John Bigelow Dodge | |
|---|---|
 Dodge in 1928 | |
| Nickname | The Artful Dodger |
| Born | (1894-05-15)15 May 1894 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | 2 November 1960(1960-11-02) (aged 66) |
| Allegiance |  British Empire |
| Branch |  Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve British Army |
| Years of service | 1914–1920, 1939–1946 |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | Royal Naval Division Queen's Royal West Surrey Regiment Middlesex Regiment Royal Sussex Regiment |
| Commands | 16th BattalionRoyal Sussex Regiment |
| Battles / wars | First World War: |
| Awards |  Distinguished Service Order Distinguished Service Cross Military Cross |
| Relations | John Bigelow William E. Dodge Winston Churchill |
MajorJohn Bigelow DodgeDSO DSC MC (15 May 1894 – 2 November 1960), also known as "the Artful Dodger",[1] was an American-bornBritish Army officer who fought in both world wars and became a notableprisoner of war during theSecond World War, surviving the famousGreat Escape in March 1944.
Dodge's paternal great great grandfather wasDavid Low Dodge, a pacifist and founder of theNew York Peace Society. His great grandfather wasWilliam E. Dodge, co-founder of the well-knownPhelps Dodge & Company. His grandfather wasBrigadier-General Charles Cleveland Dodge, who fought in theAmerican Civil War (1861-1865). His parents, Charles Stuart Dodge and Flora Bigelow (daughter ofJohn Bigelow) divorced in 1902. Flora, who had custody of their two children, John and his sisterLucie, remarried to Lionel George William Guest, a cousin of British prime ministerWinston Churchill, and moved to later live inMontreal,Quebec, inCanada.[2] His education included the Fay School andSt. Mark's School, inSouthborough, Massachusetts, and then north toMcGill University of Montreal, Quebec, in Canada.
It was through Churchill, who then wasFirst Lord of the Admiralty, that Dodge became commissioned into theRoyal Naval Division, arriving in England in August 1914.[3] He became anaturalised British citizen in 1915.[4]
Dodge served in the 7th (Hood) Battalion of theRoyal Naval Division first atAntwerp, then atGallipoli.[4] Together withBernard Freyberg and two other officers, Dodge decided whereRupert Brooke was to be buried, and dug the grave onSkyros, immediately before the Gallipoli assault.
While serving as a lieutenant he was wounded at Gallipoli, and awarded theDistinguished Service Cross during this campaign.[5] His award was published in theLondon Gazette on 8 November 1915.[6]
He transferred to theBritish Army in April 1916 with the rank ofcaptain,[7][8] to the 10th BattalionQueen's Royal West Surrey Regiment (the recently raised 'Battersea Battalion), with whom he served on the Western Front, taking part in theBattle of Flers-Courcelette.[9] He was promoted to major on 22 February 1918,[10] was wounded on more than one occasion, and ended the war as an actinglieutenant-colonel[11] commanding the 16th Battalion of theRoyal Sussex Regiment fighting inFrance.[12] He was further decorated with theDistinguished Service Order, this being gazetted on 3 June 1919.[13]
He wasdemobilised on 18 December 1920, retaining the rank of major.[14]
Dodge's American cousin,Braxton Bigelow, had also joined the British army to fight in the First World War. He was killed in Flanders in 1917.[15]
He made several expeditions through these years, including visits to China and Burma,[3] however on a visit in 1921 to theCaucasus he was arrested byCheka — the Soviet secret police as a suspected spy.[16] After about two months of dreadful discomfort and narrowly avoiding execution, he was expelled from Russia with an order never to return there again. After this he changed his political view fromsocialist toconservative.[3]
He served onLondon County Council as member forMile End (East London) from 1925 to 1931. He failed in his bids to get intoParliament for theMile End parliamentary constituency in the1924[17] and1929 general elections.[18] As part of his campaign for theLondon County Council election in 1926, Dodge engaged in a boxingexhibition match against a local professional and sustained ablack eye.[19] He became a member of theLondon Stock Exchange and took up the directorship of a New York bank.[4]
Johnnie married divorcee Minerva Sherman (née Arrington) (1902–1980) in New York about 1929. She was born in North Carolina; her great grandparents included GovernorTod Robinson Caldwell and GeneralWilliam Thomas Ward.[20] They had two sons, David born 1930 and Lionel (known as Tony) in 1934, both born in England.
At the outbreak of the war, Dodge re-enlisted into theBritish Army, taking up the rank of major, serving with theMiddlesex Regiment attached to the51st (Highland) Infantry Division.
While awaiting action during the "Phony War" stage, Johnnie secured adoption as prospectiveConservative parliamentary candidate forGillingham for the next general election which was postponed by hostilities.[21]
When the division surrendered atSaint-Valery-en-Caux in June 1940, Dodge attempted to evade capture, and swam out to sea in an attempt to board some ships he could see on the horizon. However, the ships moved off before he could reach them, so he returned to land, covering approximately seven miles before coming ashore.[3] He was then captured by the Germans and became aPrisoner of War.
