Nationality:

Canadian

Service number R78161.

In the citation below, Angers was helped by the Belgian underground. Prior to that he jumped from his burning bomber over Duisburg on June 16, 1942 and made his way into occupied Holland. A Dutch farmer on the outskirts of Eindhoven took him across the border to Turnhout in Belgium where he made contact with the underground. This turned out te be Mlle Andree de Jongh who helped around 400 Allied soldiers to escape from Belgium, through occupied France to the British consulate in Madrid and on to Gibraltar. Andrée accompanied 118 of them herself. For her work, she was awarded the George Medal, Medal of Freedom, Officier de la Légion d'honneur, Chevalier de l'Ordre de Léopold and the Croix de Guerre avec palme.

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Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Sergeant

Unit:

No.419 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force (No.419 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force)

Awarded on:

January 1st, 1943

Citation:
"This airman was a member of the crew of an aircraft which crashed over Belgium when returning from a bombing raid on Essen on 17th July 1942.
On baling out his parachute caught in a tree, and in freeing himself he was severely injured in falling to the ground. Despite this mishap, and although in great pain he succeeded in avoiding capture by enemy patrols, by crawling away from the scene of his landing.
Following a period of hiding he managed to obtain aid to his injuries and nothing daunted, set out on his way to France, into which he successfully crossed.
He was finally able to make his way into Spain, whence he was repatriated on 18th August 1942."

• - Air Force Association of Canada