Oliver Philpot
Encyclopedia
Oliver Lawrence Spurling Philpot, MC, DFC (6 March 1913 – 6 May 1993) was a Canadian born World War II
RAF pilot and subsequently a businessman, best known for being one of the three men to successfully escape from Stalag Luft III
in the escape known as The Wooden Horse
.
After escaping Philpot wrote a book Stolen Journey in which he recounts daily life as a prisoner in various POW camps, ending with his escape from Stalag Luft III via the Wooden Horse and his return to England
After the war Philpot resumed his career in management in the food industry.
, British Columbia
, the son of an expatriate London engineer. Returning to England as a child he was educated at Radley College
between 1927 and 1932 and then studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Worcester College, Oxford University
. During his time at Oxford he joined the Oxford University Air Squadron
and learned to fly.
Upon graduating in 1934, he joined Unilever
as a management trainee and in 1936 was apppointed assistant commercial secretary in Unilever's home margarine executive. This proved to be useful in his wartime escape as the post required him to travel extensively in Germany and to learn to speak German.
Service in the University Air Squadron automatically made Philpot a member of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR)
on its formation in 1936. With the approach of the war Philpot was recalled for service in August 1939 and he was posted as a Pilot Officer on probation
to 42 Squadron
, an 18 Group
Coastal Command
unit then operating Vickers Vildebeest
torpedo bombers. The squadron re-equipped with the Bristol Beaufort
in 1940 and took part in the Norwegian Campaign
.
Philpot was confirmed in his rank as a Pilot Officer on 15 January 1941 and later in the same year was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC)
. Promotion to Flying Officer
soon followed and it was Flying Officer Philpot who took off in Beaufort O - Orange for an attack on a German convoy off Norway on 11 December 1941. During the mission the aircraft was shot down by German anti-aircraft fire
and ditched in the North Sea
. Philpot and the other three crew evacuated the plane and took to the dinghy. After two days in the dinghy they were picked up by a German naval
vessel.
. After several weeks he was moved to Dulag Luft I near Frankfurt
arriving in January 1942. Only a month later he was transferred to Oflag IX-A/H
at Spangenberg
. This was brief stay and in April 1942 the RAF prisoners at Spangenberg were all sent to Stalag Luft III at Sagan. Escape was always a thought having first been considered while in the hospital immediately after capture and at Sagan Philpot was involved in more than one escape attempt, in August Philpot was promoted to Flight Lieutenant. In September 1942 Philpot was among a number of prisoners transferred to Oflag XXI-B
at Szubin
(In his book Philpot uses the German spelling: Schubin) in Poland, the winter of 1942–43 being spent here before the camp closed and all prisoners were returned to Stalag Luft III.
On his return to Sagan Philpot was returned to the East Compound, where he had previously been held, in the interim period most of his friends had been moved to the North Compound. Escape schemes were not as common as they had been in 1942 but Philpot hit upon the idea of inventing an escape character and papers etc. before involvement with any escape, rather than the opposite way round. After some thought he decided that his character would be a Norwegian margarine salesman called Jon Jörgensen. The profession was based on Philpot's own civilian career and the nationality as being common enough to be encountered in Germany but with a reduced likelihood of meeting someone who spoke Norwegian as Philpot did not speak any Norwegian. With the assistance of a Norwegian POW the character was fleshed out even to the extent of making him a Quisling
.
and Flight Lieutenant
Eric Williams
. They approached Philpot in June 1943 to 'register' their escape scheme with the escape committee, Philpot was the escape co-ordinator for the hut in which the three of them lived.
With the scheme approved Codner and Williams set to work, a vaulting horse was constructed from stolen timber, plywood with cigarette package wrappings used for the top. After a period of legitimate use Codner and Williams started to dig a tunnel from the horse. One man was carried out in the horse and the tunnel started by digging a shaft, lined with plywood panels from Red Cross parcel boxes. After each session care was taken to secure the top of the shaft and to replace the surface sand on top. The digger and the sand excavated were carried back into a hut and the sand disposed off. Initially Philpot assisted in disposing of the sand but later on Codner and Williams asked him to join in the digging and become one of the escapers. Digging was a cramped job and sand was dragged back to the bottom of the shaft by the digger and then placed into bags for lifting and disposal. Only 12 bags per session were lifted. After a while the team swapped to a four cycle dig and lift scheme where two men went out on the first trip and dug 36 bags of sand. For the next three trips one man went out and recovered 12 bags each time. As the tunnel grew longer a bowl and string were used for pulling the sand back. Although this was slightly slower i.e. 36 bags per cycle as opposed to 48 under the old system it meant three shorter sessions and one longer one for the volunteers using the horse for vaulting, an important change as the number of volunteers was small and becoming tired.
