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WATERUX) CHRONICIE - Wednesday. November 10. 2010 - 3 '00!" ooum the V9. x I m M Y\ W AT I O N MSW A N one.“ 4...... 519.510.4110 Second World War navigator recalls his role in allied flyers’escape plan â€" BY Owen hummus: aircraft. .. . _ . _ . . Smwmmalmn‘de Ofthe300fficerswhosailedtoEngland f a ,' a I o . I I to u u no u 1.. u. n is 1!") II I: u a I with Acheson in 1942 only three were alive 1;“; ‘ e I: an... m _ nun-yam ohn Acheson is known locally as a long one year later. two of those in prison camp. V” ". ’ New time community leader and former presi- It was on his third mission â€" March 29. . ' :Sulng Lu“ 3 1...; fitting... . . I. dent ofDominion UfeAssurance Company. 1943 â€" when a German ME110 night fighter " ' ' ' ‘ But few people are aware that the Water- caught his bomber in its gun sights with deV~ . "P n... a c u 3 s c :; Shall-1M2 cumin" loo resident was also part of a wartime astating efiect. His captain gave the order to _-.-- ,~ . ”up 51d" my“, We” I/é‘ » . drama that was made into a major Holly~ bail out. Acheson opened the bomb bay -7‘; I M' ‘ Y r ”a. ”4; Ka- .. . wood movieâ€"The Great Escape. doors and. as he was checking to see that , \ ’ Oahu... .4 «mama/4, wannabe: ”W ' ' ‘ Born in 1922 in tiny Boissevain, Man.. everyonewasready. the plane exploded. U u 1'"“"'"" mm" Acheson later moved with his parents and Acheson was free falling from 16.000 feet * lbw-n ' ' “duke! NI. Mum...” J 1:000 three sisters to Winnipeg. When war was surrounded by burning debris when he ., ,va VIII-bV-I-n: (.1..me ...._..._,.1’L¢MW1‘8-kn3- declared in 1939, he and several of his bud- regained consciousness. The six other mem- ‘ " , . w h It“; . . us wand rm, "mm“ “W: “5 dies applied. and were accepted. into the bers ofhis flight crew died in the explosion. “ i ’ ' ' . . Royal Canadian Air Force. He trained as a “l remember reaching for my rip cord and . - 'im 5““ WWW“ . navigator. was subsequently commissioned. couldn't find it. The explosion had tom it free ‘ - i a“ W ""'"" “‘""‘""' ~ , and, in 1942, sailed for England with 30 other and the parachute pack was trailing above j: f in -. . _ ., A â€"-â€"-~~«~a young RCAFofficers. me. I managed to draw it in and pull the g ' g - â€"â€"â€"-â€"â€"â€"::-I:â€" 1n England Acheson was assigned to 408 cord. The chute blossomed seconds before l X "i 5“. m "T" 1...... '2 law- Squadron. He trained on four-engine Halifax hit the ground." A , j 5‘ , t~ H , helium; bombers used in night bombing raids on The night was bitterly cold with blowing :7" _ a; ‘_ . " , v” ' 73;: “j. “5' AP“;â€"â€"____.._. occupied France and Germany. snow. Milt a badly injured shoulder and cov- $1.. " / : W.-. jff'fifi:". J .- »-~\---+-â€"-v-â€"â€"â€"- At the time it was generally accepted that ered in blood he managed to bury his para» " 1'? ~ 2 . l -~»~» » ~ mm: «In: " of 100 aircraft sent on a mission. 10 would chute and elude German soldiers by hiding g: ~.~ ‘ \ . 5% g». ‘- u .. . . ...- .9" a. . t '7“ .‘ not return. And of every 100 men on the inaditch. 1n the morning he sought help ata "w l '33-'33 ‘3‘“ 'aifrirfisd' . .9 1.. ’3' (1.1;. . ' 7‘ 7 - '5‘». downed planes. 10 would survive either by nearby farmhouse. The family fed him and .. . _'\ an; “we. parachuting or in crash landings. Most sur» treated his wounds but one of its members This is Acheson's identity card, given to him after his capture March 29, 1943. sumo more vivors ended up in German prison camps. A slipped away to alert the German military. typical bombing raid included 500 to 1.000 Acheson was captured and questioned The escape tunnel. code named “Harry" were liberated by advancing British tanks. ,4. . briefly by the German pilot who shot him was 350 feet long. The 200 escapees who “My sense of relief and joy was enor- 1" down. The German's M13110 had been could speak more than one language were mous," Acheson recalled. -. a _ , . , destroyed by debris from the exploding Hali- selected to make the breakout on March 23, He returned to Canada in June of 1945 fax and he too parachuted to safety. Then for 1944. Unilingual Acheson wasnot selected â€" and married Marjorie, his fiancee. three 10 gruelling days and nights Acheson was fortunatelyas it turned out. weeks later. The couple settled in Winnipeg. interrogated at a prison centre in Frankfurt The first escapee entered Harry at 9:30 Acheson studied to be an actuary and .. before being transferred to Stalag Luft 3 near pm. By 5 am. 79 men had reached the out- joined Dominion Life in Kitchener in 1951. the Polish border. side when a guard discovered the escape in rising to president of the company by 1971. ' Stalag Luft 3 held almost 10,000 air force progress. Three were caught immediately. He retired in 1986 following Dominion Ufe‘s officers, mainly British. Canadian,Australian, The tunnel and entire camp was locked acquisition by Manulife Financial Corpora- . American. South African and Polish. Sur- down. tion. is, rounded by double rows of barbed wire. A massive manhunt was launched for the John and Marjorie Acheson have three guard towers, strategically isolated and sup- 76 escapees. Hitlerwas outraged and ordered children. Kathleen, Scott and Gail, plus six a posedly escape-proof. it was the site of one that those caught were to be executed. Of the grandchildren and two great grandchildren. of the Second World War’s outstanding exam- 73 recaptured 50 were executed. Only three A son. Robert. died in 1975. " ‘ ples of human ingenuity. determination and managed to make their way to England and Acheson is a past-president of K-W Unit- heroism. The 1963 Hollywood film, “The safety. edWay andaformerYMCA director. Great Escape” is based upon the story. In January 1945 the war was nearing an He also served on the boards of numerous British Spitfire pilot. Roger Bushell. organ- end. Acheson and his fellow prisoners were national and international organizations. .‘ ized a tunnel escape committee that taken from Stalag Luft 3 and force-marched In 2002 he wroteachronicle ofhis impris- g‘ we 4..., employed hundreds of prisoners working in across Germany. sleeping in barns and aban- onment that includes a detailed description . ~ ‘ strict secrecy. Acheson was one of dozens of cloned factories. Many of them. starving and of the remarkable achievements by inmates “penguins” who carried sand from the tun- frail. died along the way. of Stalag hift 3 in the planning and execution neling in leg bags under their trousers. Finally, in April. near the Baltic Sea. the ofthe “Great Escape.” A copy ofhis chronicle lohnAcheoon spilling it where it wouldn't bedetected. flyers. all of them emaciated and in rags. is available at local libraries A F l1. f , . ace t e acts \ ‘ l ‘ 1 ‘31) ~‘ WITH GINA S 1 f ' S”“""“’“”"""‘”'S”