Thanks for that, Bruce.
I'd intended to post something on the 'This Day in History' topic today but I'll add it here instead.
The ever reliable Wikipedia lists materiel 'acquired' during the Great Escape efforts as follows:
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Following the escape, the Germans made an inventory of the camp and uncovered how extensive the operation had been. Four thousand bed boards had gone missing, as well as 90 complete double bunk beds, 635 mattresses, 192 bed covers, 161 pillow cases, 52 twenty-man tables, 10 single tables, 34 chairs, 76 benches, 1,212 bed bolsters, 1,370 beading battens, 1219 knives, 478 spoons, 582 forks, 69 lamps, 246 water cans, 30 shovels, 300 m (1,000 ft) of electric wire, 180 m (600 ft) of rope, and 3424 towels. 1,700 blankets had been used, along with more than 1,400 Klim cans. Electric cable had been stolen after being left unattended by German workers; because they had not reported the theft, they were executed by the Gestapo.
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How on Earth does the disappearance of 635 mattresses go unnoticed?
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In the last few weeks two of the participants in the escape have died.
Squadron Leader Dick Churchill died on 15th Feb. He was the last survivor of the seventy-six escapees and was among the twenty-three not executed on Hitler's orders.
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Flight Lieutenant Jack Lyon died on 8th March. The plot was discovered by guards before he could attempt his escape. He described himself as 'lucky'.
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There's a 75th anniversary service of commemoration at the site today and I understand that the RAF is participating both in the air and on the ground.