Newspaper Article 1999 – WW2 prison escaper dies, aged 81

WW2 prison escaper dies, aged 81

KATE TAYLOR

OBITUARY

World war 2 veteran Eric Baty, who escaped from a prisoner-of-war camp in Austria, has died in Wairoa, aged 81.

He was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) which is one of the highest awards a private can earn.

A stretcher bearer in the war, Eric ended up in 1941 in Stalag XV111A, a prisoner-of-war camp in Austria. He attempted to escape four times – each attempt ending with 28 days’ solitary confinement and a diet of bread and water.

In an interview in 1995, Eric said the consequences could have been tragic for him, but he kept changing his name to outwit his captors.

However, it didn’t stop some cruel punishments.

“I remember one German officer in particular smashing me in the head with the butt of his rifle. I can still see his face and if I was to run into him today, well, I wouldn’t be held responsible for my actions,” Eric said.

In the final and successful escape Eric and two other prisoners built a raft from heavy rails found on snow-covered riverbanks. Eric ended up swimming in the ice-cold river to pull the raft to safety when he realised they weren’t going to make it. Then they had to scale a cliff, before suffering snow blindness after trudging for two days in the snow.

After 12 days of trudging and hiding, covering about 500 miles, the trio finally came across partisans belonging to Tito’s troops.

It wasn’t until recent years, when Eric and another of the escapers, Ernie Brough (Wombat) of Australia, met after 46 years, that many of these adventures came to light.

Eric was born in Gisborne in 1917. He won a ballot for a farm in Whakatane after the war. He lived there with his late wife Bid for much of his adult life before retiring to Wairoa about six years ago.

He died in Glengarry Home on Sunday, just hours before his 82nd birthday.

Eric is survived by his sisters Rita King, Wairoa, and Joy Ferguson, Gisborne, step son Murray Taylor and grandsons Thomas and Stuart Taylor.

He had fought in the war with his three brothers, who have all since passed away.