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Henry Birkland
Henry Birkland (16 August 1917 – 31 March 1944), was a Canadian Spitfire pilot who was taken prisoner during the Second World War. He took part in the 'Great Escape' from Stalag Luft III in March 1944, but was one of the men re-captured and murdered by the ''Gestapo''. Early life Birkland was born in Caldwell, Manitoba, Canada and educated in Calgary. He worked as a packer for the Burns Co. in 1937–38, as a truck driver for a gas company in the middle of 1938, briefly as a dishwasher and then a gold miner at Gold Belt mining company in British Columbia for the year until May 1940. War service Birkland enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force in July 1940 as an aircrew candidate. Following basic training Birkland was promoted to leading aircraftman and posted for flying training to No.11 Elementary Flying Training School RCAF. Graduating in January 1941 he transferred to No.9 Service Flying Training School. As a fully qualified pilot he was promoted sergeant on 26 April 194 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 million people, and the List of European countries by area, seventh largest EU country, covering a combined area of . It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordering seven countries. The territory is characterised by a varied landscape, diverse ecosystems, and Temperate climate, temperate transitional climate. The capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city is Warsaw; other major cities include Kraków, Wrocław, Łódź, Poznań, and Gdańsk. Prehistory and protohistory of Poland, Humans have been present on Polish soil since the Lower Paleolithic, with continuous settlement since the end of the Last Glacial Period over 12,000 years ago. Culturally diverse throughout ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ray Flying Legends 2005-1
Ray may refer to: Fish * Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea * Ray (fish fin anatomy), a bony or horny spine on a fin Science and mathematics * Ray (geometry), half of a line proceeding from an initial point * Ray (graph theory), an infinite sequence of vertices such that each vertex appears at most once in the sequence and each two consecutive vertices in the sequence are the two endpoints of an edge in the graph * Ray (optics), an idealized narrow beam of light * Ray (quantum theory), an equivalence class of state-vectors representing the same state Arts and entertainment Music * The Rays, an American musical group active in the 1950s * Ray (musician), stage name of Japanese singer Reika Nakayama (born 1990) * Ray J, stage name of singer William Ray Norwood, Jr. (born 1981) * ''Ray'' (Bump of Chicken album) * ''Ray'' (Frazier Chorus album) * ''Ray'' (L'Arc-en-Ciel album) * ''Rays'' (Michael Nesmith album) (former Monkee) * ''Ray'' (soundtrack), a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brian Evans (RAF Officer)
Brian Herbert Evans (14 February 1920 – 31 March 1944), was a Royal Air Force bomber pilot who was taken prisoner during the Second World War. Notable for his part in the 'Great Escape' from Stalag Luft III in March 1944 he was one of the men recaptured and subsequently murdered by the ''Gestapo''. Pre-war life Evans was born in Shaldon, Devon the son of Australian born Dorothy and Captain Herbert Evans (Mercantile Marine) Clan Line steamers. It is noted that German records state that he was born in "Shelton" (sic).Andrews (1976), photo page, copy German records The family later moved to Upton near Birkenhead which was near to the port regularly used by Clan Line steamers. In 1933 Alan Cobham’s air circus set up very close to their home and young Brian fell in love with aircraft and flying. In the summer of 1935 the family moved to Cardiff. Although desperate to get into civil aviation Evans struggled with mathematics and it blocked his progress. He left school in 1938 and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Charles Piers Egerton Hall
Charles Piers Hall compiled by USAF 392nd Bomber Group Association – 31 March 1944) was a British pilot who was taken prisoner during the . He was part of the 'Great Escape' from in March 1944, but was captured and subsequently shot by the . War service Hall was born in Kings Nort ...[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Pohe
Porokoru Patapu Pohe (10 December 1914 – 31 March 1944), commonly known as John Pohe, was a New Zealand Māori Royal New Zealand Air Force officer and bomber pilot who was taken prisoner during the Second World War. Notable for his part in the 'Great Escape' from Stalag Luft III in March 1944, he was one of the men recaptured and subsequently murdered by the ''Gestapo''. Pre-War Of Māori descent, Pohe was born Porokoru Patapu Pohe but was usually known as Johnny or John, the son of Whatarangi Ropoama Pohe and Honoria Maraea Pohe. He grew up on his parents farm North of Taihape New Zealand with six sisters. He was educated at Putiki School, Turangarere School and Taihape District School, before Te Aute College where he excelled academically and at sport, his weak subject was the Māori language. After school he worked on the family farm and served two years in the Territorial Army with the Manawatu Mounted Rifles. Wartime service Accepted for aircrew training after volunteeri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tom Leigh (RAF Officer)
