Canadian Military History

Volume 3 Issue 1 Article 13

1994

Their Duty Twice Over: Canadians in

Jonathan F. Vance University of Western Ontario, [email protected]

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Recommended Citation Vance, Jonathan F. "Their Duty Twice Over: Canadians in the Great Escape." Canadian Military History 3, 1 (1994)

This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Canadian Military History by an authorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Vance: Their Duty Twice Over: Canadians in the Great Escape

Jonathan F. Vance

he Great Escape of March 1944 was the At a July 1944 memorial service at St. Martin - Tculmination of over a year's planning in-the-Fields Church in London to honour and preparation by Allied airmen detained in the fifty airmen who lost their lives after the Luft 3, a large prison camp in eastern Great Escape from Stalag Luft 3, the RAF Germany. The brainchild of a South African Chaplain-in-Chief was moved to make this pilot, the plan called for the construction of comment on the spirit of the escapers. In three escape tunnels, code named Tom, Dick March 1994 another memorial service marked and Harry, which would be fully equipped the fiftieth anniversary of the escape and with electricity, a vented air system, and brought together the handful of remaining trollies for travel to and from the face. Even survivors as well as relatives of the fifty POWs if only one tunnel was used, the organizers executed after the breakout. Their thoughts believed that as many as 200 POWs, each returned to the prison camp at Sagan, now an outfitted with civilian clothes, travel overgrown meadow in southern Poland, which documents, maps and foodstuffs, could get had been the site of a cooperative enterprise away from the camp. Most of these men that brought together the talents of hundreds would undoubtedly be recaptured in short of airmen, including dozens of Canadians, order, but the disruption they would cause in from across the Allied world. occupied Europe was deemed sufficient to justify the attempt. When tunnel Harry finally The nine Canadians who actually broke through on the night of 24-25 March participated in the escape represented a cross- 1944, a series of misfortunes so delayed the section of Canadian life. Alfred Thompson operation that only 76 airmen were able to get was the son of a politician from away from the camp to temporary freedom. Penetanguishene and had the misfortune of Three reached neutral territory and, as the being Canada's first POW. Tommy had left escape planners had anticipated, the break­ Ontario to join the RAF in 1936 but his flying out sent shock waves through . war lasted just five days for he was shot down The ultimate outcome, though, was something on a leaflet raid on 8 September 1939, before none of the airmen could have foreseen: the Canada even entered the war. Another bomber summary execution of fifty of the recaptured pilot was Pat Langford, the son of a forest escapers, including six Canadians. ranger in Jasper National Park who spent part of the prewar period chauffeuring tourists around Lake Louise and the Yoho Valley in a big Packard touring car. Pat spent sixteen Their indomitable courage, unquenchable months as a flying instructor then, itching to hope, and supreme sacrifice had about it, get into action, wangled a transfer to an even in these days of many patterns of operational unit. His flying war was almost heroism, something that was unique. Their as short as Tommy Thompson's, for Langford freedom in a measure lost, they still fought was downed on only his second operation.2 on, doing their duty twice over.1

Ill

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Two views of Stalag Luft 3. (Author's collection)

