The Cooler King

The Cooler King tells the astonishing story of William Ash, an American flier, who after being shot down in his Spitfire over France in early 1942 spent the rest of the war striving to escape from every prisoner of war camp in which he was incarcerated. It is a saga full of high drama, climaxing in a break out via a tunnel dug in the latrines of the Oflag XXIB prison camp in Poland.

Alongside William Ash is a cast of fascinating characters including Douglas Bader and Roger Bushell, who would go on to lead the Great Escape. Patrick Bishop vividly recreates the multiple escape attempts, while also analysing the passion that drove some prisoners to risk death in repeated bids for freedom.