Fred Davies was born May 6, 1923 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, into a family of six brothers and one sister. He graduated high school and volunteered for the RCAF, choosing the air force because he wanted to be a pilot. After enlisting, he was sent to Manning Depot in Montreal for training, after which he was sent overseas. Davies was a member of No. 408 squadron and then No. 405 squadron, which became a part of the Pathfinders group. His 46th mission was supposed to target railroad tracks in Aachen, but the bomber was hit by enemy fire. After being shot down, Davies and a crew mate avoided the German army with the help of the underground for a while, but a week after D-day, someone sold them out and they were handed over to the Gestapo. They eventually ended up at Stalag Luft III POW camp, where they remained until liberation . Fred came to us courtesy of the RCL, and he spoke to Crestwood students Katherine Charness, Sam Friisdahl and Lindsey Swartzman in December 2010.
Videos
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- 1. Prewar Memories; Life in Halifax
- 2. School; Learning about the War
- 3. Joining Up; Manning Depot
- 4. Training
- 5. Length of Training
- 6. The Journey Overseas
- 7. Bomber Training
- 8. The Tunnel in the Alps
- 9. On the Way to the Target; D-Day Preliminary Bombing.mp4
- 10. Hit by Flak over Holland.mp4
- 11. Getting out of the Lancaster.mp4
- 12. On the Ground.mp4
- 13. Crossing the Canal.mp4
- 14. The Pub.mp4
- 15. Going through the Village; On the Train.mp4
- 16. In the Prison Camp
- 17. V-E Day; Regrets
- 18. Dealing with the Germans
- 19. Returning to Canada
