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'Great Escape' Survivor, Pilot Paul Royle, Dies Ages 101

'Great Escape' Survivor Dies Aged 101
Aubrey Allegretti
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A pilot who took part in the mass breakout from a German prisoner of war camp in the Second World War remembered as 'The Great Escape', has died in his hometown of Perth aged 101.

Paul Royle died Sunday at a Perth hospital following surgery on a hip fracture that he suffered in a fall in a nursing home three weeks ago, his son Gordon Royle told AP.

The war veteran's death leaves only one survivor of the 76 men who escaped from 'Stalag Luft III', near Sagan about 100 miles southeast of Berlin: 94-year-old British man Dick Churchill, a former squadron leader, the son claimed.

Survivors had reportedly formed a 'club' and kept in contract through a newsletter called the 'Sagan Select Subway Society', which listed the passing of each member. The latest newsletter among Paul Royle's belongings showed that he and Churchill, who now lives in Devon, were the last survivors.

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Paul Royle, pictured holding a photo of himself from World War 2

"I called Dick Churchill yesterday and said 'I'm bringing you the news that you're the last one,'" Royle's son said. "He was sad but stoic."

Paul Royle revealed last year, on the 70th anniversary of the tunnel escape in March 1944, that he was no fan of the famed Hollywood interpretation of his group's story.

Speaking previously about his contribution to the historic escape operation, Royle said his role was to distribute dirt excavated from the 110-meter tunnel around the camp grounds.

This was done by surreptitiously releasing the soil down his trouser legs in areas where the ground colour vaguely matched. He spent two days hiding in a snow covered forest before he was recaptured.

