The World War 2 hero Air Commodore was held at the Stalag Luft 3 prisoner camp in Poland, which inspired the 1963 classic film.

A Lancaster Bomber crewman, he was still a teenager when his plane was shot down and he was captured by the Nazis in 1944.

John Nichol, a former RAF navigator who was himself taken prisoner during the first Gulf War described Commodore Clarke as a “giant of our nation”.

He tweeted: “Very sad to say Air Cdre Charles Clarke has died aged 95.

“Shot down in 1944, three of his crew perished and he ended up Stalag Luft 3 just before the Great Escape.

“Shot down in 1944, three of his crew perished and he ended up Stalag Luft 3 just before the Great Escape”

John Nichol, RAF navigator

“He was a wonderful man, a great friend, a supporter of countless charities and a giant of our nation.

“Blue skies Sir. RIP.”

RAF Cosford in Shropshire, where Clarke visited in 2018 along with other former POWs, also paid tribute to him.

“Devastated to hear this evening that Air Commodore Charles Clarke OBE has died,” the station tweeted.

“Lancaster bomb aimer and POW, he continued to inspire us all to the last.”

• Adolf Hitler
• British Army
• World War 2

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