Herbert Massey

Herbert Martin Massey
Born	19 January 1898 Hilton, Derbyshire, England
Died	1976 (aged 78) Barnstaple, Devon, England
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Air Force
Years of service	1915 – 22 June 1950
Rank	Air Commodore
Battles/wars	World War I, Arab Revolt, World War II
Awards	CBE DSO MC

Air Commodore Herbert Martin Massey CBE DSO MC (19 January 1898 – c. 1976) was a senior officer in the Royal Air Force during World War II. After being captured by the Germans, Massey became the Senior British Officer at Stalag Luft III.

After Massey's death, a memorial service in his honour was held on 22 May 1976 at St Clement Danes Church.^[1]

Massey was the basis for the character Group Captain Ramsey in the film The Great Escape (who also walks with a stick), played by actor James Donald.

Honours and awards

He received the following awards and honours:

• CBE - 2 Jan 1950
• DSO - 6 Nov 1936
• MC - 1917
• Mentioned in Dispatches - 23 Jul 1937, 1 Jan 1941 and 24 Sep 1941

References

• Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation - Air Commodore H M Massey