A PILOT from an RAF base in North Yorkshire has taken part in a modern-day recreation of The Great Escape.

Flight Lieutenant John Le Cornu, a Tucano flying instructor based at RAF Linton-on-Ouse, was one of six officers selected from around the country to travel to Stalag Luft III in Zagan, Poland, to take part in the famous escape for a Channel 4 documentary.

Flt Lt Le Cornu, 32, said the wartime efforts of his predecessors in the RAF were an inspiration to him: “I believe that the modern general public should be reassured that today’s aircrew training would mean that ordinary RAF pilots could conduct the same heroic escapes. All should be reminded however, that these were ordinary people who did not want fame but later became heroes for doing what they believed in.

“I was brought up on Jersey until the age of 16. The Channel Islands were the only part of the British Isles to be occupied by the Germans and so the History of the Second World War has always been important to me. My grandfather was also a qualified flying instructor during WWII, during which he conducting a bombing raid over Normandy. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. He flew every aircraft the RAF had at the time including Hurricane, Spitfire, Lancaster and Halifax.”

The RAF personnel involved were selected to take part in this significant activity because of their links to the Great Escape or their interest in these historic events, and Flt Lt Le Cornu returned from his honeymoon just in time to be able to take part.

The group used records, pictures and original artefacts for reference and were very fortunate to be guided and advised by original prisoners of war, and also got to take an active part in the excavation of a section of tunnel using replicas of the original tools and shoring.

He said: “Constructing a ventilation system and fully functioning air pump was a rather daunting task. The tricky part was to manufacture a simple, reliable valve to ensure that the air moved in one direction down the tunnel and not just back and forth.

“It was an honour and a privilege to have Ex-PoW Stanley ‘Gordie’ King’s seal of approval to our finished pump. He had operated the genuine article on the night of the Great Escape and was thrilled to see that we had constructed a pump which looked remarkably similar to the one he had used.”

Digging The Great Escape will be broadcast on Channel 4 later this year.