THE PRO PATRIA PROJECT
CROALL Charles
NZ41627, Warrant Officer, 75 Squadron, Royal New Zealand Air Force

CITATION
Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (Military Division)
Gazetted 3 January 1947, p165
Warrant Officer Croall was captured at Tonning in Germany on 29th July 1942, and imprisoned at various camps in Poland and Germany.  On 12th
December 1942, twelve prisoners of war, including Warrant Officer Croall, escaped and attempted to steal an aircraft but were caught and returned to
camp.  In February 1943, in company with an Australian, Warrant Officer Croall escaped from a working party at Lasisk.  After traveling through
Poland they were arrested at the Polish-German border seven days later.  Another attempt was made in May 1943, from a working camp.  Warrant
Officer Croall and a companion headed towards Czechoslovakia but on the fifth night, when boarding a coal train bound for Italy, they were seen and
recaptured.  This Warrant Officer made three more escapes, his freedom, on one occasion, lasting ten days.  Finally in February 1945, he and a
friend jumped from a train at Kolin near Prague.  They were recaptured seven days later and sent to a concentration camp.  Warrant Officer Croall
was liberated in May 1945, by the Americans.  He was a very persistent escaper in spite of ill-health and he earned high commendation for his
attempts.



KNOWN AWARDS
Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) (Military Div)
1939-45 Star.
Air Crew Europe Star
Defence Medal
War Medal 1939-45
New Zealand War Service Medal

NOTES
Born 23 January 1916 England
Died 18 October 2013 Thames, New Zealand
Cremated 23 October 2013 Hamilton Park Cemetery, New Zealand
Ashes buried 8 June 2016 Totara Memorial Park, Thames, New Zealand [RSA A, Plot 0156]