Experimentation with a poker showed that the tunnel was about 30 inches (76 cm) below ground but also running approximately 30° off the intended course. The tunnel had several narrow escapes from detection or accidental destruction due to digging by either the guards or other POWs but by the beginning of October the tunnel was past the wire and the three men started to make their final preparations. They decided to make the break in the no moon period at the end of the month and escape on Friday 29 October 1943. This was 114 days after the first digging commenced.
On the morning of 29 October, Philpot and Codner were carried out to the tunnel as normal to collect some sandbags. Philpot returned with the bags while Codner remained in the tunnel all day to continue the digging. Codner's absence from the evening roll-call was covered and then the horse was used to carry three men to the tunnel; Philpot and Williams, together with a third man called McKay to seal the three escapers into the tunnel. The three broke out just after 6 p.m. It had previously been agreed that Philpot, as Jörgensen, would travel alone while Codner and Williams would travel together posing as French workmen. Philpot made his way to Sagan station where he caught the train to Frankfurt (as did Williams and Codner). Arriving at Frankfurt, Philpot intended to catch the night train to Küstrin
but it was cancelled and he had to wait until the next morning for the next train. After spending the night in some woods, Philpot took the train to Küstrin and then onto Danzig. After almost giving himself away by falling off his case and swearing in English, his false papers were good enough to survive checking by a police officer.
Arriving in Danzig less than 24 hours after escaping from Stalag Luft III Philpot started to look for a neutral ship to carry him across the Baltic Sea to Sweden. After an initial reconnaissance and looking for somewhere to sleep he checked into a hotel even though this required him to share a room with another guest. The next day (Sunday) Philpot spent the day around the Swedish dock and in the evening managed to smuggle himself onto a Swedish ship called Aralizz. The crew of the Aralizz saw him and the captain asked him to leave as he was placing the crew at risk but Philpot refused. Without the knowledge of the captain, the chief engineer and a seaman hid Philpot until Tuesday when the ship sailed. Once the ship was at sea Philpot again made his presence known to the captain who took a different attitude now the ship was no longer in port.
As the ship arrived in Sweden, Philpot was handed over to the Swedish police and taken to the British Legation
in Stockholm
, it was Thursday 4 November 1943—less than five days since the breakout. A week later he was reunited with Codner and Williams who had used a similar route via Danzig to escape. The three men were the only successful escapers from the East Compound at Stalag Luft III throughout the war.
Philpot returned to the United Kingdom on a BOAC
flight just before Christmas to be reunited with his family. He did not return to operational flying and after debriefing by MI9
he was posted to the Air Ministry
as a senior scientific officer. He was subsequently awarded the Military Cross
on 16 May 1944.
in 1946 Philpot resumed his career in the food industry eventually becoming chief executive
of Findus
the frozen food company. He later became managing director of Remploy
. He also served as chairman of the RAF Escaping Society.
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...
RAF pilot and subsequently a businessman, best known for being one of the three men to successfully escape from Stalag Luft III
Stalag Luft III
Stalag Luft III was a Luftwaffe-run prisoner-of-war camp during World War II that housed captured air force servicemen. It was in the German Province of Lower Silesia near the town of Sagan , southeast of Berlin...
in the escape known as The Wooden Horse
The Wooden Horse
The Wooden Horse is a 1950 British Second World War war film starring Leo Genn, Anthony Steel and David Tomlinson and directed by Jack Lee. It is based on the book of the same name by Eric Williams, who also wrote the screenplay....
.
After escaping Philpot wrote a book Stolen Journey in which he recounts daily life as a prisoner in various POW camps, ending with his escape from Stalag Luft III via the Wooden Horse and his return to England
After the war Philpot resumed his career in management in the food industry.
