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place over the tunnel whenever the guards were nearby. He mastered his technique to a point that he could close the trap door above the tunnellers cushioned with blankets to kill any hollow sound, and get the stove in place with carefully replaced dust and dirt within 20 seconds of a guard approaching. Langford saved the tunnel from discovery on several occasions. The tunnel was completed in early March 1944 measuring 106.07 m (348 ft) in length and the date for the break-out was set for 24 March. Approximately 600 airmen had worked on various aspects of the tunnel's construction. A list of 220 people was compiled for the actual escape but only 76 managed to get through the tunnel before it was discovered by the German guards.
111:
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376:
387:". Having got clear of the camp Langford was in a party of officers who fought their way through the snow and bitter cold walking as fast as they could, they kept pushing onwards despite the weather and survived freezing nights outdoors only to be recaptured on 28 March 1944. He was in the party with
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night fighter and crashed killing 3 of the crew, the pilot was taken prisoner unhurt but
Langford and the rear gunner were taken prisoner seriously injured. He had baled out with his parachute on fire and was badly burned and hospitalized for 2 months by the Germans during which time he was promoted
243:
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
371:
As prisoner No. 710 Langford was involved in the planning and excavation of the tunnel code-named "Harry" which was located under the barrack's stove in Room 23 of Block 104. He was the "trapfuehrer" responsible to ensure that the red hot stove on its tiled piece of removable flooring was back in
548:
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.
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for conspicuous gallantry as a prisoner of war (none of the other relevant decorations then available could be awarded posthumously). It was published in a supplement to the London
Gazette on 8 June 1944.
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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. and he is also mentioned in the "Ottawa
Citizen" on 27 February 1946.
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439:. Originally his remains were buried at Sagan, he is now buried in part of the Poznan Old Garrison Cemetery. he is also commemorated by the
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235:, Alberta, Canada, the son of Olive Mary and Captain Richard Wilson Langford an English couple. His father was Forest Ranger at the
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on 21 November 1940 serving there as a flying instructor to 7 April 1942 during which time he was promoted to temporary
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on 9 August 1941. Langford flew to
England to begin operational flying and landed on 9 April 1942. He joined No. 16
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He was one of the 76 men who escaped the prison camp on the night of 24–25 March 1944 in the escape now famous as "
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and posted to
Station Trenton on 5 October 1940. He transferred to No.6 Service Flying Training School at
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Under the Wire: The
Wartime Memoir of a Spitfire Pilot, Legendary Escape Artist and 'cooler King'
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as a
Regular Service officer and was commissioned, he was assigned to Calgary Aero Club flying
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and its first resident official and Chief Warden from 1911. He returned to
England to serve in
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by Mark Kozak-Holland. The prisoners formally structured their work as a project. This
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being led away to a covered truck, They were all shot in a clearing off the Görlitz to
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a driver during the summers and also for six months on engineering surveys in the
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in March 1944, but was one of the men recaptured and subsequently shot by the
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Memorial to "The Fifty" down the road toward Żagań (Langford is on the right)
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33 Months as a POW in Stalag Luft III: A World War II Airman Tells His Story
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flying as Instructor with a student crew. The bomber was shot down over
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Western Morning News, Dundee Courier, Yorkshire Post, etc. 20 May 1944
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Civil Prison, where on the morning of 31 March 1944 Keith Ogilvie saw
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The Longest Tunnel: The True Story of World War II's Great Escape
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On the night of 28–29 July 1942 at 22:14 hours he took off in a
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The Merlin-engined Wellington Mark II. This aircraft belongs to
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analyses their efforts using modern project management methods.
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pilot's flying badge on 19 August 1940. Langford was promoted
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission – Patrick Wilson Langford
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road just outside Görlitz and cremated at Liegnitz by the
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158:
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Project Lessons from the Great Escape (Stalag Luft III),
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Participants in the Great Escape from Stalag Luft III
1150:. Pacifica Military History; (Mar 2001). p. 41.
415:, Wally Valenta, George McGill, Pat Langford, "Adam"
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aircraft and then to No.1 Initial Training Squadron
1241:Canadian military personnel killed in World War II
1221:Royal Canadian Air Force personnel of World War II
355:in the province of Lower Silesia near the town of
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334:to bomb the German shipbuilding and port city of
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854:Ottawa Citizen newspaper article – P W Langford
1148:A Gallant Company: The Men of the Great Escape
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874:(Supplement). 2 June 1944. pp. 2643–2644.
1231:World War II prisoners of war held by Germany
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688:Archives Canada – Patrick Wilson Langford<
570:Canadian Government – Patrick Wilson Langford
1038:
952:
933:
914:
213:. He took part in the 'Great Escape' from
209:bomber, who was taken prisoner during the
623:Pegasus Archive – Stalag Luft III murders
201:(4 November 1919 – 31 March 1944), was a
1236:Canadian military personnel from Alberta
864:
374:
305:
834:RCAF Memorial – Patrick Wilson Langford
351:before being sent on 1 October 1942 to
205:officer, the pilot instructor aboard a
1211:Extrajudicial killings in World War II
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431:. Langford was one of the 50 escapers
248:as a chainman and on instrument work.
1145:
1110:RAF Bomber Command Losses, Volume 3
1087:Arthur A. Durand (1 January 1989).
