The Wartime Memories Project - The Second War

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238038 Flt.Sgt. Robert E. Toomey Royal Canadian Air Force 428 Squadron from:Ottawa, Canada Robert Toomey as a POW Flight engineer, Flt.Sgt. Robert Toomey was returning from a bombing raid of the port area of Stettin Germany on 16th/17th August 1944 when the aircraft was shot down into the Baltic Sea off the coast of the Island of Sejero, Denmark. It was his fifth sortie. The aircraft was coded KB751. He was the only survivor of the crew of seven, and helped to bury his pilot two days later. He was captured, interrogated for three days while suffering from tonsillitis, then transported by train to a prison camp in Bankau (Bakow), Poland. Conditions in the POW camp were horrible, with little food or medical care. After five months, the prisoners were forced to walk over 250 km in a snow blizzard and below freezing temperatures with very little food, sleeping in barns and factories as the Russians were closing in. This became known as the Long March, Central Route. Of 1,550 on his route only 720 survived the walk. Many passed away from starvation, fatigue and illness. Soldiers were told they would be shot if they didn't keep up. They arrived at another POW camp at Luckenwalde, just south of Berlin. A friend from Toomey's combine, Percy Crosswell was shot and killed trying to escape this camp. Unknown to the prisoners, Hitler had signed an order on 22nd of April 1945 that they were to be executed if Germany was forced to surrender. Fortunately, the camp was liberated that month. Crew of Lancaster X KB751, coded NA-Q F/O W. Fairgrieve RCAF Sgt R. Toomey RCAF F/O L. Brown RCAF F/O H. Slater RCAF P/O R. Boyce RCAF F/O J. Srigley RCAF P/O W. Lamb RCAF C. Lafleur Crew of KB751   428 Squadron Crew photo, from left - Slater, Lamb, Brown, Srigley, Boyce, Toomey, unknown pilot Add to this record.  Related Content: No. 428 (Ghost) Squadron Royal Canadian Air Force RAF Middleton St George Stalag Luft 7 Prisoner of War Camp Stalag Luft 3 Prisoner of War Camp Can you help us to add to our records? Add a record to our website. The names and stories on this website have been submitted by their relatives and friends. If your relations are not listed please add their names so that others can read about them Did you or your relatives live through the Second World War? Do you have any photos, newspaper clippings, postcards or letters from that period? Have you researched the names on your local or war memorial? Were you or your relative evacuated? Did an air raid affect your area? If so please let us know. Help us to build a database of information on those who served both at home and abroad so that future generations may learn of their sacrifice. Contact us. Celebrate your own Family History Celebrate by honouring members of your family who served in the Secomd World War both in the forces and at home. We love to hear about the soldiers, but also remember the many who served in support roles, nurses, doctors, land army, muntions workers etc. Please use our Family History resources to find out more about your relatives. Then please send in a short article, with a photo if possible, so that they can be remembered on these pages.

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