Early life
Philpot was born in VancouverVancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, the son of an expatriate London engineer. Returning to England as a child he was educated at Radley College
Radley College
Radley College , founded in 1847, is a British independent school for boys on the edge of the English village of Radley, near to the market town of Abingdon in Oxfordshire, and has become a well-established boarding school...
between 1927 and 1932 and then studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Worcester College, Oxford University
Worcester College, Oxford
Worcester College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in the eighteenth century, but its predecessor on the same site had been an institution of learning since the late thirteenth century...
. During his time at Oxford he joined the Oxford University Air Squadron
Oxford University Air Squadron
The Oxford University Air Squadron, abbreviated O. U. Air Squadron, Oxford UAS, or OUAS, formed in 1925, is the training unit of the Royal Air Force at the University of Oxford and forms part of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve....
and learned to fly.
Upon graduating in 1934, he joined Unilever
Unilever
Unilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....
as a management trainee and in 1936 was apppointed assistant commercial secretary in Unilever's home margarine executive. This proved to be useful in his wartime escape as the post required him to travel extensively in Germany and to learn to speak German.
War service
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
The Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve consists of a number of groupings of individual military reservists for the management and operation of the Royal Air Force's Air Training Corps and CCF Air Cadet formations, Volunteer Gliding Squadrons , Air Experience Flights, and also to form the...
on its formation in 1936. With the approach of the war Philpot was recalled for service in August 1939 and he was posted as a Pilot Officer on probation
Pilot Officer
Pilot officer is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks immediately below flying officer...
to 42 Squadron
No. 42 Squadron RAF
No. 42 Squadron of the Royal Air Force has served during World War I as an army co-operation squadron and during World War II in various roles. In recent years, it was the Operational Conversion Unit for the Nimrod MR.2, based at RAF Kinloss, Moray, until the Nimrod MR2's retirement in 2010.-First...
, an 18 Group
No. 18 Group RAF
No. 18 Group of the Royal Air Force was a group active from 1918 to 1919, and from 1938 to 1996.- 1918 - 1919 :The Group was initially formed on 1 April 1918 in No 4 Area. It was transferred to North-Eastern Area, 8 May 1918...
Coastal Command
RAF Coastal Command
RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force . Founded in 1936, it was the RAF's premier maritime arm, after the Royal Navy's secondment of the Fleet Air Arm in 1937. Naval aviation was neglected in the inter-war period, 1919–1939, and as a consequence the service did not receive...
unit then operating Vickers Vildebeest
Vickers Vildebeest
The Vickers Vildebeest and the similar Vickers Vincent were two very large two- to three-seat single-engined British biplanes designed and built by Vickers and used as a light bomber, torpedo bomber and in the army cooperation roles...
torpedo bombers. The squadron re-equipped with the Bristol Beaufort
Bristol Beaufort
The Bristol Beaufort was a British twin-engined torpedo bomber designed by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, and developed from experience gained designing and building the earlier Blenheim light bomber....
in 1940 and took part in the Norwegian Campaign
Norwegian Campaign
The Norwegian Campaign was a military campaign that was fought in Norway during the Second World War between the Allies and Germany, after the latter's invasion of the country. In April 1940, the United Kingdom and France came to Norway's aid with an expeditionary force...
.
Philpot was confirmed in his rank as a Pilot Officer on 15 January 1941 and later in the same year was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC)
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
. Promotion to Flying Officer
Flying Officer
Flying officer is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence...
soon followed and it was Flying Officer Philpot who took off in Beaufort O - Orange for an attack on a German convoy off Norway on 11 December 1941. During the mission the aircraft was shot down by German anti-aircraft fire
Anti-aircraft warfare
NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...
and ditched in the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
. Philpot and the other three crew evacuated the plane and took to the dinghy. After two days in the dinghy they were picked up by a German naval
Kriegsmarine
The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
vessel.