Thomas Barker Leigh (11 February 1919 – 31 March 1944) was an Australian-born Handley Page Halifax bomber rear gunner who was taken prisoner during the Second World War. He took part in the 'Great Escape' from Stalag Luft III in March 1944, but was one of the men re-captured and subsequently shot by the ''Gestapo''. Pre-war life Leigh was born in Waverley, Sydney, Australia, on 11 February 1919. He was the second son of a British father and an Australian mother who resided in Shanghai, China. His mother had sailed back to Australia for his birth before returning to China. She died in 1926 and their father died in 1932, but the three children had lived in England since their mother's death where they attended boarding schools and spent holidays with family friends or their guardian. On leaving school Leigh passed the entrance examination for the Training Ship ''Mercury'' near Southampton and on 30 September 1934 began to train for a life at sea. From the training ship he could se ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael James Casey
Michael James Casey (19 February 1918 – 31 March 1944), was a British Blenheim bomber pilot of Irish descent who was taken prisoner during the Second World War. He took part in the 'Great Escape' from Stalag Luft III in March 1944, but was one of the men re-captured and subsequently shot by the Gestapo. Pre-war life Casey was born in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India, where his father was the inspector general of police for the entire province. Casey was educated in Clongowes Wood College near Dublin, and later at Stonyhurst College boarding school. At both places, he excelled at boxing, rugby and cricket. On finishing school, he applied for a short service commission and joined the Royal Air Force as a flight cadet at the RAF College Cranwell passing out as an acting pilot officer on 1 August 1936. He was then posted to No. 57 Squadron RAFVance (2000), p.8-9 at Upper Heyford on 24 March 1937 to fly Hawker Hind bomber aircraft. Casey was confirmed in his rank on 29 June 1937. T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Patrick Langford
Patrick Wilson Langford (4 November 1919 – 31 March 1944), was a Royal Canadian Air Force officer, the pilot instructor aboard a Vickers Wellington bomber, who was taken prisoner during the Second World War. He took part in the 'Great Escape' from Stalag Luft III in March 1944, but was one of the men recaptured and subsequently shot by the ''Gestapo''. Pre-war life Langford was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, the son of Olive Mary and Captain Richard Wilson Langford an English couple. His father was Forest Ranger at the Jasper National Park and its first resident official and Chief Warden from 1911. He returned to England to serve in World War I and settled back in Canada at Jasper with his new wife in 1919 where they started their family. Patrick was their eldest son. He was educated at Jasper Public and High Schools from September 1926 to June 1936 and Banff High School from September 1936 to June 1937 and worked for Brewster Transport as a driver during the summers and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George McGill (RCAF Officer)
George Edward McGill (14 April 1918 – 31 March 1944), was a Royal Canadian Air Force officer, the observer (navigator) of a Vickers Wellington bomber, who was taken prisoner during the Second World War. He took part in the 'Great Escape' from Stalag Luft III in March 1944, but was one of the men recaptured and subsequently shot by the ''Gestapo''. Pre-war life McGill was the son of George Wellington and Rita (née Strahmayer) McGill of Toronto, Ontario. He studied chemical engineering at the University of Toronto between 1936 and 1938 . His wife was Elizabeth Louise (née Goodman) and his son Peter Edward. War service McGill enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force at Toronto on 3 September 1940 and trained at No.1 Initial Training Squadron from 9 November 1940, graduating and being promoted Leading Aircraftman on 8 December 1940. His initial flight training as an observer and bomb aimer commenced 2 March 1941, he was promoted Sergeant on 12 April 1941 and posted to No.1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Görlitz
Görlitz (; pl, Zgorzelec, hsb, Zhorjelc, cz, Zhořelec, East Lusatian dialect: ''Gerlz'', ''Gerltz'', ''Gerltsch'') is a town in the German state of Saxony. It is located on the Lusatian Neisse River, and is the largest town in Upper Lusatia as well as the second-largest town in the region of Lusatia, after Cottbus. Görlitz is the easternmost town in Germany (easternmost village is Zentendorf (Šćeńc)), and lies opposite the Polish town of Zgorzelec, which was the eastern part of Görlitz until 1945. The town has approximately 56,000 inhabitants, which make Görlitz the sixth-largest town in Saxony. It is the seat of the district of Görlitz. Together with Zgorzelec, it forms the Euro City of Görlitz/Zgorzelec, which has a combined population of around 86,000. While not Lusatiophone itself, the town is situated just east of the Sorbian-speaking parts of Lusatia. The town's recorded history began in the 11th century as a Sorbian settlement. Through its histor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Żagań
Żagań (French and german: Sagan, hsb, Zahań , la, Saganum) is a town in western Poland, on the Bóbr river, with 25,731 inhabitants (2019). The town is the capital of Żagań County in the historic region of Silesia. Previously in the Zielona Góra Voivodeship (1975–1998), Żagań has been in the Lubusz Voivodeship since 1999. The town hosts the Polish 11th Armoured Cavalry Division. An American Armored Brigade Combat Team is constantly rotated through the town under Operation Atlantic Resolve. Etymology The town's name probably means "place of the burnt forest" ( Polish: ''żegać'', ''żagiew''): probably referring to the burning of primeval forest by early settlers. If this is correct, it is consistent with the names of nearby places: Żary, Zgorzelec, Pożarów. Geography Żagań is located roughly halfway between Cottbus and Wrocław, approximately 100 meters above sea level and at the centre of the Żagań administrative district. It is about north of t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
