Captain John Eldred Mott MC and Bar (later Lieutenant Colonel), the first Australian officer to escape from captivity in Germany, taken the morning after he reached Holland. Captain Mott is wearing the clothes in which he escaped. The fence in the background is the dividing line between freedom and captivity. AWM A03035.
John Mott was working in mines in Western Australia when he joined the AIF in 1915, aged 38. A well-known family in the Essendon area, John was one of four brothers to enlist. He was quite a dashing officer, and was celebrated as the first Australian officer to successfully escape as a Prisoner of War.
Rod Martin tells the story of his remarkable service, from two awards of the Military Cross, an escape across Germany, meeting the King at Buckingham Palace, and post war work with the Australian Field Graves Battalion, of which he was given command as a Lieutenant Colonel. Read about this dashing Australian officer.
Remarkable sevice indeed. I thought Captain Mott looks far too swish for having just escaped. However, as the image was taken the day after reaching safety, he would have had time for a bath, hair cut and shave. The left pocket of his jacket is suitably shabby.
ReplyDeleteAnd his uniform washed and pressed. He needed to be wearing it for his escape because he would risk being shot as a spy if caught out of uniform.
ReplyDelete