Ian Kingston Pembroke Cross
Birth name	Ian Kingston Pembroke Cross
Born	(1918-04-04)4 April 1918 Cosham,Hampshire
Died	31 March 1944(1944-03-31) (aged 25) Halbau nearGörlitz
Buried	Poznan Old Garrison Cemetery,Poland
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force
Years of service	1936–44
Rank	Squadron Leader
Service number	39305
Unit	No. 38 Squadron RAF,No. 103 Squadron RAF
Battles / wars	World War II Channel Front (POW)
Awards	Distinguished Flying Cross,Mentioned in Despatches

Ian Kingston Pembroke CrossDFC (4 April 1918 – 31 March 1944), was a BritishRoyal Air Force officer and bomber pilot who was taken prisoner during theSecond World War. Notable for his part in the 'Great Escape' fromStalag Luft III in March 1944 when he was one of the men recaptured and subsequently murdered by theGestapo.

Ian Cross was born inCosham,Hampshire the son of Jeannie and Pembroke Cross a successful chartered surveyor, estate agent and valuer. His older brother Kenneth later becameAir Chief Marshal SirKenneth Cross, AOC-in-C Bomber and Transport Command RAF. Ian Cross was a frail child and had a home tutor due to his early poor health. In 1918 the family moved toHayling Island and there his health began to improve rapidly. He was educated at Churchers School,Petersfield until 1936 where he was recognized as a track athlete andRugby football player and as a member of the schoolOfficer Training Corps. Ian Cross left school and followed his older brother Kenneth into theRoyal Air Force to train as a pilot.^[1][2]

Cross joined theRoyal Air Force as an officer cadet on 12 October 1936 receiving his initial flight training at a civil flying school at Hanworth.^[3] He was commissioned as an actingpilot officer on 21 December 1936 with service number 39305^[4][5] joiningNo. 38 Squadron RAF based atRAF Marham in Norfolk flyingFairey Hendon bombers and being confirmed aspilot officer on 13 October 1937^[6][7] The squadron began to convert toVickers Wellington heavy bombers in January 1939 and Cross was promotedflying officer on 12 May 1939^[8] and was captain of the station Rugby football team.

His first operational sortie (mission) was on 3 December 1939, an anti-shipping strike on German vessels nearHeligoland. On the night of 20 February 1940 on a search for enemy shipping his bomberVickers Wellington Mark IA (serial number P2526") flown byFlight Lieutenant M Nolan, (Cross being the second pilot) ran out of fuel on their return and the crew had to jump by parachute leaving the aircraft to crash.^[9][10] Soon afterwards Cross was appointed "first pilot" and he went on to complete 34 operations (missions) and finish his tour of operational duty. Posted to No. 11 Operational Training Unit based atRAF Bassingbourn^[11] he was unhappy as a flying instructor and pressed for a return to operational flying. He was promoted flight lieutenant on 3 September 1940^[12][13]Cross was awarded aDistinguished Flying Cross on 13 September 1940 for his bravery during his first tour of operations withNo. 38 Squadron RAF^[14][15] In August 1941 Cross succeeded in his aim to return to operational flying and was posted toNo. 103 Squadron RAF to flyVickers Wellington bombers. He flew sixteen further missions and became "B" flight commander,^[16] promoted temporarysquadron leader on 1 December 1941^[17]

On 12 February 1942 theRoyal Air Force mounted a series of large scale operations to attack the three capital warships of the German fleet which had broken out of harbor atBrest known officially asOperation Fuller but better known as theChannel Dash. Amongst the bombers hunting the warships was aVickers Wellington Mark Ic ofNo. 103 Squadron RAF flown bySquadron Leader Ian Cross. Unsuited to daylight operations the RAF were using almost everything they had available to try to sink the warships. Cross took off fromRAF Elsham Wolds at 1452 hours on that afternoon. His aircraft was hit by light anti-aircraft fire from German Naval units and he had to "ditch" (crash land at sea) 40 miles offRotterdam^[18][19] where two of his crew of six drowned when they were unable to get to the life boat. Twenty four hours later the four survivors were rescued by German air-sea-rescue.^[20]

Cross was taken into captivity becoming prisoner of war No. 189 atOflag XXI-B atSzubin inGerman-occupied Poland^[21] where he became acquainted with seasoned escapers such asRoger Bushell,Cyril Swain andBill Ash and became an accomplished tunneller. He was one of the "troublesome" prisoners moved by the Germans to the reputedly escape-proofStalag Luft III where he continued his activities. In one attempt he jumped aboard a German truck leaving the compound with a load of pine trunks and branches which had been cut by Russian forced labourers but was caught before the truck was outside of the wire fences.^[22]

