He was one of Britain’s bravest, refusing to be held captive by the Nazis and taking part in one of the most audacious prison breakouts of all time.
Tragically Flight Lieutenant James ‘Cookie’ Long, who was imprisoned in the infamous Stalag Luft III and took part in the famous Great Escape of March 1944, was among 50 executed by the Gestapo on Hitler’s orders.
But now medals honouring his astonishing wartime service have been saved from auction and returned to his former squadron. IX (Bomber) Squadron, based at RAF Lossiemouth, has now been presented with the medals after they were tracked down in New Zealand.
They were set to go under the hammer, but the squadron’s association secured thousands of pounds worth of pledges from its members and negotiated a private sale with the collector.
Flight Lieutenant James ‘Cookie’ Long was one of 50 prisoners of war executed after escaping from Stalag Luft III
Iconic Hollywood actor Steve McQueen played Captain Virgil Hilts, ‘The Cooler King’ in The Great Escape and starred in some of its most memorable scenes
The 1939-45 Star, Air Crew Europe Star, and 1939-1945 War Medal with Bronze Oak Leaf will now reside in the squadron’s heritage room at Lossiemouth, in Moray, alongside other artefacts from its 110-year history.
Flt Lt Long was the co-pilot on a 1941 raid on Cologne when his Wellington bomber was attacked by a German fighter and crashed in the Netherlands.
Having bailed out of the stricken aircraft, he and his crew were captured and imprisoned in Stalag Luft I.
But after making several escape attempts Flt Lt Long was transferred to the infamous Stalag Luft III in 1942.
It was at the camp he gained the nickname Cookie, apparently for his ability to distil illicit alcohol. And he is rumoured to have inspired James Garner’s character Hendley ‘The Scrounger’ in the 1963 classic The Great Escape.
Group Captain James Heeps, Typhoon Deputy Force Commander and President of IX (Bomber) Squadron Association, said: ‘We have always been proud of our squadron’s heritage and have attended many Great Escape anniversary events to remember Cookie, but even so I was surprised by the speed and generosity of association members’ response to the fundraising campaign which enabled this purchase.’
Flt Lt Long was one of 76 prisoners of war who broke out of Stalag Luft III in the Great Escape on March 24, 1944.
His efforts in digging had proved key to completing the tunnel used for the escape, and he also twice shored up the roof with emergency repairs.
James Garner played American-born RAF Flight Lieutenant Robert Hendley in the 1963 movie
Flt Lt Long’s medals have been bought at auction and returned to his former squadron based at RAF Lossiemouth
He was one of the last to scramble through the tunnel in a bid for freedom but became lost in the dense forest surrounding the camp before teaming up with fellow escapee Roger ‘Tony’ Bethell.
The pair had hoped to walk 40 miles to the Czech border then changed their plan because of snow and flooding.
They walked alongside the railway line towards Frankfurt and planned to jump aboard a freight train and make their way to Sweden but they were thwarted by the speed of the passing trains. They were spotted in daylight and captured.
They were held in a Gestapo prison before Bethell was returned to the prison camp. He survived the war and died in Canada in 2004. But Flt Lt Long was one of the 50 escapees who were shot by the Gestapo.
He was cremated and his remains are buried in Poznan Old Garrison Cemetery in Poland.
