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The Ron Penhall Collection Family group: The Second World War escaper’s M.C. group of five awarded to Squadron Leader H. N. “Bill” Fowler, Royal Air Force, one of a handful of British officers to make a successful “home-run” from Colditz Castle - “the boldest way being the safest”, he made his exit via the office of the castle’s senior German N.C.O., an escape route that caused even the Germans some amusement Military Cross, G.VI.R., reverse officially dated ‘1943’; 1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star; Defence and War Medals, extremely fine The Benin, China and Great War campaign service group of five awarded to Pay-Master Commander M. T. B. Fowler, Royal Navy, Squadron Leader H. N. “Bill” Fowler’s father East and West Africa 1887-1900, 1 clasp, Benin 1897 (Asst. Paymr. M. T. B. Fowler, R.N., H.M.S. St. George); China 1900, no clasp (Asst. Paymr. M. T. B. Fowler, R.N., H.M.S. Dido); 1914-15 Star (Ft. Payr. M. T. B. Fowler, R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (Payr. Commr. M. T. B. Fowler, R.N.). mounted as worn, the first with copy clasp and engraved naming, very fine and better (10) £4000-5000 Footnote ‘On 15 May 1940, I was pilot of a Hurricane which took-off about 1100 hours from Vitry-en-Artois, escorting bombers over Dinant. At approximately 1145 hours I was shot down by Messerschmitt fighters about five miles north of Fumay, on the west bank of the River Meuse. My aircraft was on fire so I baled out and landed in a wood. I left my parachute in the middle of a bush and cut one of the panels out to bind round my head, which was bleeding. I had dropped my helmet on the way down and I was not wearing flying kit. My clothes were standard dress uniform, a khaki “sidcot suit”, and black flying boots. After landing I destroyed my pay book and personal letters, but kept my identity disc and a B.E.F. identity card. I threw away my pistol, which was of German make. I then started to walk west through thick woods. My aircraft had fallen in the forest on the east bank of the River Meuse. I walked for about five hours. Going was very rough and I took off my Sidcot suit and carried it. About 1700 hours I was resting by a tree when a French soldier jumped out of a bush and pointed a rifle at me. I speak a little French and he asked me whether I was a German. I showed him my B.E.F. identity card and convinced him that I was a British pilot. This Frenchman was one of six French sappers trying to rejoin their unit. With them I walked through woods to Focroi. Here I left them and joined the remnants of a company of French infantry, commanded by a Sub. Lieutenant. They were much disorganised, and were retreating west ... ’ A French M.O. did at least manage to offer Fowler treatment for his cut head, but his freedom was to be short-lived for he was captured on the following day when fired upon by enemy troops near Brunehamel, the commencement of a long journey that culminated in his arrival at Colditz at the end of 1941, but not before a gallant escape attempt from Stalag Luft I at Barth. On that occasion he marched out of the camp dressed in a bogus German uniform and, having then changed into civilian clothes, made his way to Sassnitz with the aim of gaining passage on the ferry to Sweden - unfortunately he was arrested just as he entered the docks, spent 14 days in the cells back at Barth and was then sent to Colditz. Here he quickly established a successful rapport with his fellow officers and, if the following story is anything to go by, a less than happy relationship with his captors - Henry Chancellor’s Colditz, The Definitve History, takes up the story of how Fowler turned to his advantage an infestation of wasps in a giant creeper which grew up one side of the Castle: ‘Bill Fowler, an Australian airman, caught a wasp, tied a thin thread to its waist and attached it to a rolled-up cigarette paper. Bill’s idea was that, since leaflets were being dropped by the R.A.F. all over Germany, it was up to us to play our part. Hundreds of wasp