Story continues below slideshow

Archival Photos From World War II
German Nazi Chancellor Adolf Hitler has(01 of49)
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German Nazi Chancellor Adolf Hitler has written 'JA !' on his calendar on April 10, 1938 thus celebrating the success of his plebiscite asking Austrians to ratify the Anschluss and the annexation of Austria into greater Germany. AFP PHOTO / FRANCE PRESSE VOIR (credit:Getty)
Stylish women (C) look to horses, 29 January 1939(02 of49)
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VINCENNES, FRANCE - JANUARY29: Stylish women (C) look to horses, January 29, 1939 on Vincennes race course, a few months before the beginning of World War II. STAFF/AFP/Getty Images (credit:Getty)
German Nazi Chancellor Adolf Hitler(03 of49)
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German Nazi Chancellor Adolf Hitler (R) informs Czech President Emil Hacha of the imminent German invasion of Czechoslovakia on March 15, 1939 in Berlin. Threatening a Luftwaffe attack on Prague, Hitler persuaded Hacha to order the capitulation of the Czechoslovak army. Hacha suffered a heart attack during the meeting, and had to be kept awake by medical staff, eventually giving in and accepting Hitler's surrender terms. AFP PHOTO / FRANCE PRESSE VOIR (credit:Getty)
A picture dated 1939 shows German Nazi(04 of49)
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A picture dated 1939 shows German Nazi Chancellor and dictator Adolf Hitler (R) with his companion Eva Braun (C) talking to a baby held by a nun. AFP/Getty Images (credit:Getty)
Picture dated on September 1939 shows German(05 of49)
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Picture dated on September 1939 shows German troops entering Poland after a 'blitzkrieg' (lightning war ) which swept into Poland on September 1, 1939. Seventy years ago, at 4:45 am on September 1, a Nazi German battleship on a goodwill visit opened fire on a Polish fort on the Baltic Sea. The thunder of the Schleswig-Holstein's guns in Danzig was the trigger for six years of global warfare whose controversies rage to this day. AFP PHOTO/Getty (credit:Getty)
During german air raids on open belgium towns,this(06 of49)
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During German air raids on open Belgium towns, this picture shows refugees leaving the city during the bombing of the town May 19, 1940. AFP/Getty Images (credit:Getty)
Queen Elizabeth (R) chats with a girl (07 of49)
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Queen Elizabeth (R) chats with a girl on April 18, 1940 when she visits an ammunition factory somewhere in Midlands. It was in the summer of 1940, during the London blitz, that Queen Elizabeth won the respect and affection of her subjects when she refused to leave for Canada with her daughters as German bombs devastated the British capital. AFP/Getty Images (credit:Getty)
Two young Dutch refugee girls arrive(08 of49)
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Two young Dutch refugee girls arrive in London by train on May 19, 1940 after fleeing the German Army offensive during WWII. About 10 millions people fled toward the south during this period. AFP PHOTO/Getty (credit:Getty)
This file picture taken on August 25, 1944(09 of49)
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This file picture taken on August 25, 1944 shows people gathering around a tank from French General Leclerc's 2nd Armored Division near Notre-Dame in Paris. The 65th anniversary of the liberation of Paris will be celebrated tomorrow. AFP PHOTO/Getty (credit:Getty)
US-born singer-entertainer poses during World War(10 of49)
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FRANCE: US-born singer-entertainer poses during World War II in an undisclosed location in France as a sublieutenant in the Women's Auxiliary of the French Air Force. AFP/AFP/Getty Images (credit:Getty)
George Herbert Walker Bush is pictured in the cock(11 of49)
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George Herbert Walker Bush is pictured in the cockpit of his TBM Avenger during the World War II. Born June 12, 1924 in Milton, Massachussetts, George Bush graduated with a degree in Economics in 1948 from Yale, made a fortune drilling oil before entering politics in 1964. He served as U.S. Congressman from Texas (1966-1970), Ambassador to the United Nations (1971-1974), Special Envoy to China (1974-1975), Republican National Chairman (1975-1976), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director (1976-1977), Vice President of the US (1981-1959) George Bush was eventually elected President of the U.S. on November 8, 1988 against Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis. AFP PHOTO/WHITE HOUSE (credit:Getty)
TO GO WITH STORY "WWII-HISTORY-JAPAN-KAM(12 of49)
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This undated file picture from World War II shows young pilots from the Japanese Royal Navy drinking cups of water before their kamikaze suicidal attack mission, in which pilots crash-dove bomb-laden planes into enemy vessels. Kamikaze, which translates as 'divine wind,' is the word used in the West to describe the suicidal World War II pilots, but in Japan they were known simply as the 'tokkotai' or 'special attack unit'. AFP PHOTO/Getty (credit:Getty)
US-born singer-entertainer Josephine Baker poses(13 of49)
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US-born singer-entertainer Josephine Baker poses in France during World War II with unidentified children. AFP/Getty Images (credit:Getty)
Photo shows the house where Anne Frank(14 of49)
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Photo shows the house where Anne Frank lived in Amsterdam and where she hid with her parents to escape from Nazis between June 1942 and August 4, 1944. AFP PHOTO/Getty (credit:Getty)
Picture dated September 1939(15 of49)
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Picture dated September 1939 showing an English pub in London protected with sandbags before the English battle during the World War II. STF/AFP/Getty Images (credit:Getty)
A young French girl clings to her mother(16 of49)
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A young French girl clings to her mother in May 1940 as French civilians flee the German Army offensive in the north of France during World War II. About 10 million people fled toward the south during this period. AFP PHOTO/Getty (credit:Getty)
Charles de Gaulle (C)(17 of49)
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Charles de Gaulle (C), Chief of the French Free Forces, inspects the French colonial troops during his visit of a military base in Great Britain on January 24, 1941 during World War II. AFP PHOTO/Getty (credit:Getty)
Picture taken in 1942(18 of49)
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Picture taken in 1942 of Soviet soldiers during the battle of Volgograd. AFP/Getty Images (credit:Getty)
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NEXT: Colour Photos From Second World War Era America
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Operating a hand drill at Vultee-Nashville, woman is working on a "Vengeance" dive bomber, Tennessee (LOC)Photographer: Palmer, Alfred T.Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Collection (credit:Library of Congress)
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"Backstage" at the "girlie" show at the Vermont state fair, Rutland (LOC)Delano, Jack,, photographer.1941 Sept.Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Collection (credit:Library of Congress)
