Kenneth Lockwood

Captain Kenneth Lockwood (17 December 1911 – 8 October 2007) was a stockbroker and British Army officer who served as one of the first six British prisoners of war at Oflag IV-C, Colditz Castle, during World War II. Born in London, he grew up in a financial family and worked for his father's firm before joining the Territorial Army in 1933. He was mobilized in August 1939 and trained in Yeovil before being posted to Le Mans and later marching to Belgium. After being captured during the retreat to Dunkirk in May 1940, he was sent to Oflag VII-C at Laufen Castle. Lockwood was part of a group that dug a tunnel to escape Laufen, considered the first successful escape from a German POW camp during the war. He escaped with two other prisoners before being recaptured and transferred to Colditz Castle in 1940. At Colditz, he worked closely with Pat Reid, chairman of the escape committee, assisting in numerous escape attempts until the castle was liberated by the US Army in April 1945. Lockwood remained at Colditz until its liberation. After the war, Lockwood returned to his career in finance, working in London and later Jersey for a decade. He became the honorary secretary of the Colditz Association, organizing reunions and maintaining connections among former POWs until the association dissolved in 2006. Lockwood was Mentioned in Despatches in 1946 for his role in aiding escapes during captivity. In 1990, he received an MBE. He never married and passed away ...