serviceyears servicenumber branch death_date death_place allegianc birth_place other_names unit nationality battles birth_date known_for rank spouse article_title name occupation
1941-1945 , 1949-1955 120413 royal air force 17 february 2004 canada united kingdom dar-es-salaam , tangyanika territory `` tony '' no. 268 squadron no. 16 squadron no. 145 squadron british second world war 9 april 1922 one of the `` great escapers '' flight lieutenant lorna bethhell tony bethell
 r. anthony bethell aviator , farmer
tony bethell

richard anthony bethell , known as anthony -lrb- or `` tony '' -rrb- bethell , -lrb- 9 april 1922 - 17 february 2004 -rrb- was born in dar-es-salaam in the british territory of tanganyika .
he joined the royal air force during the second world war .
after his mustang was shot down he was taken prisoner and held in the german prisoner of war camp stalag luft iii at sagan where he actively participated in the great escape , being one of the 76 officers to break out and make some distance across enemy occupied territory before being recaptured .
his name was not one of the 50 who were picked to be executed and he , with 25 others , went back into captivity .
he retired from the raf in 1955 and worked in financial services in canada .
he died in canada in 2004 .
