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Canadians and the Great Escape
The escape from the Stalag Luft III prisoner-of-war camp - March 25, 1944.
If you were to go by Hollywood's account, you would never know Canadians played a prominent role in the construction of the tunnels and the escape itself. Wally Floody, a Canadian RCAF pilot and mining engineer, had a major role in the construction of the escape tunnels, while 9 Canadians escaped, 6 were murdered by the Gestapo. Of the 1,800 or so POWs in the compound, 600 were involved in the escape, 150 were Canadian.
Steve McQueen with Wally Floody, who acted as technical advisor on the film.  Wally Floody
Floody was a Royal Canadian Air Force Spitfire pilot from Chatham, Ontario. He was shot down over France on his maiden flight in October 1941 and was imprisoned at the POW camp Stalag Luft III.
Due to his experience, being a mining engineer, Floody was known as the "Tunnel King" and was responsible for designing and constructing the escape tunnels "Tom", "Dick" and "Harry".
Shortly before the escape, the Germans were aware something major was going to happen. They attempted to thwart any escape attempts by transferring 19 of their "top suspects" to other camps. Only 6 of those transfered were involved. One was Wally Floody, another was American-born RCAF tail gunner George Harsh, who was a member of the escape executive committee and was the camp security officer.
In 1946, Floody was awarded the Order of the British Empire for his contribution to the Great Escape.
Hank Birkland
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| Born |
August 16, 1917 - Spearhill, Manitoba |
| Status |
Executed - Last seen alive on March 31, 1944 (Memorial) |
| Family |
Son of a carpenter, had six siblings. |
| Pre-War Work |
Gold miner in British Columbia. |
| Force |
 Royal Canadian Air Force |
Military Career and Capture
Birkland enlisted in the RCAF and began training in September 1940. He received his wings and commission on April 10, 1941 and was sent overseas soon after. While sweeping the French coast during a diversionary operation over Dunkirk, Birkland's spitfire passed directly over a flak tower and was hit. He managed to land the plane on the beach before passing out. He spent weeks in hospital before being sent to a camp near Barth where he meet and befriended Floody.
Luft Stalag III & Escape
Birkland assisted Floody in digging the tunnels. He was involved in the "delousing escape" on June 12, 1943, and was captured only a few miles from the camp.
During the escape he was a "marshall" - one appointed to guide escapees after they made it out of the tunnel. They would wait in the forest for their 10 men to arrive and guide them down a pre-determined path to a destination where everyone would split up. Without them, there would be mass confusion with escapees wondering aimlessly.
During the escape, one man nudged a wall and brought down three feet of tunnel. Bikland acted immediately, crawling down to pull the man free. Then, in the pitch black and with the threat of more cave-ins , repaired the tunnel in one hour.
Posing as French workers, Birkland and two others waded through hip-high snow, making slow progress. By the end of the 26th, Birkland was delirious and started talking to himself. The two others decided to take shelter at a nearby farmhouse... where four German soldiers were staying. The men were taken into custody and sent to a local police station. The German police officer at the station helped them by building a fire to make Birkland more comfortable. They used this time to dispose of their incriminating items (maps and compasses), and converted their clothing back to military uniforms.
Birland was shot in a clearing just outside of Gorlitz with nine others. The gestapo killers were Lux and Sharpwinkel. He was cremated at Liegnitz.
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William Cameron
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| Born |
- |
| Status |
Died, November 18, 2000 |
| Family |
- |
| Pre-War Work |
- |
| Force |
Royal Canadian Air Force |
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Gordon Kidder
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| Born |
December 9, 1917 - St. Catharines, Ontario |
| Status |
Executed - Last seen alive on March 29, 1944 (Memorial) |
| Family |
Son of a Cannery Manager. |
| Pre-War Work |
Clerk and translator. |
| Force |
Royal Canadian Air Force |
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| Born |
November 4, 1919 - Edmonton, Alberta |
| Status |
Executed - Last seen alive on March 31, 1944 (Memorial) |
| Family |
Eldest of three children. Father was a forest ranger. |
| Pre-War Work |
Chauffeur with Brewster Transport |
| Force |
Royal Canadian Air Force |
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George Edward McGill
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| Born |
April 14, 1918 - Toronto, Ontario |
| Status |
Executed - Last seen alive on March 31, 1944 (Memorial) |
| Family |
Married to Betty Goodman. Had a son named Peter. |
| Pre-War Work |
Family coal business |
| Force |
Royal Canadian Air Force |
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| Born |
September 1915 - Ottawa, Ontario |
| Status |
Died in 1999 |
| Family |
- |
| Pre-War Work |
- |
| Force |
 Royal Air Force |
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Alfred Burke "Tommy" Thompson
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| Born |
August 8, 1915 - Penetanguishene, Ontario |
| Status |
Died in Penetanguishene in 1985. |
| Family |
Son of the local MP. |
| Pre-War Work |
Insurance |
| Force |
Royal Air Force |
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| Born |
January 15, 1917 - Scotland (moved to Winnipeg at a young age) |
| Status |
Executed - Last seen alive on March 30, 1944 (Memorial) |
| Family |
Father worked for the CPR. Had a sister named Florence. |
| Pre-War Work |
Accounts department at John Deere Plough. |
| Force |
Royal Canadian Air Force |
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George Wiley
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| Born |
January 24, 1922 - Windsor, Ontario |
| Status |
Executed - Last seen alive on March 30, 1944 (Memorial) |
| Family |
- |
| Pre-War Work |
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| Force |
Royal Canadian Air Force |
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 Lux |
Killed in fighting, 1945 |
| Wilhelm Scharpwinkel |
Disappeared in Soviet Zone - likely killed |
| Erich Zacharias |
Hanged in 1948 |
| Adolf Knippelberg |
Captured by the Russians - dissapeared. |
Last updated on Jul 11, 2009 17:08. Page viewed 7522 times.
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