Paperback of the hero of Great Escape from World War II found during house clearance to be auctioned

The clearance of a house in the Midlands resulted in the “astonishing discovery” of a 1939 handbag belonging to a hero of the Great Escape movement in World War II.

Wallet, Australian-born RAF Flight Lieutenant Paul Gordon Royle kept it in his possession during the war and it is set to be auctioned.

The Flight Lieutenant will be remembered as one of 76 Allied airmen who escaped from a Nazi prisoner of war camp 80 years ago in one of the most famous prison breaks in history.

The German Air Force had designed the Stalag Luft III camp to be escape-proof, but the pilots immortalized in the 1963 film “The Great Escape” proved them wrong.

On 24 March 1944, Flt Lt Royle was number 55 in a line of prisoners waiting to crawl out through a tunnel called ‘Harry’.

Before the escape, he was one of the so-called “penguins,” prisoners who secretly disposed of the sand dug out of the tunnel by discreetly letting it fall out of their trouser legs.

During the escape he joined forces with Flt Lt Edgar Humphries. Armed with civilian clothes, provisions and a compass, they left the tunnel at 02:30 on 25 March 1944 and emerged onto the snow-covered ground.

They were on the run for 24 hours before they were recaptured by the German auxiliary police. Flt Lt Humphries lost his life.

He was one of 50 refugees executed by the Gestapo, presumably on direct orders from Adolf Hitler, but Flt Lt Royle survived and was able to tell the story.

He was later interrogated and placed in solitary confinement, but his life was spared. He was liberated on May 2, 1945 and released from the RAF.

He returned to Australia and lived to the age of 101 before dying in Perth in 2015.

“An amazing discovery”

Matt Crowson, head of militaria at Hansons Auctioneers, which will offer the memorabilia on August 7, said: “It is an amazing discovery.

“The handbag was acquired several years ago during the clearance of the house of Nottingham-born former English cricketer and RAF Flight Lieutenant in World War II, Reg Simpson (1920-2013).

“Since Royle and Simpson were both Flight Lieutenants, it is likely that they met during the war.

“Included in the lot is an RAF officer’s cap, faintly marked Flt Lt Reg Simpson. The seller disposed of many of Reg’s WWII possessions some time ago. The cap and handbag are the only remaining items.

“The 1937 edition of the book was signed by Paul on 16 May 1939, just three days after he was drafted into the RAF.

“It covers all sorts of service-related matters, such as flag recognition, ranks within the armed forces, commanding officers’ powers, court martial proceedings, rations, knot tying, in-flight discipline, world currencies and useful information for a young pilot officer.”

Mr Crowson had originally estimated the auction would fetch between £300 and £500, but believes that given the global interest in The Great Escape, more could be achieved.

He pointed out that in May an officer’s cane once belonging to World War II Great Escape hero Marcel Zillessen sold at Hansons for £1,000 after an estimate of £100-150.

It had been rotting for twenty years at the back of a linen cupboard in Ticknall, South Derbyshire, and was discovered when a plumber was called to repair the boiler.

Flt Lt Paul Gordon Royle’s Great Escape handbag will be offered in Hansons’ Medals and Militaria auction on 7 August 2024.