Peter Butterworth was concerned in Great Escape from Stalag Luft III

He was a family title taking part in bumbling buffoons within the Carry On movies.

But behind Peter Butterworth was a rare wartime backstory that may now be revealed in full for the primary time.

As a prisoner of warfare, not solely was Lieutenant Butterworth intently concerned in organising the well-known Great Escape from Stalag Luft III, however he additionally performed an important function in passing coded messages again to British intelligence in apparently harmless letters to house.

He was alleged to have been the final man within the tunnel, however ended up staying behind when 76 airmen famously escaped the Nazi POW camp on March 24, 1944.

Researchers who uncovered new particulars of his Second World War exploits within the National Archives imagine he might have remained within the camp to hold on his important coding work.

Peter Butterworth was a family title taking part in bumbling buffoons within the Carry On movies. He is pictured within the Carry On Girls movie alongside Barbara Windsor

But behind Peter Butterworth was a rare wartime backstory that may now be revealed in full for the primary time

Researchers who uncovered new particulars of Butterworth’s Second World War exploits within the National Archives imagine he might have remained within the camp to hold on his important coding work. He is pictured within the movie Carry On Up The Khyber

Butterworth’s title was on an archived checklist of ‘Code Letter Writers’ on the camp in Poland.

Prisoners have been allowed to put in writing letters to family members supplied their correspondence handed the scrutiny of German censors.

But they used this profit to secretly cross on important navy intelligence that they had found, resembling the placement of enemy ammunition dumps.

Butterworth’s job was to incorporate a secret signal that the letter contained intelligence meant for MI9, a bit of the War Office set as much as assist POWs escape.

The code was so difficult that its secret was misplaced in time for greater than 70 years till a group of consultants from Plymouth University managed to determine it out.

The intriguing particulars of Butterworth’s wartime actions have been uncovered throughout analysis for an exhibition and guide to mark the upcoming eightieth anniversary of the Great Escape, made well-known by the 1963 film starring Steve McQueen and Richard Attenborough. 

Dr Will Butler, of the National Archives, stated Butterworth’s forging and espionage actions have been one of many largest surprises. He stated: ‘He was a gifted artist and is famous within the camp data as a really extremely expert forger of paperwork.

As a prisoner of warfare, not solely was Lieutenant Butterworth intently concerned in organising the well-known Great Escape from Stalag Luft III, however he additionally performed an important function in passing coded messages again to British intelligence in apparently harmless letters to house. Pictured are Richard Attenborough and Steve Mcqueen within the movie The Great Escape

Talbot ‘Tolly’ Rothwell persuaded the Germans to allow them to construct a camp theatre to entertain the prisoners, went on to put in writing many Carry On movie scripts and Butterworth appeared in 16 of them. Pictured: Peter Butterworth, Jim Dale and Phil Silvers within the movie Carry On: Follow That Camel

‘We had photographs of individuals performing within the camp theatre, however we didn’t realise Peter Butterworth was in them till we confirmed them to his son, Tyler. 

‘Peter was additionally accountable for creating units within the theatre, the place the soil from the tunnelling was hidden beneath the seats.’ Indeed, it was Butterworth and one other British officer, Talbot ‘Tolly’ Rothwell, who persuaded the Germans to allow them to construct a camp theatre to entertain the prisoners.

Rothwell went on to put in writing many Carry On movie scripts and Butterworth appeared in 16 of them.

During the warfare, the actor served within the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm, however was shot down in 1940.

Initially held at a POW camp close to Frankfurt, he and 17 others escaped in June 1941 by digging a tunnel utilizing soup spoons. He was free for 3 days earlier than being recaptured and despatched to Stalag Luft III. 

There he grew to become one of many vaulters within the Wooden Horse tunnel escape, during which a gymnastic vaulting horse was used to hide a tunnel entrance.

Butterworth, who was married to the impressionist Janet Brown, died in 1979 aged 63. He is pictured alongside Barbara Windsor in Carry On Henry

Butterworth was famously later turned down for a task taking part in himself within the 1949 movie of this escape. Though closely concerned within the Great Escape, he did not depart the camp. All however three of the 76 escapees have been recaptured, and 50 have been executed on Hitler’s orders.

Dr Butler stated: ‘Peter was alleged to be the final man out of the tunnel however he did not go ultimately. Clearly he had this important function with British intelligence.

‘Afterwards, due to the executions, escape makes an attempt have been halted so his extremely difficult coded messages have been the one technique of getting important data again to London.’

Butterworth, who was married to the impressionist Janet Brown, died in 1979 aged 63. Their son, Tyler, additionally an actor, stated folks ‘had no concept this bumbling man had this unimaginable warfare story’.