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HAPPY REUNION’ ^ « 7*jroup Capt. Bader and Lethbridge Airman Meet After 72 YearsBy JOE CSAKI (Herald Staff Writer) rwo men who Were buddies Jn prisoner-of-war camp in Ger-iny during the Second World \r had a happy reunion in thbrldge Saturday.hey were Wilson Donaldson of hbridge, a former flight lieu-mt, and Group Capt, Douglas ler, CBE, DSO and DFC of idon, England, a renowned dou-amputee who won fame in the s over Britain.he last time they met was 12 rs ago.rroup Capt. Bader was initiated the Kainai Chieftainship of Blood Indian tribe Saturday, 1ST MEETINGfonaldson, now manager of a hbridge tire service firm last r Bader at the Colditz prisoner-tvar camp in Germany in April, 5, when the camp was freed by United States army. The same ' Bader was flown to England lie Donaldson returned later.onaldson, known as “Weasel” his war buddies, was born and icated in Lethbridge. He first t the legless ace at the camp at ditz in 1943.loth had been shot down in ial engagements with the Luft-ffe.Of Bader, Donaldson said: le was a terrific morale build-. Nothing ever got him down id be helped us a lot/’ls an emputee, Bader was ced on parole and allowed torHEY REALLY •IIT JACKPOTLethbridge finance director L W. W. Findlay’s office hit he jackpot Friday.It took in nearly $1,700,000. hough none of the officials vent near the games of chance Lt the Exhibition grounds.The total was made up ot a iheque for $1,133,900 from the Uberta Municipal Finance Cor-oration representing loans to inance the city’s capital works rogram, a cheque for $280,-123.93 in payment of the city’s ihare of municipal grant reven-les from the [provincial gaso-ine tax, and cheques totallingWILSON DONALDSONwalk about freely in and outside the camp.He walked as many as 10 mile a day,” Donaldson recalled, in ai interview with The Herald, to ob tain food for the men who wer practically being starved to deat] by the Germans.TRADES CIGARETSThe prisoners were given barel enoughr£p6d to live on, the ide being to weaken us so we wouldn try to escape*” Donaldson e* plained.Bader traded cigarets while o\ of camp to German civilians flt; food and smuggled it into camp i his artificial legs.Donaldson and Bader work* together on a number of can* projects including an escape con mittee.A book, Detour”, was pub lished after the war and it con tains the diaries of each of thi prisoners at the camp. Includes are those of Bader and Donaldson.Donaldson went to England ar joined the RAF in 1935. He n turned to Lethbridge in 1939 ar voluntarily returned to Englar when the war broke out the san fall.He went through the rani and was promoted flight-lieutenai a month before he was shot dov April 12, 1940, after completh three operational trips over No way,
Newspaper Details
Lethbridge Herald
Lethbridge, Alberta, CA
Sat, Jul 27, 1957
Page 15
Full Page
Clipped by
Barbara C.
NA, NA 13 Oct 2023
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