Giles Romilly

Who was Giles Romilly?

Giles Samuel Bertram Romilly, was a journalist, Nazi POW, brother of Esmond Romilly and nephew of Winston Churchill. He was educated at Wellington College and Oxford, and then served as a war correspondent in both the Spanish Civil War and in World War II. However, he was captured in May 1940 in the Norwegian town of Narvik while reporting for the Daily Express.

Romilly was the first German prisoner to be classified as Prominente, prisoners regarded by Adolf Hitler to be of great value due to their relationships to prominent Allied political figures. Because of his importance to Hitler, Romilly was imprisoned in Oflag IV-C, from where escape was perceived to be almost impossible. Whilst at Colditz, Romilly lived in relative luxury with the other Prominente who would later join him, although they were all watched 24 hours a day in case they should attempt to escape.

Romilly used this position to his advantage and caused trouble by issuing complaints at every conceivable annoyance. Amongst the list, he took offence to the noise created by the boots of his guard outside his door, preventing him from sleeping. Following a visit from the Red Cross, a red carpet was placed outside his door to dull the sound.