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Scottish-born Jimmy Wernham spent crewmates drifting down towards German his youth in Winnipeg and Mine Centre in captivity.5 northern Ontario and, unable to find work after graduation from high school, drifted The last three Canadians were fighter between the two places as the Depression pilots. Keith Ogilvje, a one-time Ottawa ground on. He joined the RCAF in 1940 and stockbroker, had flown with the RAF in the flew operationally until June 1942, when his Battle of Britain; his greatest claim to fame bomber was shot down during a raid on the before the escape was shooting down a Ruhr Valley.3 Hank Birkland, too, was a child German bomber about to release its load over of the Depression. Born in Spearhill, Buckingham Palace. Bill Cameron, a self- Manitoba, Birkland's family moved around in professed immature and pessimistic loner search of work and when Hank finished high from an Alberta farm, had been downed over school, he joined the thousands of other Sicily in July 1943. Another veteran of the young Canadian men riding the railways in Mediterranean theatre was Windsor native quest of employment. From Winnipeg, George Wiley, who had difficulty passing for Birkland went east, to the mines of Sudbury an eighteen-year-old. While flying Kittyhawks but found no prospects there; he then headed in the North African desert, George had landed west, to British Columbia, where he found in a minefield and badly fractured his leg and work in a gold mine in the town of Sheep ankle; he survived that experience only to be Creek. Birkland was a very tough customer shot down over Tunisia in March 1943.6 who had nearly lost an arm in a truck accident before the war; when he was shot down over This very diverse group of Canadians Dunkirk in November 1941, he piled his eventually came together with hundreds of Spitfire into the beach at high speed after other Allied airmen at Stalag Luft 3, a huge passing directly over a German flak tower. He -operated prison camp near the spent weeks in hospital before being released 4 Silesian city of Sagan, roughly halfway to a permanent prison camp. between and Breslau. Even before the airmen moved to the camp's new North There were also two university men Compound in April 1943, plans were well among the nine. Gordon Kidder, the son of a underway for what would become one of the St. Catharines cannery manager, attended largest escape operations of the war. South the University of Toronto and excelled in the African-born Roger Bushell, a prewar study of languages, eventually being accepted barrister, skier and bon vivant, had hatched to complete a Master's degree in German at a scheme based on the construction of three Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. He huge escape tunnels, code-named Tom, Dick was shot down in October 1942 on his ninth and Harry, which were intended to free as operation when the crew's flak-damaged many as two hundred prisoners on the first Wellington crashed into the North Sea. George night alone. Some, outfitted with tailored McGill was of a different stripe. He studied civilian suits and supplied with complete science at the University of Toronto but found forged identity documents, would travel by more success in athletics; he was one of Hec train. The majority would strike out across Phillips' stars for the varsity track team, country, likely to be recaptured fairly quickly; setting many records and winning the Ontario the nuisance value created by each escaper, championship in the quarter-mile. McGill's however, was sufficient to justify the attempt. hard luck began on his last flight in January 1942. Half-way through the bomb run over Such an audacious plan demanded a Wilhelmshaven, an anti-aircraft flare entered massive mobilization of resources and X the bomb bay and ignited a terrific blaze. The Organization, as the escape committee was pilot immediately ordered the crew to abandon known, canvassed the compound in search of ship but the second pilot was eventually able anyone who had a skill to contribute. Gordon to subdue the fire and force the flare through Kidder became a language instructor, a hole in the fuselage. The aircraft returned coaching prospective escapers with phrases to England, leaving George McGill and his they could use to bluff their way out of trouble.

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Top: A group oJPOWs at Sagan, 1943. Seated second from right is A.B. Thompson, Canada's first POW.

Centre: This warning was posted in all German prison camps after the escape.

Bottom: A prisoners' dormitory, Sagan, 1943. Standing second from left is Pat Longford. Photos from author's collection.

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Hank Birkland went underground and spent open, perilously close to the perimeter wire. countless hours digging in the tunnels with Then there were problems getting through shovels crafted from food tins or stove parts. the tunnel. The heavily-laden escapers found His good friend Wally Floody, a hard-rock it difficult to squeeze through Harry, and miner in northern Ontario before the war, many caused minor cave-ins as haversacks supervised the engineering of Tom, Dick and brushed against the shoring frames. By the Harry.7 Entry to those tunnels was gained time the escape was discovered at dawn by a through hidden trapdoors, one of which was wandering sentry, only seventy-six airmen controlled by Pat Langford; his job was to had made it away from the camp. The last monitor all movement in and out of Harry, was Keith Ogilvie, who bolted into the forest assist in the removal of bags of sand, and as soon as he heard the gunshots which ensure that the trap was safely camouflaged signalled the end of the Great Escape.10 after each use. George McGill supervised a team of look-outs, known as stooges, whose Of the nine Canadians who broke out job it was to careful eye on the compound through Harry, only two travelled any distance and give warning whenever one of the guards 8 from the camp. Gordon Kidder had teamed approached a work site. Other Canadians up with an English squadron leader and the worked as penguins, carrying small loads of pair were nearly arrested at Sagan train sand in hidden bags to be secreted around station when they were questioned by a the compound. Some of these jobs may have member of the camp censor staff. Playing the been tedious, but each was vital to the success part of Spanish labourers, they bluffed their of the operation. way through and, with five other escapers, boarded a train for Breslau. Little is known Through the summer of 1943 the three of their subsequent travels but on 28 March tunnels grew slowly in length. As each new the pair was recaptured at Hodonin in section was completed, carpenters installed southern Moravia, not far from the Austrian shoring frames to brace the tunnels, fitted air border, after four days at large. Jimmy pipes to provide fresh air to the workers at the Wernham was one of the first walkers to leave face, laid new rails for the small trolley cars the tunnel, emerging at 1:30 AM to join a that carried men and supplies back and forth party of twelve men purporting to be on leave from the entry shafts, and extended the from a local sawmill. The group took a local electric cables which lit the tunnels.9 The train to the town of Bober-Rohrsdorf, where work progressed well but not entirely without they split up to cross the frontier into incident. In September tunnel Tom was . Wernham and an American discovered, more by accident than anything, major, carrying papers identifying them as after having reached a length of over 260 feet. French volunteer workers, tried three times It was a bitter blow but X Organization soon to purchase tickets to a station in the border began to concentrate all efforts on tunnel zone but were arrested soon after the third Harry, with a view to breaking it as soon as attempt. Their escape had lasted a little over 11 the weather improved in the spring. By twelve hours. March 1944 Harry, at over 330 feet in length, was ready. The experiences of the other seven varied little from those of all the other walkers. Dozens of Canadians drew spots among Leaving the camp, they trudged through the the two hundred names slated to escape on deep snow, often covering no more than a few the night of 24-25 March 1944 but only nine hundred yards each hour and becoming slowly would get a brief taste of freedom. It was a weaker, wetter and more tired as time passed. night of confusion and disappointment. Travelling singly or in small groups, they Workers had trouble opening the trap of the spent the daylight hours hidden in farm tunnel, which had swelled due to dampness, buildings, clumps of bushes or holes in the and then discovered that the tunnel was ground; each night they packed their meagre short; its exit broke not under the cover of the supplies and continued the trek away from fir trees ringing the camp but right out in the Sagan. It soon became apparent that progress

