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Wallace Bruce Randall served with the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World. After having to bail out of his plane during a mission over Germany, he was taken as a prisoner of war.
Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.
![]({"id":"d2c59291-69d6-4289-8686-51b55b6e2691","disk":"s3","directory":"The-Memory-Project\/image","filename":"8502_600","extension":"jpg","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","aggregate_type":"image","size":35533,"variant_name":null,"original_media_id":null,"created_at":"2022-08-03T00:24:39.000000Z","updated_at":"2022-08-03T00:24:39.000000Z","title":"Memory Project Image #8502","alt":"","caption":"Wallace Bruce Randall receiving a medal in 1994","creator":"Memory Project Image #8502 - Veteran #1961","source":"","conversion_urls":{"original":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/The-Memory-Project\/image\/8502_600.jpg"},"url":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/The-Memory-Project\/image\/8502_600.jpg","credit":"","pivot":{"mediable_id":"e4f00607-cc9a-4254-a37a-05b0c1a9c101","media_id":"d2c59291-69d6-4289-8686-51b55b6e2691","mediable_type":"App\\Models\\Article","tag":"gallery","order":1},"translations":[{"id":"0e7bdbd0-7b1c-462d-af8c-1da21c1de1d3","media_id":"d2c59291-69d6-4289-8686-51b55b6e2691","title":"Memory Project Image #8502","alt":"","caption":"Wallace Bruce Randall receiving a medal in 1994","creator":"Memory Project Image #8502 - Veteran #1961","source":"","locale":"en","credit":""},{"id":"e66bb97f-0deb-4d41-b9e7-7fa7ff287f9f","media_id":"d2c59291-69d6-4289-8686-51b55b6e2691","title":"Memory Project Image #8502","alt":"","caption":"Wallace Bruce Randall recevant une m\u00e9daille en 1994.","creator":"Memory Project Image #8502 - Veteran #1961","source":"","locale":"fr","credit":""}]} "Memory Project Image #8502"){kind=spacer}
![]({"id":"25c52e41-1e7d-4f64-91e2-7de58d798f5a","disk":"s3","directory":"The-Memory-Project\/image","filename":"8501_600","extension":"jpg","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","aggregate_type":"image","size":47784,"variant_name":null,"original_media_id":null,"created_at":"2022-08-03T00:24:37.000000Z","updated_at":"2022-08-03T00:24:37.000000Z","title":"Memory Project Image #8501","alt":"","caption":"Mr. Randall was given this map when he arrived in England in August 1941. This map of Italy printed on silk was part of his Air Force kit","creator":"Memory Project Image #8501 - Veteran #1961","source":"","conversion_urls":{"original":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/The-Memory-Project\/image\/8501_600.jpg"},"url":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/The-Memory-Project\/image\/8501_600.jpg","credit":"","pivot":{"mediable_id":"e4f00607-cc9a-4254-a37a-05b0c1a9c101","media_id":"25c52e41-1e7d-4f64-91e2-7de58d798f5a","mediable_type":"App\\Models\\Article","tag":"gallery","order":2},"translations":[{"id":"619c5314-0a18-49bc-8b3b-3980363acc81","media_id":"25c52e41-1e7d-4f64-91e2-7de58d798f5a","title":"Memory Project Image #8501","alt":"","caption":"Mr. Randall was given this map when he arrived in England in August 1941. This map of Italy printed on silk was part of his Air Force kit","creator":"Memory Project Image #8501 - Veteran #1961","source":"","locale":"en","credit":""},{"id":"b8ed2c05-8fb4-45ac-bda9-2818b390aa26","media_id":"25c52e41-1e7d-4f64-91e2-7de58d798f5a","title":"Memory Project Image #8501","alt":"","caption":"On remit cette carte d'Italie \u00e0 monsieur Randall \u00e0 son arriv\u00e9e en Angleterre en ao\u00fbt 1941. Elle fut imprim\u00e9e sur de la soie et incluse dans le kit de l'Aviation.","creator":"Memory Project Image #8501 - Veteran #1961","source":"","locale":"fr","credit":""}]} "Memory Project Image #8501"){kind=spacer}