13:
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14:
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1216:Royal Canadian Air Force officers
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1090:Stalag Luft III: The Secret Story
452:Nationalities of the 50 executed
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592:RCAF Association – P W Langford
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276:Camp Borden he was awarded his
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497:Czechoslovakia 1 Czechoslovak
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86:Poznan Old Garrison Cemetery,
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1024:. W.W. Norton & Company.
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482:New Zealand 2 New Zealanders
477:South Africa 3 South African
1226:Canadian World War II pilots
1093:. Patrick Stephens Limited.
754:"Stalag Luft III: The Fifty"
612:ArchivesCanada – RW Langford
7:
678:Vance (2000), p.185 and 190
10:
1262:
1146:Vance, Jonathan F (2000).
1108:William R Chorley (1992).
884:Read (2012), p.288 and 291
457:United Kingdom 21 British
1048:. Naval Institute Press.
972:Jonathan F Vance (2000).
743:Andrews (1976), p.187-188
669:Carroll (2004), p.145-146
521:
419:, Bob Stewart and "Hank"
342:in northern Germany by a
324:Wellington Mark Ic bomber
294:Operational Training Unit
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156:Operational Training Unit
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994:; Brendan Foley (2005).
441:Royal Canadian Air Force
262:Royal Canadian Air Force
203:Royal Canadian Air Force
117:Royal Canadian Air Force
707:Vance (2000), p.244-245
633:Vance (2000), p.119-120
542:Stalag Luft III murders
527:Mentioned in Despatches
472:Australia 5 Australian
260:Langford joined in the
199:Patrick Wilson Langford
191:Mentioned in Despatches
31:Patrick Wilson Langford
22:Patrick Wilson Langford
1127:Allen Andrews (1976).
955:The Last of the 39-ers
919:. Dundurn Publishing.
417:Wlodzimierz Kolanowski
399:and Tom Leigh held at
380:
314:
256:On 29 January 1940 in
976:. Pacifica Military.
902:Andrews (1976), p.196
813:Andrews (1976), p.207
795:Burgess (1990), p.271
642:Burgess (1990), p.117
602:Chorley (1994), p.164
433:executed and murdered
378:
309:
231:Langford was born in
123:Years of service
1112:. Midland Counties.
716:Andrews (1976), p.49
698:Read (2012), p.92-93
651:Andrews (1976), p.36
237:Jasper National Park
953:Sean Feast (2015).
934:Simon Read (2012).
915:Ted Barris (2014).
893:Vance (2000), p.310
777:Vance (2000), p.289
725:Vance (2000), p.265
660:Vance (2000), p.118
502:France 1 Frenchman
487:Norway 2 Norwegian
871:The London Gazette
804:Read (2012), p.305
786:Read (2012), p.306
734:Read (2012), p.244
492:Belgium 1 Belgian
462:Canada 6 Canadian
381:
315:
301:Wellington bombers
207:Vickers Wellington
1206:Canadian escapees
1157:978-0-935553-47-5
1129:Exemplary Justice
1100:978-1-85260-248-2
1079:978-1-55591-536-0
1055:978-1-59114-097-9
1031:978-0-393-32579-9
1007:978-0-593-05408-6
983:978-0-935553-47-5
974:A Gallant Company
964:978-1-909166-15-8
945:978-1-4721-1262-0
926:978-1-4597-2844-8
519:
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349:flight lieutenant
332:RAF Upper Heyford
290:flight lieutenant
258:Edmonton, Alberta
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135:Flight Lieutenant
59:, Alberta, Canada
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467:Poland 6 Polish
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407:, Dutchy Swain,
385:the Great Escape
303:on 19 May 1942.
211:Second World War
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1072:. Fulcrum Pub.
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353:Stalag Luft III
326:(serial number
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54:4 November 1919
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1166:External links
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367:'Great Escape'
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282:flying officer
278:aircrew brevet
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761:. Retrieved
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514:1 Lithuanian
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393:Jack Grisman
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363:in Poland).
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312:No. 104 Sqn.
255:
230:
227:Pre-war life
218:
198:
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169:World War II
165:Battles/wars
69:(1944-03-31)
15:
1201:1944 deaths
1196:1919 births
992:William Ash
866:"No. 36544"
413:Brian Evans
252:War service
241:World War I
36:Nickname(s)
1190:Categories
1131:. Harrap.
1000:. Bantam.
936:Human Game
553:References
512:Lithuania
397:Sandy Gunn
266:Gypsy Moth
95:Allegiance
50:1919-11-04
28:Birth name
763:28 August
409:Chaz Hall
389:Ian Cross
344:Luftwaffe
286:Dunnville
126:1940–1944
77:, Germany
1066:(2005).
1042:(1990).
1018:(2004).
347:to full
233:Edmonton
103:Service/
57:Edmonton
437:Gestapo
435:by the
429:Gestapo
401:Görlitz
336:Hamburg
330:) from
299:flying
270:Toronto
220:Gestapo
154:No. 16
75:Görlitz
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522:Awards
340:Lübeck
187:Awards
146:C/1631
114:
105:branch
98:Canada
88:Poland
82:Buried
558:Notes
425:Sagan
361:Żagań
359:(now
357:Sagan
328:R1450
73:near
1179:book
1152:ISBN
1133:ISBN
1114:ISBN
1095:ISBN
1074:ISBN
1050:ISBN
1026:ISBN
1002:ISBN
978:ISBN
959:ISBN
940:ISBN
921:ISBN
765:2015
540:See
274:RCAF
151:Unit
131:Rank
64:Died
44:Born
297:RAF
178:POW
159:RAF
39:Pat
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176:(
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48:(
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