Edgar Humphreys
Edgar Spottiswoode Humphreys (5 December 1914 – 31 March 1944), known as Hunk, was a British Bristol Blenheim bomber pilot who was taken prisoner during the Second World War. He took part in the 'Great Escape' from Stalag Luft III in March 1944, but was re-captured and subsequently shot by the Gestapo. Pre-war life Humphreys was born in Exmouth in Devon, the eldest son of Lydia and William Spottiswoode Humphreys. He was educated in the local council school where he enjoyed sports and developed an interest in aircraft. In 1931, at the age of sixteen-and-a-half, he passed the flying tests for the Class A Pilot's Licence, which could not be issued until he reached the age of seventeen. He was then the youngest pilot in Europe. He enlisted in the Royal Air Force in 1932 to train in the 25th Entry of Apprentices at No. 1 School of Technical Training RAF, RAF Halton and graduated in 1935 as an aircraftman 2nd class (service number 565906). Having worked as ground crew servicing the aircraft Humphreys applied for flight training and was accepted to train as a pilot and promoted sergeant after gaining his pilot's wings. War service Humphreys was serving as a sergeant pilot when he was commissioned as pilot officer on 19 July 1940 (with seniority from 25 April 1940). He married Lilian Watt in the early summer of 1940 near Okehampton in Devon and they set up home in Boscombe. Flying Bristol Blenheim light bombers he served with No. 107 Squadron RAF flying from RAF Wattisham after their return from France where they had suffered a terrible casualty rate during the Battle of France. The squadron primarily flew precision daylight or nighttime bombing raids on German targets in the occupied countries, airfields, harbours and troop installations. On the evening of 15 – 16 November 1940 he was fortunate to survive when his Bristol Blenheim Mark IV (serial number "R3737") crashed as he attempted an emergency landing near Stowmarket during a mission to bomb German airbases in Europe. Prisoner of war On the evening of 19 December 1940 Humphreys took off from RAF Wattisham on a night attack against a German Luftwaffe airfield at Lannion in Brittany, he was flying Bristol Blenheim Mark IV (serial number "T1860), his crew were Sergeants G R Griggs and L F Brand The aircraft was lost, possibly due to Naval light anti-aircraft fire, on this mission and its crew taken prisoner of war. Humphreys was allocated Prisoner of War No. 406 and held at Stalag Luft I Barth. On 19 July 1941 he was promoted to flying officer, and exactly one year later he was promoted again to flight lieutenant. At Stalag Luft I Humphreys met Roger Bushell during various tunnelling escape attempts, Bushell later masterminded the Great Escape. Humphreys, Jack Grisman, Leslie George Bull and several other prisoners were part of the group with Bushell who were sent to Stalag Luft III in the province of Lower Silesia near the town of Sagan