Hugo Ironside

Hugo Craster Wakeford Ironside
Born	14 June 1918 Thrapston, Northamptonshire
Died	3 October 2008 Fleet, Hampshire
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Tank Regiment
Years of service	1938–1968
Rank	Brigadier
Commands held	8th Royal Tank Regiment, 5th Royal Tank Regiment
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	OBE

Hugo Craster Wakeford Ironside OBE (1918–2008) was an Army Officer who during World War II tunnelled out of a Prisoner of War camp and later helped construct a glider, known as the 'Colditz Cock'.

Hugo Ironside was born in Thrapston, Northamptonshire, and educated at St Edward's School, Oxford. He was offered a place at the Royal Air Force College Cranwell, but was warned that, if he joined the RAF, he would probably be dead within two years. Instead, Ironside won a cadetship to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and was commissioned into the Royal Tank Regiment in 1938.

Second Lieutenant Ironside, landed at Calais with the 3rd Royal Tank Regiment (3RTR) on 20 May 1940 in the final phase of the battle for the port. Five days later, 3RTR was out of ammunition and petrol. The order was given "Every man for himself". Ironside and his platoon started marching along the beach towards Dunkirk. They were captured in the early hours of the morning. During the next two weeks, the men were force-marched to Trier, approximately 300 miles away. Food was so scarce for the men that they had to break away from the main group and risk being shot by the guards in order to scrounge food.

From Trier, Ironside was moved between Oflag VII-C Laufen (Germany), Stalag XXI-D Poznań (Poland), Oflag V-B Biberach and Oflag VI-B Doessel-Warburg Prisoner of War camps before being sent to Oflag VII-B at Eichstätt, Bavaria. There he helped to work on a tunnel which started in a lavatory in one of the brick blocks. This was used for an escape of over 50 men, who were recaptured and sent to Oflag IV-C, Colditz.

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