In 1899, Winston Churchill was a prisoner of the Boers in South Africa. But the wily Brit escaped, and this is the description the police put out.

"Escaped prisoner-of-war Winston Spencer Churchill Englishman, 25 years old about 5 foot 8 inches tall, medium build, walks with a slight stoop. Pale features. Reddish-brown hair almost invisible small moustache. Speaks through his nose and cannot pronounce the letter S. Had last a brown suit on and cannot speak one word of Dutch."

Needless to say, Winston got away, and later rose to greatness.  A plucky youth indeed.