Brian Paddon

Group Captain Brian Paddon DSO (born 24 August 1908), was a Royal Air Force pilot who became a Prisoner of War and successfully escaped from Colditz Castle during the Second World War

Early life
Paddon was born in Carshalton, Surrey the son of the Reverend Charles Salmon Paddon and his wife Nellie Symington Paddon. In the 1911 Census of Redruth in Cornwall Paddon aged two is living with his parents at Lannarth Vicarge.

Royal Air Force Service
Paddon joined the RAF on a short service commission as a Pilot Officer (on probation) in June 1929. He obtained his Royal Aero Club Aviator's Licence #10796 on 3 September 1932.

He was shot down flying a Bristol Blenheim light bomber of No. 40 Squadron RAF during an attack at St-Valery on 6 June 1940 as part of the Battle of France. He was captured and became a Prisoner of War.

Prisoner of War
After passing through the interrogation and transit camp of Dulag luft he was first sent to Oflag IX-A/H at Spangenberg before shortly afterwards leaving for Stalag Luft I at Barth, arriving there on 12 July 1940, where he became the Senior British Officer.

After several escape attempts from various camps, he was sent to Oflag IV-C at Colditz Castle arriving there on 14 May 1941 with three other officers including Airey Neave.

After several more attempts to escape, on 11 June 1942, he was sent to a Court-martial at Stalag XX-A for insulting a German officer during one of his previous escape attempts. However, he managed to escape from his cell, and with the aid of other British Prisoners of War, left the camp with a work party, slipped away and travelled to Danzig. He stowed away on a Swedish ship and successfully reached neutral Sweden on 18 June. He returned to the UK on 6 August 1942.

He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order and promoted to Group Captain.

Paddon had married Sheila Mary Mansell in 1935 but she died in Malta on 23 September 1939.

He married again in 1948 to Anita Williams, they had a daughter born in Southern Rhodesia in 1953.

Paddon retired from service on 10 November 1950. He seems to have died in retirement in Rhodesia in the 1960's ( http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1969/1969%20-%203149.html ).