This is a specially produced bookplate with an original pencil drawing with white highlights on sepia recycled card. The drawing, by Steve Teasdale, features the portrait of Stalag Luft 3 Commanding Officer Harry ‘Wings’ Day. The genuine signature of Harry Day has been professionally mounted underneath the portrait. The bookplate measures approximately 19x13 cm and would fit most books on The Great Escape or his own autobiography’Wings’ Day.
Together with Roger Bushell, Wings Day planned and organised the "Great Escape". On 24 March 1944, Day and 75 others escaped and he made his way to Stettin. Disguised as a British colonel under guard by another escapee (Pavel Tobolski), who was dressed as a German soldier, they travelled by train, through Berlin, reaching Stettin on the evening of the next day. There they sought help from some French workers and were taken to a workers' camp. However, they were betrayed by an informer in the camp and arrested the following day.
After a brief stay in the local jail, Day was taken to Berlin and was interviewed by Arthur Nebe, the man who selected the 50 escapers to be murdered, which included Tobolski. Day was spared execution. Day later said that Hitler had ordered his execution personally, but that Hermann Göring had asked him to relent because Day and his family were so well known to the public.