Leslie, Donald E

Name: Donald Eugene LESLIE

Born 2 September 1921

Hometown: Vancouver, British Columbia

Age at arrival in Buchenwald: 22

Died 31 December 2017 in Sequim, Washington, age 96

Service: Royal Canadian Air Force

Service ID: 628603

Service Rank: Sergeant

Duties: Flight engineer

Air Group: 102 Squadron

Airbase: Pocklington, Yorkshire UK

Aircraft: Halifax bomber LW143

Date shot down: 29 June 1944

Fate of crew: 3 KIA, 4 evaded but later captured (Leslie, EAGLE, LEVERINGTON, JOYCE).

Evasion summary:

Date captured: 9 August 1944

Capture summary: Desoubrie picked Leslie up along with a group of airmen on August 8 and took them to Paris. They stayed there for one night before capture.Arrested in with HEMMENS, EAGLE, LEVERINGTON, JOYCE. Beaten, lost two teeth at Fresnes Prison.

Boxcar Transport: 15-20 August 1944, in boxcar #1 or #2

Buchenwald ID: 78404

Notes on Buchenwald internment:

Transferred from Buchenwald to: Stalag Luft III, East Compound

Kriege ID: 8101

Notes on SLIII internment:

Subsequent transfer to: Stalag IIIA, Luckenwalde

Notes on internment:

Liberation: 22 April 1945 by units of the Red Army but held for negotiated release in mid-May.

Repatriation from ETO:

Discharged:

Veteran status:

Notes on Post-War period: Interviewed in the History Channel’s 2004 documentary Shot from the Sky about Buchenwald. Other details at https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/peninsuladailynews/obituary.aspx?n=donald-eugene-leslie&pid=187760374