Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Wilson (4 November 1911 – April 2002) was a

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

officer of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He escaped twice from captivity, having been taken and becoming a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

Military career

Wilson worked as a draughtsman for the

Bristol Aeroplane Company The Bristol Aeroplane Company, originally the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company, was both one of the first and one of the most important British aviation companies, designing and manufacturing both airframes and aircraft engines. Notable ...

and served as a gunner in the Territorial Army, before commissioning into the 5th Survey Regiment of the

Royal Regiment of Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

on 2 September 1939. He served in the

Battle of France The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembour ...

with the 3rd Survey Regiment, Royal Artillery before being evacuated from Dunkirk. In November 1940 he joined a 'Folbot' section of No. 8 (Guards) Commando and saw service in the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

. In April 1941 he was a founder member of Roger Courtney's

Special Boat Service The Special Boat Service (SBS) is the special forces unit of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. The SBS can trace its origins back to the Second World War when the Army Special Boat Section was formed in 1940. After the Second World War, the Roy ...

(SBS) and participated in operations in the Mediterranean and North Africa. In February 1942 he was awarded the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, awarded for operational gallantry for highly successful ...

for his role in six SBS raids in Egypt and Libya. In September 1942 he was captured during an operation in Italy and was marked for transportation to a German prisoner of war camp, but successfully escaped at Modena station. Wilson was recaptured in Rome on 8 January 1944 and held at

Stalag IV-B Stalag IV-B was one of the largest prisoner-of-war camps in Germany during World War II, located north-east of the town of Mühlberg. It held Polish, French, British, Australian, Soviet, South African, Italian and other Allied prisoners of war. ...

. He was later transferred to

Oflag VIII-F Oflag VIII-F was a World War II German prisoner-of-war camp for officers (''Offizierlager'') located first in Wahlstatt, Silesia (now Legnickie Pole, Poland) and then at Mährisch-Trübau, Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia (now Moravská Třebov ...

and then to Oflag 79, which was liberated by US forces on 12 April 1945. On 20 December 1945 he was awarded a Bar to his DSO is recognition for his actions during and after his capture. Between February 1946 and September 1947, Wilson served as Battery Commander, 66th Airborne Anti-Tank Regiment Royal Artillery in Palestine during the Palestine Emergency. He then returned to UK and served as a Battery Commander in heavy anti-aircraft and light anti-aircraft regiments and then as a Staff Officer Royal Artillery at the Army Air Transport Development Centre. From 1951 to 1953 Wilson was a Battery Commander in the 14th Regiment Royal Artillery, and served in the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

. On 24 April 1953 he was

Mentioned in Dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of t ...

. Between 1953 and 1956 he was Second-in-Command of the 38th Training Regiment RA in North Wales, before serving as Commanding Officer of the 37th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment RA in Malta. Wilson retired from the regular army in April 1958 with the rank of lieutenant colonel. Wilson was the subject of a 1985 book by Rex Woods, called ''Special Commando : the wartime adventures of Lt-Col Robert Wilson, DSO and Bar''.'Wilson, Robert' in
British Army Officers 1939–1945
' at unithistories.com, accessed 3 July 2015

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Robert 1911 births 2002 deaths British escapees World War II prisoners of war held by Germany British military personnel of the Palestine Emergency British Army personnel of the Korean War British Army personnel of World War II British World War II prisoners of war Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Royal Artillery officers Special Boat Service officers Royal Artillery soldiers British Army Commandos officers Military personnel from the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton People from Bolton