Brought up in Guildford, Joanna’s father, Squadron Leader Alec Bristow, was a WWII Mosquito pilot and a Prisoner-of-War in Stalag Luft III, where the famous ‘Great Escape’ took place.

With her father’s anecdotes, his detailed PoW diary, and years of extensive research, Joanna is an acknowledged authority on what really happened that fateful night.

What was it really like behind the barbed wire, how ambitious were the plans, how accurate is the film and what were the after-effects of this bold affront to the Nazi regime?

This talk will give an overview of the impact of this historical event on Joanna’s father, on his fellow officers, and on the history of the RAF.