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Woman aircraft worker, Vega Aircraft Corporation, Burbank, Calif. Shown checking electrical assemblies (LOC)Bransby, David, photographer.1942 JuneFarm Security Administration - Office of War Information Collection (credit:Library of Congress)
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At the Vermont state fair, Rutland (LOC)Delano, Jack,, photographer.1941 Sept.Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Collection (credit:Library of Congress)
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Shepherd with his horse and dog on Gravelly Range, Madison County, Montana (LOC)Lee, Russell, 1903-1986, photographer.1942 Aug.Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Collection (credit:Library of Congress)
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Parris Island, S.C., barrage balloon (LOC)Palmer, Alfred T., photographer.1942 MayFarm Security Administration - Office of War Information Collection (credit:Library of Congress)
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At the Vermont state fair, Rutland (LOC)Delano, Jack,, photographer.1941 Sept.Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Collection (credit:Library of Congress)
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Southeastern Georgia (LOC)Wolcott, Marion Post,, 1910-1990,, photographer.ca. 1940Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Collection (credit:Library of Congress)
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Georgia oat field, Southern U.S. (LOC)Wolcott, Marion Post,, 1910-1990,, photographer.ca. 1940Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Collection (credit:Library of Congress)
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Typical southeastern Georgia farm with newly harvested field of oats (LOC)Wolcott, Marion Post,, 1910-1990,, photographer.1939 MayFarm Security Administration - Office of War Information Collection (credit:Library of Congress)
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Harvesting oats, southeastern Georgia (LOC)Wolcott, Marion Post,, 1910-1990,, photographer.ca. 1940Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Collection (credit:Library of Congress)
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Brockton, Mass., Dec. 1940, second-hand plumbing store (LOC)Delano, Jack, photographer.1940 Dec.Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Collection (credit:Library of Congress)
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Cabin in Southern U.S. (LOC)Wolcott, Marion Post,, 1910-1990,, photographer.ca. 1940Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Collection (credit:Library of Congress)
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Headlines posted in street-corner window of newspaper off[ice] (Brockton Enterprise), Brockton, Mass. (LOC)Delano, Jack, photographer.1940 Dec.Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Collection (credit:Library of Congress)
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Children with adult in the tenement district, Brockton, Massachusetts (LOC)Delano, Jack, photographer.1940 Dec.Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Collection (credit:Library of Congress,)
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Train and several sets of railroad tracks in the snow, Massachusetts (LOC)Delano, Jack, photographer.1940 Dec. or 1941 Jan.Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Collection (credit:Library of Congress)
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Skating, vicinity of Brockton, Mass. (LOC)Delano, Jack,, photographer.1940 Dec.Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Collection (credit:Library of Congress)
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A view of the old sea town, Stonington, Conn. (LOC)Delano, Jack, photographer.1940 Nov.Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Collection (credit:Library of Congress)
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Burning the autumn leaves in Norwich, Connecticut (LOC)Delano, Jack,, photographer.1940 Nov.Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Collection (credit:Library of Congress)
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Connecticut town on the sea, probably Stonington (LOC)Delano, Jack, photographer.1940 Nov.Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Collection (credit:Library of Congress)
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Farm auction, Derby, Conn. (LOC)Delano, Jack, photographer.1940 Sept.Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Collection (credit:Library of Congress)
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Side shows at the Vermont state fair, Rutland (LOC)Delano, Jack, photographer.1941 Sept.Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Collection (credit:Library of Congress)
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View of the grounds at the Vermont state fair, Rutland (LOC)Delano, Jack, photographer.1941 Sept.Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Collection (credit:Library of Congress)
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"Backstage" at the "girlie" show at the Vermont state fair, Rutland (LOC)Delano, Jack, photographer.1941 Sept.Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Collection (credit:Library of Congress)
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Side show at the Vermont state fair, Rutland (LOC)Delano, Jack, photographer.1941 Sept.Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Collection (credit:Library of Congress)
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At the Vermont state fair, Rutland (LOC)Delano, Jack, photographer.1941 Sept.Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Collection (credit:Library of Congress)
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At the Vermont state fair, Rutland (LOC)Delano, Jack,, photographer.1941 Sept.Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Collection (credit:Library of Congress)
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Barker at the grounds at the Vermont state fair, Rutland (LOC)Delano, Jack, photographer.1941 Sept.Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Collection (credit: Library of Congress)
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Side shows at the Vermont state fair, Rutland (LOC)Delano, Jack, photographer.1941 Sept.Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Collection (credit:Library of Congress)
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Potato farms in Aroostook County, Me. (LOC)Delano, Jack, photographer.1940 Oct.Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Collection (credit:Library of Congress)

Flight Lt. Royle was a pilot in the Royal Air Force when he was shot down over France on May 17, 1940, and captured.

Those two days in the freezing forest in 1944 were his only taste of freedom until prisoners of war were liberated by British troops from the Marlag und Milag Nord prison camp in Germany on May 2, 1945.

He is survived by his second wife, their two children and a sister. All four live in Perth, Australia.

Royle is also survived by three British children from his first marriage. He had eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

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