We are trying to find descendants of John
Bigelow Dodge for two purposes.
#1. To help Tim Carroll, an author who wishes
to write a book about this very fascinating
man.
#2. To better define our genealogy information
about him, as we seem to have some conflicting
information.
John Bigelow Dodge was born in 1895 and died
in 1960 or 1966. He was an adventurer born
in the US who became a British subject by
moving to England in 1915. He had at least
two sons.
His grandfather, John Bigelow, was Abraham
Lincoln's ambassador to France,
He was vaguely related on his mother's side
to Winston Churchill and fought for Britain
in the two world wars
eventually becoming a prisoner of the Luftwaffe.
He was one of the 'Great Escapers' immortalised
by the Hollywood movie starring Dick Attenborough
and Steve McQueen. (Tim Carroll has just
written a book about the Great Escape.)
This may very well have been
the John Dodge
sent to Europe after the war.
As you might
know, there was a huge controversy
over the
escape from Stalag Luft III,
as the Germans
murdered 50 of the men. John
Bigelow Dodge
was one of the lucky ones. He
was sent to
Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp
as a 'prominenten'
- a VIP to be used as a hostage
in bargaining
with the Allies.
Because of his close connection to the British
Prime Minister the Germans took him out of
Sachsenhausen and sent him home via Switzerland
to try and do a deal with Winston Churchill.
To no avail of course. Anyway, his experience
would indicate that he would be of value
to the Allies after the war in interrogating
potential German war criminals.
At the age of 21 he was a Colonel
in the
First World War and won the DSO
and DSC.
He also served in the Royal Navy.(!!!)
In the Second World War he won the MC before
being captured. He was in the Army but the
Kommandant of Dulag Luft where Air Force
prisoners were taken quite liked the idea
of having a cousin of Winston Churchill's
in his jail, and so bagged him for himself.
He tried to stand for Parliament
twice but
failed, and had instead a successful
career
on the London Stock Exchange.
He was a fascinating man yet
their is infuriatingly
little on him, which is the reason
Tim Carroll
is keen to write a book about
him.
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