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POW escape pack
A prisoner of war escape pack made from parts of a battle dress uniform. The pack was made by Captain A.J. Tillick prior to his departure from Oflag VIIB POW camp on 14 April 1945.
Oflag VIIB was located near Eichstaett in southern Germany. As the military situation deteriorated German authorities ordered the officers from this camp to march eastwards, away from the advancing Americans. Prisoners were only allowed to take what they could carry. The pack was still on Captain Tillick's back when he was repatriated to England on 9 May 1945.
Image courtesy National Army Museum Te Mata Toa
Accession Number: 1982.251
Permission of the National Army Museum Te Mata Toa must be obtained before any reuse of this image.
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YahooHow to cite this page: 'POW escape pack', URL: http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/photo/escape-pack, (Ministry for Culture and Heritage), updated 10-Feb-2009
Kia ora Rae
Thank you very much for posting this information, it is wonderful to find out more about Capt Tillick and his bag.
Jamie Mackay
Web Editor
www.nzhistory.net.nz
Kia ora, Alan Tillick's daughter Rae here. I well remember Dad's back pack and sweater, knitted on wooden needles.Dad, a gunner with the Sixth Field Regiment Artillary advance party, was captured on or about May 2nd 1941 in Kalamata, being one of 10,000 left behind on the beach during the evacuation of troops from Greece. After capture, was initially processed in Thessaloniki before being imprisioned in the following POW camps:
VB Biberach
VlB Warburg
VllB Eichstatt
VllA Moosburg, being liberated from there by General Pattern's Army April 29th 1945, a day which Dad was to celebrate each year for the remainder of his life.
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