Operation: Shipping Reconnaissance

Date: 26th July 1943 (Monday)

Unit No: 72 (Basutoland) Squadron, Middle East Airforce

Type: Spitfire IX

Serial: EN358

Code: RN:?

Base: Comiso, Sicily

Location: Near Messina, Sicily

Pilot: Fg Off. William James ‘Bill’ Cameron J6487 RCAF Age 22. PoW No. 2595 *

* Stalag Luft 3, Sagan-Silesia, Germany, now Żagań in Poland.

REASON FOR LOSS:

Fg Off. Cameron and three (3) other Spitfires took-off from Comiso in Sicily at 17:00 hrs on the 4th sortie of the day to undertake an armed shipping reconnaissance to the east and NE of the island of Sicily.

Assorted vessels were observed to the east of the island. One large vessel some 4¾ km (3 mls) to the north of Messina had a list to port. Five (5) medium vessels were seen NW of Reggio and three (3) Siebel Ferries were seen crossing east to west from Reggio.

They encountered a heavy continuous curtain of Flak from both sides of the Straits. Fg Off. Cameron was missing from this operation and the loss was presumed to be as a result of Flak.

It appears that he baled out and after being captured was sent to the Italian transit camps PG 66, Capua in Naples and PG 19 in Bologna where he was between the 2nd August and the 11th September 1943.

He was then transferred to Stalag 5c in Wildberg which was some 35 km (22 mls) NW of Stuttgart arriving there on the 15th September 1943. On the 28th October he transited through Stalag 5b, Weinsberg and then onto Stalag Luft 3, Sagan arriving there on the 1st November.

The then Flt Lt. Cameron was involved with the tunnel escape projects which earned for himself an early position in the line of two-hundred (200) hoping to escape from the north compound of Stalag Luft 3.

On the night of the 24th/25th March 1944, seventy-six (76) officers escaped from the north compound of Stalag Luft 3 which, at that time, held between 1000 and 1500 RAF PoWs. The escape was made by the means of a tunnel. At about 05:00 hrs on the 25th March the 77th PoW was spotted by guards as he emerged from the tunnel.

Flt Lt. Cameron was the sixty-ninth (69) man in the tunnel and he emerged from the tunnel at 04:30 hrs. His group assembled in a wood close by and split up the group into pairs and singles. (Ref 1, pp 196-197).

He and Flt Lt. Thompson walked for about two (2) miles and hid in a pine forest. They then continued walking through the snow un 04:00 hrs but started to feel too ill to continue. Flt Lt. Thompson continued on with two (2) Americans they had met while he hid in a barn and fell asleep. (Ref 1, pp 196-197).

Note: The American PoWs were involved in the tunnelling projects but the USAAF PoWs were moved to the newly constructed South Compound before the escape. There is no record of any being on the breakout on the night 24th/25th March 1944 and it has not been possible to identified the two Americans.

Flt Lt. Cameron was woken by being kicked by an armed civilian after which he was taken to a nearby civilian prison. A couple of hours later Flt Lt. Thompson and the two unidentified Americans joined him. The group were then taken to the Sagan Police Station and over the rest of the day further escaped PoWs were brought in. The next morning they were loaded on a lorry and under guard taken to Görlitz prison and two day later they were interrogated. (Ref 1, pp 196-197).

He remained at Görlitz for eleven (11) or twelve (12) days and from about the 30th March several prisoner were taken away and we not seen again. He and twelve (12) others were taken back to Stalag Luft 3 where given twenty-one (21) day solitary confinement. (Ref 1, pp 196-197).

On the night of the 27th January 1945, with Soviet troops only 26 km (16 mls) away, orders were received to evacuate the PoWs to Spremberg which is to the West in Germany. The PoW’s were informed of the evacuation, which was on foot, at about 22:00 hrs the same night and were given 30 mins to pack and prepare everything for the March. The weather conditions were very difficult, with freezing temperatures, and it was snowing accompanied by strong winds. There was 15 cm (6 in) of snow and 2000 PoWs were assigned to clear the road ahead of the main groups.

After a 55 km (34 mls) march, the PoWs arrived in Bad Muskau where they rested for 30 hours. The PoWs were then marched the remaining 26 km (16 mls) to Spremberg where they were housed in empty garages, storerooms and in military barracks. There they were provided with warm soup and bread.

During next days, PoWs were divided up according to Compounds, and they were led to railway sidings and loaded into tightly packed carriages. On the 2nd February he was amongst the PoWs that were sent to Marlag und Milag Nord at Westertimke.

Marlag is an acronym for Marinelager (naval prisoner of war camp), Milag is short for Marine-Internierten-Lager(naval internment camp), and Nord is German for ‘north’.

On the 2nd April 1945 the Commandant announced that he had received orders to leave the camp with most of his guards, leaving only a small detachment behind to hand over the camp to Allied forces, who were already in Bremen. However, that afternoon a detachment of over a hundred SS-Feldgendarmerie entered the camp, mustered over 3,000 men and marched them out, heading east. Flt Lt. Cameron was listed amongst those on the forced march.

The next day, at around at 10:00 hrs the column was strafed by RAF aircraft, and two PoWs were killed. Over the next few days the column was attacked from the air several times. Finally the Senior British Naval Officer (SBNO), who was later killed in a strafing attack by RAF aircraft, offered the Germans the PoW’s parole, in return for being allowed to rest during the day and march at night to which the Germans agreed.

On the 9th April 1945 the guards at Marlag-Milag moved out and were replaced by older men, presumably local Volkssturm. Meanwhile, the column slowly headed east, finally crossing the River Elbe, north of Hamburg, on the 18th April.

On the 27th April the camps were liberated by elements of the British Guards Armoured Division.

The next day, the 28th April, the column finally arrived at Lübeck on the Baltic coast. They were liberated by the British 11th Armoured Division on the 1st May 1945. Flt Lt. Cameron was interviewed on the 3rd May 1945.

William James Cameron was born on the 3rd August 1920 in Horborn, Alberta, Canada. He enlisted in the RCAF on the 24th October 1940. William passed away on the 18th November 2000 in Victoria, British Columbia.

Above: Obituary for William James ‘Bill’ Cameron (Courtesy of The Ottawa Citizen, dated 21st November 2000)

Burial details:

None – Survived the war

Research by Ralph Snape for Aircrew Remembered and dedicated to this crew and their families (Feb 2025).

Other sources listed below:

Reference:

1. Stalag Luft III - An official history of the “Great Escape” PoW Camp - Published by Frontline Books - ISBN: 978-1-47388-305-5.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning we will remember them. - Laurence Binyon
All site material (except as noted elsewhere) is owned or managed by Aircrew Remembered and should not be used without prior permission.
© Aircrew Remembered 2012 - 2026 Last Modified: 28 February 2025, 08:53