![]({"id":"79bb88a9-58df-4949-b793-b61961ac1e03","disk":"s3","directory":"The-Memory-Project\/image","filename":"8498_600","extension":"jpg","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","aggregate_type":"image","size":47982,"variant_name":null,"original_media_id":null,"created_at":"2022-08-03T00:24:31.000000Z","updated_at":"2022-08-03T00:24:31.000000Z","title":"Memory Project Image #8498","alt":"","caption":"Mr. Randall's Caterpillar Club Card, 1943. These cards were issued to airmen who had to parachute out of their planes. Mr. Randall was shot down over Germany and was approached by a German farmer when he landed","creator":"Memory Project Image #8498 - Veteran #1961","source":"","conversion_urls":{"original":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/The-Memory-Project\/image\/8498_600.jpg"},"url":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/The-Memory-Project\/image\/8498_600.jpg","credit":"","pivot":{"mediable_id":"e4f00607-cc9a-4254-a37a-05b0c1a9c101","media_id":"79bb88a9-58df-4949-b793-b61961ac1e03","mediable_type":"App\\Models\\Article","tag":"gallery","order":3},"translations":[{"id":"df1d1409-be1b-4e72-9a10-5b2411443e08","media_id":"79bb88a9-58df-4949-b793-b61961ac1e03","title":"Memory Project Image #8498","alt":"","caption":"Mr. Randall's Caterpillar Club Card, 1943. These cards were issued to airmen who had to parachute out of their planes. Mr. Randall was shot down over Germany and was approached by a German farmer when he landed","creator":"Memory Project Image #8498 - Veteran #1961","source":"","locale":"en","credit":""},{"id":"8a96eff7-049b-4f73-b6be-58c0412e457c","media_id":"79bb88a9-58df-4949-b793-b61961ac1e03","title":"Memory Project Image #8498","alt":"","caption":"Carte du club Carterpillar de monsieur Randall datant de 1943. Ces cartes \u00e9taient d\u00e9livr\u00e9es aux aviateurs ayant un parachute dans leurs appareils. L'avion de monsieur Randall a \u00e9t\u00e9 abattu en Allemagne et un fermier allemand s'en est approch\u00e9 \u00e0 l'atterrissage.","creator":"Memory Project Image #8498 - Veteran #1961","source":"","locale":"fr","credit":""}]} "Memory Project Image #8498"){kind=spacer}
![]({"id":"a8fe7d46-a33a-4c54-9082-50c2018eb181","disk":"s3","directory":"The-Memory-Project\/image","filename":"8500_600","extension":"jpg","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","aggregate_type":"image","size":64116,"variant_name":null,"original_media_id":null,"created_at":"2022-08-03T00:24:35.000000Z","updated_at":"2022-08-03T00:24:35.000000Z","title":"Memory Project Image #8500","alt":"","caption":"Wallace Randall's wartime diary. In this entry he describes his trip to England after leaving Halifax on July , 1941. The water was rough and he was sea sick. He describes himself as a poor sailor","creator":"Memory Project Image #8500 - Veteran #1961","source":"","conversion_urls":{"original":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/The-Memory-Project\/image\/8500_600.jpg"},"url":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/The-Memory-Project\/image\/8500_600.jpg","credit":"","pivot":{"mediable_id":"e4f00607-cc9a-4254-a37a-05b0c1a9c101","media_id":"a8fe7d46-a33a-4c54-9082-50c2018eb181","mediable_type":"App\\Models\\Article","tag":"gallery","order":4},"translations":[{"id":"58c2c1bb-ef81-4248-804d-bff226e6d425","media_id":"a8fe7d46-a33a-4c54-9082-50c2018eb181","title":"Memory Project Image #8500","alt":"","caption":"Wallace Randall's wartime diary. In this entry he describes his trip to England after leaving Halifax on July , 1941. The water was rough and he was sea sick. He describes himself as a poor sailor","creator":"Memory Project Image #8500 - Veteran #1961","source":"","locale":"en","credit":""},{"id":"d877e846-2465-4649-9852-9fc6deec416f","media_id":"a8fe7d46-a33a-4c54-9082-50c2018eb181","title":"Memory Project Image #8500","alt":"","caption":"Journal intime de Wallace Randall datant de la guerre. Sur cette page il narre son voyage en Angleterre apr\u00e8s avoir quitt\u00e9 Halifax en juillet 1941. La mer \u00e9tait agit\u00e9e et il souffrait du mal de mer. Il s'auto-d\u00e9crit comme un pauvre marin.","creator":"Memory Project Image #8500 - Veteran #1961","source":"","locale":"fr","credit":""}]} "Memory Project Image #8500"){kind=spacer}