Prisoner of war
Philpot was suffering from the effects of the two days in the dinghy and was at first sent to a German military hospital in OsloOslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
. After several weeks he was moved to Dulag Luft I near Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
arriving in January 1942. Only a month later he was transferred to Oflag IX-A/H
Oflag IX-A/H
Oflag IX-A/H was a German Prisoner of War camp at Spangenberg castle in Germany during the Second World WarIt was used from 1939 to 1945, and housed mainly British POWs but also some French Air Force personnel early in the war....
at Spangenberg
Spangenberg
- Geography :Spangenberg lies in the Schwalm-Eder district some 35 km southeast of Kassel, west of the Stölzinger Gebirge, a low mountain range. Spangenberg is the demographical centrepoint of Germany.- History :...
. This was brief stay and in April 1942 the RAF prisoners at Spangenberg were all sent to Stalag Luft III at Sagan. Escape was always a thought having first been considered while in the hospital immediately after capture and at Sagan Philpot was involved in more than one escape attempt, in August Philpot was promoted to Flight Lieutenant. In September 1942 Philpot was among a number of prisoners transferred to Oflag XXI-B
Oflag XXI-B
Oflag XXI-B and Stalag XXI-B were World War II German prisoner-of-war camps for officers and enlisted men, located at Szubin a few miles south of Bydgoszcz, in Pomorze, Poland, which at that time was occupied by Nazi Germany.-Timeline:...
at Szubin
Szubin
Szubin is a town in Nakło County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland, located southwest of Bydgoszcz. As of 12 December 2004 it had a population of 9354.-History:...
(In his book Philpot uses the German spelling: Schubin) in Poland, the winter of 1942–43 being spent here before the camp closed and all prisoners were returned to Stalag Luft III.
On his return to Sagan Philpot was returned to the East Compound, where he had previously been held, in the interim period most of his friends had been moved to the North Compound. Escape schemes were not as common as they had been in 1942 but Philpot hit upon the idea of inventing an escape character and papers etc. before involvement with any escape, rather than the opposite way round. After some thought he decided that his character would be a Norwegian margarine salesman called Jon Jörgensen. The profession was based on Philpot's own civilian career and the nationality as being common enough to be encountered in Germany but with a reduced likelihood of meeting someone who spoke Norwegian as Philpot did not speak any Norwegian. With the assistance of a Norwegian POW the character was fleshed out even to the extent of making him a Quisling
Quisling
Quisling is a term used in reference to fascist and collaborationist political parties and military and paramilitary forces in occupied Allied countries which collaborated with Axis occupiers in World War II, as well as for their members and other collaborators.- Etymology :The term was coined by...
.
The Wooden Horse
The Wooden Horse was the idea of Lieutenant Richard Michael Codner RARoyal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
and Flight Lieutenant
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
Eric Williams
Eric Williams (writer)
Eric Williams was an English writer and former Second World War RAF pilot and POW who wrote several books dealing with his escapes from prisoner-of-war camps, most famously in his 1949 novel The Wooden Horse, made into a 1950 movie of the same name.-Capture:RAF Flight Lieutenant Eric Williams was...
. They approached Philpot in June 1943 to 'register' their escape scheme with the escape committee, Philpot was the escape co-ordinator for the hut in which the three of them lived.
With the scheme approved Codner and Williams set to work, a vaulting horse was constructed from stolen timber, plywood with cigarette package wrappings used for the top. After a period of legitimate use Codner and Williams started to dig a tunnel from the horse. One man was carried out in the horse and the tunnel started by digging a shaft, lined with plywood panels from Red Cross parcel boxes. After each session care was taken to secure the top of the shaft and to replace the surface sand on top. The digger and the sand excavated were carried back into a hut and the sand disposed off. Initially Philpot assisted in disposing of the sand but later on Codner and Williams asked him to join in the digging and become one of the escapers. Digging was a cramped job and sand was dragged back to the bottom of the shaft by the digger and then placed into bags for lifting and disposal. Only 12 bags per session were lifted. After a while the team swapped to a four cycle dig and lift scheme where two men went out on the first trip and dug 36 bags of sand. For the next three trips one man went out and recovered 12 bags each time. As the tunnel grew longer a bowl and string were used for pulling the sand back. Although this was slightly slower i.e. 36 bags per cycle as opposed to 48 under the old system it meant three shorter sessions and one longer one for the volunteers using the horse for vaulting, an important change as the number of volunteers was small and becoming tired.
