Moray air base RAF Lossiemouth secures Great Escape medals
Medals belonging to a pilot who was murdered by the Nazis have been handed over to RAF Lossiemouth.
Flight Lieutenant James ‘Cookie’ Long took part in the famous Great Escape from the Stalag Luft III prisoner of war camp in 1944. After being recaptured he was the last among 50 of the participants who, on Hitler’s personal orders, were selected for execution by the Gestapo.
IX (Bomber) Squadron, who are based at RAF Lossiemouth, tracked Flt Lt Long’s medals down to New Zealand after learning of their pending auction via a press article.
Having secured thousands of pounds worth of pledges they negotiated a private sale with the collector. The 1939-45 Star, Air Crew Europe Star, and 1939-1945 War Medal with Bronze Oak Leaf will now reside at Lossiemouth, alongside other artefacts from the squadron’s 110-year history.
‘Cookie’ is rumoured to have inspired James Garner’s character – Hendley ‘The Scrounger’ – in the 1963 movie The Great Escape.
Having been shot down during a 1941 bombing raid he bailed out over the Netherlands and was interned.
After making several escape attempts, he was moved the next year to the notorious Stalag Luft III camp where he reputably gained his nickname for his ability to distil illicit alcohol.
Group Captain James Heeps, the president of IX (Bomber) Squadron Association, said: “We have always been proud of our squadron’s heritage and, over the years, have attended many Great Escape anniversary events to remember Cookie.
“But even so I was surprised by the speed and generosity of association members’ responses to the fund-raising campaign which enabled this purchase.
“I am delighted to welcome Russell Lellman as an honorary member of the association in recognition of his generosity in withdrawing the medals from auction and selling well below valuation to enable their return home to the IX (Bomber) Squadron family.”
Remarkably, the squadron’s current commanding officer spotted his uncle in an old photograph of Cookie and fellow prisoners at Stalag Luft III.
Wing Commander Chris Pearson said: “I’d always known that my uncle Alec had helped with the Great Escape, distributing earth despite being too tall to crawl through the tunnels.
“I’d also known about Cookie but it’d never crossed my mind that they would have known each other.
“As the Squadron was getting ready to receive the medals, we looked through a trove of documents gifted to us some years ago by Cookie’s family and found a photograph of the two men together in a signed menu for the Stalag Luft III Christmas dinner in 1942.
“I turned white and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.”
The medals were presented to RAF Lossiemouth by the son of someone else who played at important part in Cookie’s story
Flight Lieutenant John Shore was on board the same plane when they were originally shot down.
The pair were later part of the same escape attempt.
Shore completed a rare ‘home run’, making it back to Britain via neutral Sweden. However the tunnel they had built was discovered by the prison guards before Cookie could make his way through.
Flt Lt Shore’s son, Ian followed him into the RAF and eventually rose to the rank of Wing Commander before retirement.
Speaking as he also presented his own father’s medals to the squadron, Ian said: “Cookie nearly escaped with my father and was the only one of his crew not to make it home. It was an honour to be present with my father’s medals at this special occasion.”
The Great Escape from Stalag Luft III near Zagan in Poland took place overnight on March 24-25, 1944.
A total of 76 prisoners crawled through a tunnel, codenamed “Harry”, before it was discovered by the German guards. Only three, though, were able to make good their escapes.
Of the 73 who were recaptured, 50 would be shot in a brutal attempt to discourage further attempts to break out of captivity.
