Neville Smallwood

In the 1930s Neville was a maker of women's fancy goods (such as handbags) and lived in Osterly, Surrey. During WWII Neville was a radio-operator/air-gunner in No217 Squadron Coastal Command (Bristol Beaufort I); his pilot was W/C H R Larkin AFC, whose father, an Austrliain MP, was killed on the first day of Gallipoli. Their aircraft was shot down on 8 February 1842 and they were taken prisoner. Both ended up in Stalag Luft III and were involved in the camp theatre, Neville making wigs and costumes and running the make-up department. He was also active in the tailoring department of the X Organisation, making cloth caps for men going out as workers, and gun holsters for those posing as German guards. He made such disguises for two major attempts - the mass Delouser Party walk-out in the summer of 1943 and the famous Great Escape of March 1944.