For the Great Escape operation Cross was one of the primary tunnellers and also oversaw and controlled the "penguin" team^[23] for the dispersal of the many tons of sandy earth excavated during the tunneling operations - much of it hidden beneath the floor of the camp theatre via a trap door constructed for the purpose beneath seat No. 13 working withJimmy James.^[24][25] He was one of the 76 men who escaped the prison camp on the night of 24–25 March 1944, in the escape now famous as "the Great Escape". When the Germans discovered the escape they began extensive well planned manhunts. Ian Cross was one of the prisoners recaptured relatively quickly by local patrols and were initially held locally.^[26] Nineteen recaptured officers were loaded into a lorry the following day and moved toGörlitz prison underGestapo control. Here the numbers of recaptured officers grew until thirty-five were held there.^[27] The prisoners were threatened with death and interrogated harshly but not physically. On 30 March 1944 two of the survivors saw three large sedans with tenGestapo agents collect six officers, Ian Cross,Mike Casey, George Wiley,Al Hake,Tom Leigh andJohn Pohe.^{[28][29][30][31]} they were not seen again, their cremation urn labels stated that they died on 31 March 1944 and had been cremated at Görlitz.^[32][33][34]He was one of the 50 escapersexecuted and murdered by theGestapo.^[35][36][37] Originally cremated and buried atŻagań, he is now buried in part of the Poznań Old Garrison Cemetery.^[38][39][40] where his parents chose the inscription "Faithful unto death, To his God and Country" for his headstone.^[41]

Post-war investigation found that aGestapo agent named Lux led the squad who shot the group of six recaptured airmen beside the autobahn near Halbau on the instructions of a senior officer named Scharpwinkel.^[42]

He was amongst the 47 murdered officers named in the British and Commonwealth press when the story became public knowledge on or about 19–20 May 1944^[43][44]TheGlasgow Herald of 19 May 1944 published an early list naming several officers including Cross^[45]

Distinguished Flying Cross awarded on 13 September 1940 for his bravery withNo. 38 Squadron RAF^[46][47]

Mention in Despatches His conspicuous bravery as a prisoner and escaper was recognized by aMention in Despatches as none of the other relevant decorations then available could be awarded posthumously. It was published in a supplement to theLondon Gazette on 8 June 1944.^[48][49]

SeeStalag Luft III murders

The Gestapo executed a group of 50 of the recaptured prisoners representing almost all of the nationalities involved in the escape.

Post-war investigations saw a number of those guilty of the murders tracked down, arrested and tried for their crimes.^[50][51][52]

Nationalities of the 50 executed

21 British

6 Canadian

6 Polish

5 Australian

3 South African

2 New Zealanders

2 Norwegian

1 Belgian

1 Czechoslovak

1 Frenchman

1 Greek

1 Lithuanian

Notes

Bibliography

• Sean Feast (2015).The Last of the 39-ers. Grub Street.ISBN 978-1909166158.
• Jonathan F Vance (2000).A Gallant Company. Pacifica Military.ISBN 978-0-935-55347-5.
• Simon Read (2012).Human Game. Constable.ISBN 978-1-4721-1262-0.
• William Ash; Brendan Foley (2005).Under the Wire: The Wartime Memoir of a Spitfire Pilot, Legendary Escape Artist and 'cooler King'. Bantam.ISBN 978-0-593-05408-6.
• Allen Andrews (1976).Exemplary Justice. Harrap.ISBN 0-245-52775-3.
• William R Chorley (1994).RAF Bomber Command Losses, Volume 3. Midland Counties.ISBN 978-0904597899.
• Paul Brickhill (2004).The Great Escape. W.W. Norton & Company.ISBN 978-0-393-32579-9.
• Alan Burgess (1990).The Longest Tunnel: The True Story of World War II's Great Escape. Naval Institute Press.ISBN 978-1-59114-097-9.
• Albert P. Clark (2005).33 Months as a POW in Stalag Luft III: A World War II Airman Tells His Story. Fulcrum Pub.ISBN 978-1-55591-536-0.
• Arthur A. Durand (1 January 1989).Stalag Luft III: The Secret Story. Patrick Stephens Limited.ISBN 978-1-85260-248-2.
• William R Chorley (1992).RAF Bomber Command Losses, Volume 1. Midland Counties.ISBN 978-1906537401.

• Project Lessons from the Great Escape (Stalag Luft III), by Mark Kozak-Holland. The prisoners formally structured their work as a project. Thisbook analyses their efforts using modern project management methods.

• Royal Air Force squadron leaders
• British World War II pilots
• British World War II bomber pilots
• World War II prisoners of war held by Germany
• 1918 births
• 1944 deaths
• Royal Air Force personnel killed in World War II
• Participants in the Great Escape from Stalag Luft III
• British escapees
• Extrajudicial killings in World War II
• British World War II prisoners of war
• Graduates of the Royal Air Force College Cranwell
• Military personnel from Hampshire

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