THE OUTSTANDING ROYAL FLYING CORPS GROUP AWARDED A ‘NIEUPORT 17’ FIGHTER PILOT, WHO LEFT A REMARKABLE ACCOUNT OF HIS GREAT WAR SERVICE. SHOT DOWN IN DECEMBER 117, HE WAS ENTERTAINED BY THE RED BARON BEFORE GOING 'IN THE BAG' AND AFTER TWO ESCAPE ATTEMPTS, HE WAS SENT TO HOLZMINDEN CAMP. BECOMING A MEMBER OF THE ESCAPE COMMITTEE, HE DESCRIBES HOW THE TERROR OF CLAUSTROPHOBIA AT THE TUNNEL FACE OVERCAME HIM AND GOES ON TO DESCRIBE THE SCENE OF THE SENSATIONAL 'FIRST GREAT ESCAPE' IN JULY 1918. LATER DESCRIBING THE CONDITIONS IN THE CAMP DURING THE AFTERMATH OF THE ESCAPE AND HE FINALLY TELLS OF HIS EVENTUAL RELEASE AT WARS END

BRITISH WAR AND VICTORY MEDALS ‘LIEUT. H. V. CAUNT. R.A.F.’, 1939-45 STAR; DEFENCE AND WAR MEDALS 1939-45, WITH M.I.D OAK LEAVES. Mounted as worn.

M.I.D. London Gazette 11 June 1942.

Lieutenant Horace Vernon Caunt frontline service as a fighter pilot of 29 Squadron, flying Nieuport 17’s on the Western Front extended but a few weeks. However his diary, written in the 1930’s offers a rare insight not only of the training and experience of a young fighter pilot but details his being shot down and subsequent capture; of his being entertained by German pilots, including Von Richthofen, before being send to a POW camp. He describes two escape attempts and how he was subsequently sent to the notorious Holzminden camp. Here he tells of joining the escape committee and unapologetically describes how he was overcome by the terror of digging at the tunnel face and had to give up his place as an escaper. Then working as outside labour for the tunnellers, he describes the escape, the conditions in the camp during the aftermath, before finally telling of his release, his march through Germany to the Dutch border and subsequent return home.

The story of Caunt’s war was published in an article by The Yorkshire Post under the title 'Escape to victory: The lost war of Horace Caunt'……….

SEE PDF FOR FULL WRITE UP

Condition VF, several scratches over ‘AUN’ of surname, otherwise GVF. Sold together with a transcript of Caunt’s diary, running over 31 A4 pages, an original postcard of the dreaded Niemeyer, a 1930 2nd Edition of The Tunellers of Holzminden and a quantity of copied research.

A quite outstanding RFC pilots group.