Experimentation with a poker showed that the tunnel was about 30 inches (76 cm) below ground but also running approximately 30° off the intended course. The tunnel had several narrow escapes from detection or accidental destruction due to digging by either the guards or other POWs but by the beginning of October the tunnel was past the wire and the three men started to make their final preparations. They decided to make the break in the no moon period at the end of the month and escape on Friday 29 October 1943. This was 114 days after the first digging commenced.
On the morning of 29 October, Philpot and Codner were carried out to the tunnel as normal to collect some sandbags. Philpot returned with the bags while Codner remained in the tunnel all day to continue the digging. Codner's absence from the evening roll-call was covered and then the horse was used to carry three men to the tunnel; Philpot and Williams, together with a third man called McKay to seal the three escapers into the tunnel. The three broke out just after 6 p.m. It had previously been agreed that Philpot, as Jörgensen, would travel alone while Codner and Williams would travel together posing as French workmen. Philpot made his way to Sagan station where he caught the train to Frankfurt (as did Williams and Codner). Arriving at Frankfurt, Philpot intended to catch the night train to Küstrin
Küstrin
Before 1945 Küstrin was a town in the former Prussian province of Brandenburg in Germany, situated on both sides of the Oder river...
but it was cancelled and he had to wait until the next morning for the next train. After spending the night in some woods, Philpot took the train to Küstrin and then onto Danzig. After almost giving himself away by falling off his case and swearing in English, his false papers were good enough to survive checking by a police officer.
Arriving in Danzig less than 24 hours after escaping from Stalag Luft III Philpot started to look for a neutral ship to carry him across the Baltic Sea to Sweden. After an initial reconnaissance and looking for somewhere to sleep he checked into a hotel even though this required him to share a room with another guest. The next day (Sunday) Philpot spent the day around the Swedish dock and in the evening managed to smuggle himself onto a Swedish ship called Aralizz. The crew of the Aralizz saw him and the captain asked him to leave as he was placing the crew at risk but Philpot refused. Without the knowledge of the captain, the chief engineer and a seaman hid Philpot until Tuesday when the ship sailed. Once the ship was at sea Philpot again made his presence known to the captain who took a different attitude now the ship was no longer in port.
As the ship arrived in Sweden, Philpot was handed over to the Swedish police and taken to the British Legation
Legation
A legation was the term used in diplomacy to denote a diplomatic representative office lower than an embassy. Where an embassy was headed by an Ambassador, a legation was headed by a Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary....
in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, it was Thursday 4 November 1943—less than five days since the breakout. A week later he was reunited with Codner and Williams who had used a similar route via Danzig to escape. The three men were the only successful escapers from the East Compound at Stalag Luft III throughout the war.
Philpot returned to the United Kingdom on a BOAC
British Overseas Airways Corporation
The British Overseas Airways Corporation was the British state airline from 1939 until 1946 and the long-haul British state airline from 1946 to 1974. The company started life with a merger between Imperial Airways Ltd. and British Airways Ltd...
flight just before Christmas to be reunited with his family. He did not return to operational flying and after debriefing by MI9
MI9
MI9, the British Military Intelligence Section 9, was a department of the British Directorate of Military Intelligence, part of the War Office...
he was posted to the Air Ministry
Air Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...
as a senior scientific officer. He was subsequently awarded the Military Cross
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
on 16 May 1944.
Post war career
After being demobbedDemobilization
Demobilization is the process of standing down a nation's armed forces from combat-ready status. This may be as a result of victory in war, or because a crisis has been peacefully resolved and military force will not be necessary...
in 1946 Philpot resumed his career in the food industry eventually becoming chief executive
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of Findus
Findus
Findus is a company that produces and retails frozen food. Its products include Crispy Pancakes, which were invented in the early 1970s.- Origins :...
the frozen food company. He later became managing director of Remploy
Remploy
Remploy Ltd is a government-owned company in the United Kingdom which provides employment and employment placement services for disabled people. It was established in 1945 under the terms of the 1944 Disabled Persons Act, and opened its first factory in Bridgend, Wales, in 1946...
. He also served as chairman of the RAF Escaping Society.