were older officers of general rank. Vandy however had his next escape plan ready and together with two Dutch officers, Romilly abseil
Abseiling
Abseiling , rappelling in American English, is the controlled descent down a rock face using a rope; climbers use this technique when a cliff or slope is too steep and/or dangerous to descend without protection.- Slang terms :...
ed down the castle walls. The remainder of the Prominente hid in the castle in hopes of conveying the impression that they had all escaped. After four days they were all discovered. Romilly, in spite of the 3,000 men that were searching for him, succeeded in reaching the Allied lines.
This was due mainly to the gallant action of lieutenant Andre Tieleman, a Dutch officer who was fluent in German and French. With their false identity papers identifying them as French (forced) labourers they managed to escape. When interrogated by German officials, Lt Tieleman did the talking while Romilly pretended to be deaf and dumb. In this way they managed to escape into freedom.
After the war Romilly returned to journalism. In 1952 he wrote the memoir The Privileged Nightmare, later reissued as Hostages at Colditz, with fellow Prominente Michael Alexander, who had earned the status by falsely claiming to be a relative of Field Marshal Harold Alexander
Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis
Field Marshal Harold Rupert Leofric George Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis was a British military commander and field marshal of Anglo-Irish descent who served with distinction in both world wars and, afterwards, as Governor General of Canada, the 17th since Canadian...
. He died in Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
in 1967 of a tranquilliser
Sedative
A sedative or tranquilizer is a substance that induces sedation by reducing irritability or excitement....
overdose. He was in the process of researching a book on the American novel at the time.