What a wonderful film it was The Great Escape – made in 1963 – and to mark the 75th Anniversary of the actual escape there have been screenings around the UK .

The presenter Dan Snow toured with the film and was on hand for the Introduction on the night.

Above: Dan Snow posing on the actual motor cycle used in the film.

On the 75th anniversary of the events that inspired The Great Escape, Dan Snow hosts a commemorative evening featuring The D-Day Darlings and special guests including Charles Clarke OBE who was held in that same POW Camp, culminating with a gala screening of the remastered 1963 cult film, starring Steve McQueen.

One of the Screenings on 24th March was at The Kinema In The Woods in Woodhall Spa Lincolnshire – and how very apt that would be as this town was the home of the DamBusters.

Pictured here is Charles Clarke OBE who in fact had been held at the notorious pow camp. Myself and my family had the honour of meeting Charles as he had been staying at The Petwood Hotel in Woodhall Spa earlier this year when we were all resident there.   He told us many stories and was wonderful company.

Charles Clarke volunteered for the Royal Air Force when he was seventeen years old and flew operations as a bomb aimer with 619 Squadron from RAF Woodhall Spa. His aircraft was shot down on his 18th operation and he became a prisoner of war. He was held at Stalag Luft 3 at the time of the ‘Great Escape’.  As the Russians were advancing the camp, he was evacuated and he gave an account of what became known as the Long March.