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across country was far too slow and many NOTES chose to chance the roads in hopes of making better time. Unfortunately, the area was teeming with local police and auxiliary soldiers 1. London Times, 21 June 1944 and all of the walkers were recaptured within 2. Dennis Langford, Calgary, correspondence with au­ days of the escape.12 thor, 3 October 1984; Pat Langford Papers, in posses­ sion of Dennis Langford, Calgary, flying log book. The fact that only three of the seventy- 3. Marie Charleson, Nanaimo, correspondence with au­ six airmen, a Dutchman and two Norwegians, thor, 30 May 1985; Angus MacLean, Belle River, PEI, reached neutral territory in no way diminished correspondence with author, 21 May 1984. the impact of the escape, which created even 4. Hans Birkland, interview by author, Scarborough, greater disruption than Roger Bushell could 1 June 1986. have imagined. As many as 70,000 troops 5. Ferdinand Hamburger Jr. Archives, Johns Hopkins were diverted to track down the airmen, and University, Baltimore: Gordon Kidder file; Earl Hitler, believing the escape to be a prelude to MacDonald, Pictou, NS, correspondence with author, an uprising in eastern Europe, demanded 24 September 1985; George McGill Papers, in posses­ that all of the recaptured POWs be summarily sion of Betty Gillies, Mississauga, undated clipping; executed. His subordinates eventually Toronto Star, 13 January 1942. convinced him to accept fifty as a more 6. Bill Cameron, Ottawa, correspondence with author, 18 reasonable figure.13 The task of selecting the January 1989; Al Shaw, Windsor, correspondence with names of the condemned men was left to a author, 24 October 1985. Kriminalpolizei official, and included in his 7. Harold Avery, St. Catherines, correspondence with list were six Canadians: Hank Birkland, author, undated [1984]; , The Great Gordon Kidder, Pat Langford, George McGill, Escape (London: Faber, 1951), pp.45, 93. Jimmy Wernham and George Wiley. The six 8. Langford Papers, WCdr H.M.A. Day to Mr and Mrs were shot at various locations in the days Langford, 17 July 1945; George Harsh, Lonesome Road after the escape and their ashes returned to (London: Longman, 1972), pp.202-3; Public Record Sagan for committal in a cairn constructed by Office [PRO] WO 208/3283, "History of Stalag Luft 3, their fellow prisoners. North Compound." 9. See Aidan Crawley, Escape from Germany (London: Fifty years have now passed since the HMSO, 1985), ch. 25. Great Escape and its tragic aftermath, yet the 10. PRO WO 208/3329 #194, statement by A.K. Ogilvie. event continues to fascinate the public. John 11. Allen Andrews, Exemplary Justice (London: Harrap, Sturges's 1963 motion picture created a whole 1976), pp.52, 103; B.A. James, Moonless Night generation whose view of the Great Escape (London: William Kimber, 1983), pp. 101-8; PRO WO was centred on Steve McQueen's mad 208/3330 #535, statement by J.B. Dodge. motorcycle dash across the Bavarian Alps, 12. National Archives of Canada: Department of National while a vastly inferior 1988 television remake Defence Records, series C2F, vol. 8024, f. 21/1, Testi­ took Christopher Reeve out of a Superman monies of POWs who Escaped on March 25th, undated, suit and into a role that was even more statements by P. Royle, A.K. Ogilvie and R.A. Bethell. patently absurd than McQueen's. The fifty 13. International Military Tribunal, Trial of the Major War airmen who lost their lives after the Great Criminals (Nuremburg: IMT, 1947), 11:159; 15:439. Escape, and the hundreds of others who worked on the tunnels, deserve better than this, and the fiftieth anniversary of the event provided an admirable opportunity to give Jonathan Vance currently holds a them their due. SSHRC Post Doctoral Fellow at Wilfrid Laurier University. He is the author of Objects of Concern: Providing for é Canadians in Enemy Hands Through the 20th Century, to be published by UBC Press in November 1994.

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