![]({"id":"b8843315-b10e-41cc-bd39-1d4736b50155","disk":"s3","directory":"The-Memory-Project\/image","filename":"8499_600","extension":"jpg","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","aggregate_type":"image","size":34898,"variant_name":null,"original_media_id":null,"created_at":"2022-08-03T00:24:33.000000Z","updated_at":"2022-08-03T00:24:33.000000Z","title":"Memory Project Image #8499","alt":"","caption":"After being shot down, Mr. Randall was held at the German POW camp, Stalag Luft III, for seven months. Close to the end of the war, the prisoners, including Mr. Randall, were on a forced march and many prisoners died","creator":"Memory Project Image #8499 - Veteran #1961","source":"","conversion_urls":{"original":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/The-Memory-Project\/image\/8499_600.jpg"},"url":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/The-Memory-Project\/image\/8499_600.jpg","credit":"","pivot":{"mediable_id":"e4f00607-cc9a-4254-a37a-05b0c1a9c101","media_id":"b8843315-b10e-41cc-bd39-1d4736b50155","mediable_type":"App\\Models\\Article","tag":"gallery","order":5},"translations":[{"id":"248289d0-23a2-46f7-85eb-b0e25f5df61c","media_id":"b8843315-b10e-41cc-bd39-1d4736b50155","title":"Memory Project Image #8499","alt":"","caption":"After being shot down, Mr. Randall was held at the German POW camp, Stalag Luft III, for seven months. Close to the end of the war, the prisoners, including Mr. Randall, were on a forced march and many prisoners died","creator":"Memory Project Image #8499 - Veteran #1961","source":"","locale":"en","credit":""},{"id":"b96dba90-2849-4f0a-b3a8-7e4640d4bce9","media_id":"b8843315-b10e-41cc-bd39-1d4736b50155","title":"Memory Project Image #8499","alt":"","caption":"Apr\u00e8s que son avion ait \u00e9t\u00e9 abattu, monsieur Randall fut fait prisonnier au camp de Stalag Luft III pendant sept mois. Peu de temps avant la fin de la guerre, les prisonniers, dont monsieur Randall, furent forc\u00e9s \u00e0 marcher ; plusieurs d'entre eux y ont perdu la vie.","creator":"Memory Project Image #8499 - Veteran #1961","source":"","locale":"fr","credit":""}]} "Memory Project Image #8499"){kind=spacer}
Transcript
My name is Wallace Bruce Randall, G15511 was my service number, and I joined up in Toronto. I joined with the Air Force, and my first station was Digby, Ontario, and I learned to fly Spitfire. I went from there to – I can't tell you all the other names of the stations – several before I went overseas. I went to England with the squadron. From England over France and Germany. I had a wonderful time doing it and met some great people. Good friends, and friends I still have. I was shot down doing patrol over Germany at fairly low level. We saw a Flak barrage ahead of us and decided to turn around and go the other way. As soon as we turned around my plane was hit and all my controls were gone. I decided I'd better get out of there. I was all set to try a crash land, but I didn't know the terrain. So I bailed out and I landed in Germany. I was picked up by a platoon of German soldiers. I was taken from there to a camp. Just one of the temporary camps, so the next day they took me to a bigger camp – Sagan, Stalag Luft III – and stayed there until the end of the war. And when that happened, the British sent in some troops, picked us up and took us back.
