May brings PoW memories for war veteran
For one Lincolnshire veteran, May Day means much more than just a day off work.
Bomber Command veteran and ex-prisoner of war Joseph Clark (94), who lives in Bracebridge Heath, near Lincoln, remembers freedom each May.
On May 1, 1945, he was liberated by the British Army in Germany after a series of forced marches from Stalag Luft III Ð the camp which inspired the film The Great Escape.
And on May 16, 1945 he was repatriated to England.
Mr Clark, who was born in Newton-on-Trent, was an RAF regular who served as a rear gunner on a Wellington bomber from Norfolk.
His aircraft came down over Germany on Easter Sunday 1940, and he spent five years as a prisoner of war, serving in Stalag Luft I and III.
At the first camp he helped a Fleet Air Arm officer escape before executing a daring distraction at Stalag III so that 26 officers could flee.
"At Stalag III the officers were allowed to use the shower block which was outside the camp gates," said Mr Clark.
"If you could get from the block to a lane you'd be in the woods in no time.
"The problem was a machine gun box which gave the guard the only view of the lane from the camp.
"I stood near the box and began scratching at the ground with my feet and eventually the guard looked down.
"At this point I have played the first few bars of the Light Cavalry Overture on my bugle and I thought 'that'll get the buggers moving'."
Sadly, the escape bid failed as bundles of uniforms were found in the woods and the men were picked up at the train station.
For more on Mr Clark's experiences, more pictures and his views on The Great Escape movie, see Monday's Echo.
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