John William Best
Encyclopedia
Flight Lieutenant John William Best MBE
, (known as Jack Best) (6 August 1912 – 22 April 2000) was a British
Royal Air Force
pilot. He was a notable Prisoner of War
, who was held captive at Colditz Castle
in eastern Germany during World War II. Best was noted for his several attempts to escape from Colditz and for his part in building the Colditz Cock
, a glider from which he hoped to escape by air.
Jack Best was born near Llangollen
in North Wales and grew up there. He moved to Kenya
as a young man where he was a farmer. When the war began in 1939, Best joined the RAF and was trained as a pilot. During one of his flights across Africa in 1941, his plane ran out of fuel off the coast of Greece and he was captured by German soldiers. He was taken to Stalag Luft III
, the prison made famous in the movie The Great Escape
. Best and another prisoner dug a tunnel and escaped to Poland where they were captured. On 9 September 1942, they were taken to Colditz Castle where other escapees were taken because German commanders believed the thick rock walls of Colditz would prevent escape.
Best attempted escape several times but was recaptured. From 5 April 1943 to 28 March 1944 Best became a "ghost prisoner", hiding under floorboards and in closets in Colditz to trick German guards into believing that he had escaped.
Best, Bill Goldfinch
, Tony Rolt
and several other prisoners constructed a glider
out of wood and cloth in an attic at the top of a Colditz tower from which they planned an airborne escape from the castle. The glider had a 32-foot wingspan and was to be launched from the roof by a catapult that consisted of a bathtub filled with concrete at the end of a series of cables and pulleys. As the bathtub fell to the ground, the cables would fling the glider into the air where it would glide for about a mile over the town of Colditz and over the river Mulde. From there Best and another prisoner were planning to walk to a train station and escape by train to Switzerland.
Before they could launch the glider, Best was liberated from Colditz on 15 April, 1945.
On the 6 September 1946 Best was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
and returned to Kenya. In 1962 he returned to England where he resumed farming at Herefordshire with his second wife Elizabeth Bunting.
In 1999, Best was a consultant for a British TV movie documentary called "Escape From Colditz" in which a full-scale replica of the glider was built and successfully flown.
When Jack Best died at the age of 87 in April 2000, he was survived by a son, daughter, and five grandchildren.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, (known as Jack Best) (6 August 1912 – 22 April 2000) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
pilot. He was a notable Prisoner of War
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
, who was held captive at Colditz Castle
Oflag IV-C
Oflag IV-C, often referred to as Colditz Castle because of its location, was one of the most famous German Army prisoner-of-war camps for officers in World War II; Oflag is a shortening of Offizierslager, meaning "officers camp"...
in eastern Germany during World War II. Best was noted for his several attempts to escape from Colditz and for his part in building the Colditz Cock
Colditz Cock
|-See also:-External links:*****...
, a glider from which he hoped to escape by air.
Jack Best was born near Llangollen
Llangollen
Llangollen is a small town and community in Denbighshire, north-east Wales, situated on the River Dee and on the edge of the Berwyn mountains. It has a population of 3,412.-History:...
in North Wales and grew up there. He moved to Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
as a young man where he was a farmer. When the war began in 1939, Best joined the RAF and was trained as a pilot. During one of his flights across Africa in 1941, his plane ran out of fuel off the coast of Greece and he was captured by German soldiers. He was taken to Stalag Luft III
Stalag Luft III
Stalag Luft III was a Luftwaffe-run prisoner-of-war camp during World War II that housed captured air force servicemen. It was in the German Province of Lower Silesia near the town of Sagan , southeast of Berlin...
, the prison made famous in the movie The Great Escape
The Great Escape (film)
The Great Escape is a 1963 American film about an escape by Allied prisoners of war from a German POW camp during World War II, starring Steve McQueen, James Garner, and Richard Attenborough...
. Best and another prisoner dug a tunnel and escaped to Poland where they were captured. On 9 September 1942, they were taken to Colditz Castle where other escapees were taken because German commanders believed the thick rock walls of Colditz would prevent escape.
Best attempted escape several times but was recaptured. From 5 April 1943 to 28 March 1944 Best became a "ghost prisoner", hiding under floorboards and in closets in Colditz to trick German guards into believing that he had escaped.
Best, Bill Goldfinch
Bill Goldfinch
Flight lieutenant Bill Goldfinch was a Royal Air Force pilot who, with Tony Rolt and Jack Best, designed and built a glider in an attic of Colditz Castle, as part of the most audacious of all the projected escapes from the Second World War's most famous prison camp.-Early life:He was born Leslie...
, Tony Rolt
Tony Rolt
Major Anthony Peter Roylance "Tony" Rolt, MC & Bar, was a British racing driver, soldier and engineer. He won the 1953 24 Hours of Le Mans and participated in three Formula One World Championship Grands Prix without scoring a championship point...
and several other prisoners constructed a glider
Glider aircraft
Glider aircraft are heavier-than-air craft that are supported in flight by the dynamic reaction of the air against their lifting surfaces, and whose free flight does not depend on an engine. Mostly these types of aircraft are intended for routine operation without engines, though engine failure can...
out of wood and cloth in an attic at the top of a Colditz tower from which they planned an airborne escape from the castle. The glider had a 32-foot wingspan and was to be launched from the roof by a catapult that consisted of a bathtub filled with concrete at the end of a series of cables and pulleys. As the bathtub fell to the ground, the cables would fling the glider into the air where it would glide for about a mile over the town of Colditz and over the river Mulde. From there Best and another prisoner were planning to walk to a train station and escape by train to Switzerland.
Before they could launch the glider, Best was liberated from Colditz on 15 April, 1945.
On the 6 September 1946 Best was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
and returned to Kenya. In 1962 he returned to England where he resumed farming at Herefordshire with his second wife Elizabeth Bunting.
In 1999, Best was a consultant for a British TV movie documentary called "Escape From Colditz" in which a full-scale replica of the glider was built and successfully flown.
When Jack Best died at the age of 87 in April 2000, he was survived by a son, daughter, and five grandchildren.