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]