Harvie, John D

Name: John Dalton HARVIE

Born 3 September 1923

Hometown: Ottawa, Ontario

Age at arrival in Buchenwald: 20

Died 5 January 2011 in Montreal, Quebec, age 87

Service: Royal Canadian Air Force

Service ID: J/27573

Service Rank: Pilot Officer

Duties: Navigator

Air Group: 433 Squadron

Airbase: Skipton-on-Swale, Yorkshire UK

Aircraft: Halifax bomber LW123

Date shot down: 5 July 1944

Fate of crew: 6 KIA, 1 evaded and later captured (Harvie).

Evasion summary:

Date captured: 14 July 1944

Capture summary: Desoubrie & Orsini came to Chateauneuf, possibly the same day as they collected the group in Chartres (Gibson, Head, Prudham). Captured two days later "on their way to Spain”. Put graffiti all over the walls of his cell in Fresnes Prison;

Boxcar Transport: 15-20 August 1944, in boxcar #3 with Richey, Bedford, Martini, Wilson, Carr, Pennell, Perry, Bastable, Grenon, Gibson, High, Hodgson, Prudham, Sonshine, Robb, R Mills, Whellum, Spierenburg, Taylor, Allen, Larson, McLaughlin, Moser, Petrich. Roberson, Stevenson, Vinecombe, Zeiser and, at train change, Lamason, Dauteuil, Watmough, Scullion, J Smith, Head, Watson, and C Hoffman.

Buchenwald ID: 78412

Notes on Buchenwald internment:

Transferred from Buchenwald to: Stalag Luft III, East Compound

Kriege ID: 8049

Notes on SLIII internment:

Subsequent transfer to: Marlag und Milag Nord

Notes on internment: Harvie was among the 3000 POWs were marched out by the SS in early April 1945, headed to Lubek. The column was attacked repeatedly by Allied aircraft. They were liberated while still on the road.

Liberation: The group Harvie was with was freed by the Montgomery’s 11th Armored Division on 2 May1945.

Repatriation from ETO: By air on 6 May 1945 from Diepholz to London via Brussels.

Discharged:

VA status:

Notes on Post-War period: Co-wrote the book "Missing in Action" about Buchenwald, ISBN 0-7735-1350-7.