Reid was mobilized for active duty on 24 August 1939, and served in the 2nd Infantry Division, receiving promotion to Temporary Captain on 1 December 1939. On 27 May 1940, while serving as a member of the British Expeditionary Force during the Battle of France, [2] he was captured by the Germans near Cassel. [4] He was sent to Laufen castle, Bavaria, designated Oflag VII-C, arriving there on 5 June 1940. [2]

Commandos 2: Men of Courage — the mission, Castle Colditz, is based on the same castle and involves assisting the escape of all allied prisoners in the castle. Reid was married three times; first in 1943 to Jane Cabot. They had three sons and two daughters, and were divorced in 1966. His second marriage in 1977 to Mary Stewart Cunliffe-Lister ended with her death in 1978. In 1982 he married his third wife, Nicandra Hood, but they separated after a few years. [ citation needed] He died at the Frenchay Hospital, Bristol, [8] on 22 May 1990, at the age of 79. [2] Other activities [ edit ] After the war Reid was a diplomat and administrator before eventually returning to his prewar career in civil engineering. He also wrote about his experiences in two best-selling books, which became the basis of a film, TV series and board game.Escapers from Germany". conscript-heroes.com . http://www.conscript-heroes.com/escapelines/EEIE-Articles/Art-16-Escapers-from-Germany.htm . Retrieved 10 October 2011. But I don't think Reid felt he was covering it up, I think he felt he was doing a service to his fellow inmates. A stiff upper lip was very comfortable to hide behind." Catalog record: The latter days. Hathi Trust Digital Library. 1984. ISBN 9780859975575 . Retrieved 11 November 2014. French officers arrived in February 1941. A number of the French demanded that French Jewish officers be segregated from them and the camp commander obliged; they were moved to the attics. By the end of July 1941, there were more than 500 officers: over 250 French, 150 Polish, 50 British and Commonwealth, 2 Yugoslavian. In April 1941, a French officer, Alain Le Ray, become the first prisoner ever to escape from the Colditz Castle. Liniennetz Landkreis Leipzig, Region Muldental" (PDF). Mitteldeutscher Verkehrsverbund. 11 December 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 March 2017 . Retrieved 8 March 2017. Map of bus services in the area

Capitaine André Vaillant (Gerard Paquis) – Capitaine Vaillant is a stereotypical Frenchman who is characterised as self-serving, self-righteous, dashing, and a shameless womaniser. Reid served in the British embassy at Ankara, Turkey, as First Secretary (Commercial) from 1946 until 1949, then as Chief Administrator for the Organization for European Economic Cooperation in Paris, France, until 1952. [2] The castle was liberated by US forces on April 16, 1945, before the Russians swept in and Saxony became part of East Germany. place to stay - the castle illuminated at night makes a great photo! See suggested places to stay including inBevölkerung des Freistaates Sachsen nach Gemeinden am 31. Dezember 2021" (XLS) (in German). Statistisches Landesamt des Freistaates Sachsen. 2022. Romilly, Giles; Alexander, Michael (1973). Hostages at Colditz. Sphere Books. p.138. ISBN 0-7221-7463-2. Winged Diplomat: the life story of Air Commodore Freddie West, VC, CBE, MC ( Chatto & Windus, 1962) Richmond gains agreement for his own escape plan which hinges on his impersonation of a feldwebel called Franz Josef. This seems to be succeeding until, at the key moment, the German guards emerge and arrest all concerned. Tyler is shot and wounded. Richmond, Reid and a dozen others are placed in solitary for a month and the likelihood of an informer is first discussed. This turns out to be the case when one of the Polish officers, whose family have been threatened by the Gestapo, is found to be collaborating with the guards and betraying escape plans.

Escape Officers – Colditz". colditzcastle.net. Archived from the original on 17 January 2013 . Retrieved 11 November 2014. As with all his work, Prisoners Of The Castle is filled with wonderful, lesser-known characters who will no doubt enhance the inevitable TV adaptation. Prisoners built a false wall to hide the space in the attic where they slowly built the glider out of stolen pieces of wood. Since the Germans were accustomed to looking down for tunnels, not up for secret workshops, the prisoners felt safe from detection. However, they still placed lookouts, and created an electric alarm system, to warn the builders of approaching guards.

See also

Reid served in the British embassy at Ankara, Turkey, as First Secretary (Commercial) from 1946 until 1949, then as Chief Administrator for the Organisation for European Economic Cooperation in Paris, France, until 1952. [2]

Drue Heinz, and the little literary mystery of a wartime striptease". phoenixarkpress.com. 15 December 2010 . Retrieved 10 October 2011. Wing Commander Marsh ( Michael Bryant), an assistant to the British Medical Officer, decides to use his extensive knowledge of mental illness for an escape. He proposes to "go insane" and be repatriated. Colonel Preston agrees to let him, so long as he follows through with it to the bitter end. Marsh does a very thorough job: his bizarre, disruptive behaviour continually annoys the other allied officers, who are mostly unaware of the scheme. However, the Germans are not convinced, and Ulmann asks a Corporal to observe Marsh closely. The Corporal has a brother who is insane, so Ulmann believes he is a better judge of Marsh's condition than any doctor. The Kommandant initially refuses to allow the Swiss authority to examine Marsh but relents when Marsh's evident madness embarrasses him in front of an important visitor. By the time the Germans are willing to consider repatriation, Marsh has done such a convincing job that even the Doctor is uncertain whether or not Marsh is simply pretending to be insane. After Marsh has been successfully repatriated to the UK, Colonel Preston receives a letter from Marsh's wife, revealing her husband's feigned psychosis has become genuine, and that he has been committed to a mental hospital for long-term care, with little hope of recovery. Colonel Preston immediately forbids any further escape attempts along the same lines. After two weeks on the run, Winslow is recaptured and returned to Colditz. While he is in the solitary compound, he talks to La Tour during a physical exercise session and watches as La Tour, helped by a compatriot, leaps over the barbed wire fence. Winslow runs into a guard to stop him shooting La Tour who runs to freedom. Soon afterwards, Richmond expresses annoyance that no British officer has yet made a complete escape. Most played some role in escapes, even if they were not keen to go over the wall themselves, and the ingenuity of the prisoners of all nationalities shines through; a battle of wits against the guards. A new television series will dismantle the “mythology” of Colditz and show the racist side of British officers imprisoned there.

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Members of the Prominente, under a U.S. guard, outside the Hungerberg Hotel on May 5, 1945, shortly after their release. L to R: John Elphinstone, Max de Hamel, Michael Alexander, unknown, George Lascelles, and John Winant Jr. [1]