Great Escape pilot recalls wartime role as he turns 100

Captain Vyvyan Howard was shot down by the Germans during the Second World War.

He was kept as a prisoner of war in Poland, where he helped his comrades by distracting the guards as they tunnelled their way to freedom.

The escapade was the inspiration for the Hollywood blockbuster, the Great Escape.

Captain Howard, from Banbury, Oxfordshire, turned 100 on armistice and celebrated the day with his family.

  • Oxford