Dodge, with many otherPOWs from theAllied defeat in France, was forced to march towards Germany. During the march his bare feet became badly cut, and eventually he was put on a barge with other Army prisoners for transport to Germany. While on theRiver Scheldt he jumped overboard, but was handed over to aLuftwaffe officer by a frightened Dutch civilian.[22] As he had become a captive of the Luftwaffe, he, with all Air Force POWs, was sent to theDulag Luft reception and transit camp atOberursel.
AtDulag Luft he met the Senior British Officer,Wing CommanderHarry Day, who with the agreement of the Camp Kommandant, Major Rumpel, was made part of the permanent British staff of the camp. Rumpel arranged for the records to show that he had been transferred to theRoyal Air Force,[22] and from then on, he remained with theRAF POWs.
Escape always appealed to Dodge's mind, and here he was in good company. In addition to Day, also at the camp were the escape-obsessedJimmy Buckley andRoger Bushell.
It was from here that Dodge made his second escape attempt. A tunnel had been constructed by the permanent British staff, and in June 1941, Dodge, together with Day, Bushell and 14 others made their bid for freedom. None were successful, and all were recaptured. Dodge, and his travelling companion, were recaptured two days later walking along theautobahn a few miles south ofFrankfurt. He was given a short period in solitary confinement before being transferred toStalag Luft I atBarth, with all the other recaptured escapers.[23]
Dodge became good friends with Harry Day who had taken over the role of Senior British Officer, and he helped Day with the running of the camp and with escape matters.He was transferred toStalag Luft III atSagan in April 1942.
Here Dodge again acted as deputy to Day. In November 1942, he was transferred again, this time toOflag XXI-B atSchubin inoccupied Poland. En route to that camp, he escaped from the train, but was immediately seen, shot at and quickly recaptured.[24][25]
Dodge did not take part in an escape attempt on 5 March 1943, involving 33 prisoners including Harry Day, and claims to the contrary in some accounts are incorrect .[26][27] A later biography (2013) by Tim Carroll states that Dodge was not part of the group involved in the escape, and he did not claim to have been, in post-war debriefings. He was transferred toStalag Luft III in April 1943.
Dodge became involved with the organisation of what became known asThe Great Escape. Partly due to his large size, he did not help build the tunnels, but instead helped create diversions such as choir singing to help disguise the noise of the digging.[28]
Dodge was given a place in tunnel "Harry" and escaped at approximately 0100 on 25 March 1944 as part of the famousThe Great Escape. He travelled withFlight LieutenantJames WernhamRCAF towardsCzechoslovakia. They were caught during the afternoon of the same day at the nearbyHirschberg main railway station.[29]Taken to theKriminalpolizei at Hirschberg they met other recaptured escapers, includingBertram "Jimmy" James.[30]
Dodge was the first to be removed from Hirschberg, and was sent toSachsenhausen concentration camp, where he was later joined by Jimmy James, Harry Day andFlight LieutenantSydney Dowse.James Wernham, together with 49 other recaptured escapers, were shot and murdered underHitler's orders.
The "Great Escapers" were placed in Sonderlager A (Special Camp A) within the main camp. Here were housed a handful of other 'political' prisoners, includingSOE agentPeter Churchill, two Russian generals, various other Russians, Poles, Italians and four British soldiers of Irish origin.[31] Later they were joined byBritish CommandoJack Churchill.Dowse and James almost immediately began another tunnel, which was kept secret from all non-British personnel. This was completed and used on the night of 23 September 1944, when Dodge, James, Day, Dowse and Jack Churchill escaped.[32][33] Dodge, who travelled alone, was on the run for over a month, and after receiving help from some French slave labourers, was arrested by a German farmer and returned to Sachsenhausen.
He, with the other four, who had also been recaptured, was placed in solitary confinement and chained to the floor in the death cells at the camp. Mainly throughHarry Day's efforts all were spared execution.
In February 1945, he was released from solitary and taken toBerlin, where he was asked by two senior German officials to act as a peace envoy to the British government with an offer of German surrender to theWestern Allies of the British and Americans but not to theRussians. Dodge was asked to undertake this task because of his distant relationship to British prime ministerWinston Churchill.[34]
He returned to Britain, after traveling west toDresden, where he survived theR.A.F. air raid and fire bombing on 14 February, then south toMunich before crossing the border into neutralSwitzerland. He arrived in Britain in May 1945 and actually met Churchill and the U.S. ambassador to Britain,John Gilbert Winant on 6 May 1945. He explained his adventures and the German peace proposal.[35] History records the offer was not accepted.[36]
Dodge was awarded theMilitary Cross for his services as aPOW, this being recorded in theLondon Gazette on 18 April 1946.[37]
Post-war Dodge was a central figure leading the war crimes investigation to bring key Gestapo and other officials to justice who were responsible for carrying out theorders to murder 50 of the 76 escapees from Stalag Luft III.
He attempted to restart his political career, but with no success, when he stood atGillingham at the1945 General Election but lost narrowly to the winningLabour member,Joseph Binns.[38]
He died, aged 66, of a heart attack when hailing a taxi nearHyde Park in London in November 1960. After cremation his ashes were buried at St Andrew's Church,Ferring,Sussex.[39]
Dodge was portrayed byChristopher Reeve in the made-for-TV filmThe Great Escape II: The Untold Story (1988).
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
