The Forgotten Hero of the Great Escape

Autorentext

HOWARD BETTS has worked in the field of leadership and organisational development for some four decades during which he has worked with organisations both nationally and globally across the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors. His work focuses on leadership capability, collaboration, organisational culture, strategic change and executive coaching, operating at both strategic and operational levels. Alongside his consulting practice, Howard spent over twenty years in higher education as a contributor to the University of Exeter's MBA programmes and as a co-founder of the Centre for Leadership Studies, where he helped create and deliver one of the world's first Masters-level leadership programmes. He also led the University's Coaching for Excellence initiative and co-delivered strategic change programmes. Howard has developed diagnostic tools exploring mindset and collaborative behaviour, and has coached senior leaders, entrepreneurs and executives across a wide range of sectors. His work continues to challenge orthodox leadership thinking and the organisational systems that quietly undermine it.

Klappentext

The Great Escape behind barbed wire is shaped by three leaders whose styles built resistance, morale, and ingenuity.

At 22.30 hours on 24 March 1944, the first prisoner pushed up through the exit shaft of Tunnel 'Harry' at Stalag Luft III. The Great Escape had begun. For over six hours, Allied airmen slipped into the darkness - until, at 04.55 hours, the seventy-seventh man was spotted and the operation ended.

The Great Escape remains one of the most gripping stories of the Second World War. But behind the familiar legend lies a deeper, largely untold narrative: the story of three leaders whose contrasting styles shaped four years of relentless resistance behind barbed wire. From their earliest capture in 1939 and 1940, through each new camp, setback, and bold attempt to outwit the Germans, these men forged a system of leadership that tied up enemy resources, preserved morale, and inspired generations.

Alongside Lieutenant Commander Jimmy Buckley's thoughtful, collaborative approach and Squadron Leader Roger Bushell's charismatic audacity, this book puts the spotlight on Group Captain Harry 'Wings' Day: the forgotten architect of defiance. From Dulag Luft to Stalag Luft III, through a brutal sequence of concentration camps and sub-camps, and finally an escape from the SS, Day's unwavering commitment never faltered. His journey is a testament to resilience, ingenuity, and moral courage.

Blending vivid historical narrative with modern leadership insight, The Forgotten Hero of the Great Escape reframes an iconic wartime story. It reveals how collaboration, trust, and distributed leadership enabled extraordinary ingenuity under unimaginable pressure - and how one man's quiet determination helped define the greatest escape of them all.