George McGill (RCAF officer)
George Edward McGill | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | George Edward McGill |
| Born | 14 April 1918 Flight Lieutenant |
| Service number | J/5312 |
| Unit | No. 103 Squadron RAF |
| Battles/wars | World War II
|
| Awards | Mentioned in Despatches |
George Edward McGill (14 April 1918 – 31 March 1944), was a
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.[1]
War service
McGill enlisted in the
Prisoner of war
On 10 January 1942 McGill was a member of the crew of Vickers Wellington (serial number "Z1142") attacking the German naval port city of Wilhelmshaven. Over the target the bomber caught fire and filled with smoke. The pilot headed away from the attack but took care that he was not over the sea before ordering the crew to bale out. McGill and the others baled out becoming prisoners of war.[4]
Arriving at prison camp
McGill was held at
During his time as a prisoner McGill was promoted flying officer on 13 May 1942 and then flight lieutenant on 13 May 1943.[7]
'Great Escape'
McGarr was amongst the officers recaptured relatively locally
The plates on their cremation urns showed that they had been cremated at Liegnitz (now Legnica), 55 miles to the east of Sagan, but no dates were given.[12][13] So he became one of the 50 executed and murdered by the Gestapo.[14] His remains, which were originally buried at Sagan, were moved in November 1948 to the Poznan Old Garrison Cemetery to lie beside those of his fellow escapers.[15][16][17]
His name was amongst those in the list of the murdered prisoners which was published when news broke on or about 19–20 May 1944,[18] and he is also mentioned in the "Ottawa Citizen" on 27 February 1946.[19]
Nationalities of the 50 executed
|
| 21 British |
| 6 Canadian |
| 6 Polish |
| 5 Australian |
| 3 South African |
| 2 New Zealanders |
| 2 Norwegian |
| 1 Belgian |
| 1 Czechoslovak |
| 1 Frenchman |
| 1 Greek |
| Lithuania 1 Lithuanian |
Awards
McGill received a
Other victims
The Gestapo executed a group of 50 of the recaptured prisoners representing almost all of the nationalities involved in the escape. Post-war investigations saw a number of those guilty of the murders tracked down, arrested and tried for their crimes.[21][22][23]
References
- Notes
- ^ Canadian Veterans Website – George McGill
- ^ Canadian Government – G E McGill
- ^ Vance (2000), p.53
- ^ Vance (2000), p.53
- ^ Vance (2002), p.53-54
- ^ Pegasus Archive – Stalag Luft III murders
- ^ Canadian Veterans Website – George McGill
- ^ Burgess (1971) p.270
- ^ Andrews (1976), p.49
- ^ Burgess (1971) p.158
- ^ Read (2012), p.244-245
- ^ Andrews (1976), p.49
- ^ Read (2012), p.303
- ^ Andrews (1976), p.209
- ^ Commonwealth War Graves Commission casualty – George E McGill
- ^ Pegasus Archive – 50 murdered escapers
- ^ Read (2012), p.307
- ^ Western Morning News, Dundee Courier, Yorkshire Post, etc. 20 May 1944
- ^ Ottawa Citizen newspaper article – G E McGill
- ^ "No. 36544". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 June 1944. pp. 2643–2644.
- ^ Read (2012), p.288 and 291
- ^ Vance (2000), p.310
- ^ Andrews (1976), p.196
- Bibliography
- Ted Barris (2014). The Great Escape. Dundurn Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4597-2844-8.
- Simon Read (2012). Human Game. Constable. ISBN 978-1-4721-1262-0.
- Sean Feast (2015). The Last of the 39-ers. Grub Street. ISBN 978-1-909166-15-8.
- Jonathan F Vance (2000). A Gallant Company. Pacifica Military. ISBN 978-0-935553-47-5.
- ISBN 978-0-593-05408-6.
- ISBN 978-0-393-32579-9.
- ISBN 978-1-59114-097-9.
- ISBN 978-1-55591-536-0.
- Arthur A. Durand (1 January 1989). Stalag Luft III: The Secret Story. Patrick Stephens Limited. ISBN 978-1-85260-248-2.
- William R Chorley (1992). RAF Bomber Command Losses, Volume 3. Midland Counties. ISBN 0-904597-89-X.
- Allen Andrews (1976). Exemplary Justice. Harrap. ISBN 0-245-52775-3.
- Vance, Jonathan F (2000). A Gallant Company: The Men of the Great Escape. Pacifica Military History; (Mar 2001). p. 41. ISBN 978-0-935553-47-5.
External links
- Project Lessons from the Great Escape (Stalag Luft III), by Mark Kozak-Holland. The prisoners formally structured their work as a project. This book analyses their efforts using modern project management methods.
