Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart is one of the most remarkable figures in British military history, renowned for bravery, his striking character and the sheer adventure of his long life. He is thought to be the model for "Brigadier Ben Ritchie Hook" in the Sword of Honour trilogy of Evelyn Waugh.
He was captured in 1941 and evaded capture for eight days disguised as an Italian peasant. But he was in northern Italy, did not speak Italian, was 61 years old with an eye patch, one empty sleeve and multiple injuries. He did well to stay out so long. Ironically, de Wiart had been approved for repatriation due to his disablement but notification arrived after his escape...
This is much more to his amazing story, and well worth reading the entry on wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrian_Carton_de_Wiart