Wally Floody
Encyclopedia
Flight Lieutenant
Wally Floody OBE (born Clarke Wallace Chant Floody) (April 28, 1918 - September 25, 1989), was an imprisoned Second World War pilot who was instrumental in organizing and implementing the "Great Escape" from the German Stalag Luft III prisoner of war
(POW) camp.
Floody was born in Chatham
, Ontario. He attended Northern Vocational School. In 1936 he headed north to work at the Preston East Dome Mines in Timmins
, Ontario
as a mucker shovelling the rock and mud into carts to be hauled up to the surface. The job would have a prophetic impact on Wally in a few years.
At the onset of the war, Wally worked on a ranch in Alberta
when he decided to return home to enlist in the Royal Canadian Air Force
(RCAF). He financed his trip back east by shovelling coal into the boiler of the locomotive for the entire trip back to Toronto. After learning that the RCAF was not quite ready for the huge influx of personnel, Wally and Betty married on May 24, 1940 and moved to Kirkland Lake, Ontario
where Wally could go back to working in the mines.
In 1940, Wally and Betty were back in Toronto visiting family. Anxious to find out what was happening to his enlistment application Wally checked with the recruiting office only to find his application was at the bottom of the pile. The reason: he was now married. After convincing the recruiting officer that, "My wife backs me in this 100%", he was advised that the train was leaving for the BCATP air station in Brandon
, Manitoba
that evening. After a quick goodbye to his family Wally was on his way to becoming an operational pilot and flying with No. 401 Squadron).
Operating from RAF Biggin Hill in England, his Spitfire
was shot down in October 1941 over Saint-Omer
, France
, where he was met by two German soldiers. He was imprisoned at the POW camp Stalag Luft III at Sagan (now Żagań
, Poland
). There he was responsible for the digging of tunnels and their camouflage
, for the upcoming escape attempts by Commonwealth
and Europe
an prisoners.
However, in March 1944, the German guards, always suspicious of escapes, caught the telltale sign of sand being dropped by one of the 'penguins' out the bottom of his pant legs and immediately rounded up Wally and 19 others and transferred them to another camp in Belaria.
The escape of 76 men went ahead on the moonless night of March 24, 1944. Eventually the Germans caught all but three prisoners, and to make an example of them to all the other prisoners, Hitler ordered the execution of 50 of the recaptured Allied officers under the excuse that they were shot while attempting escape. At the end of the war Wally gave evidence about conditions in POW camps at the Nuremberg Trials
.
On September 22, 1946, two days after Betty's and Wally's first son Brian was born, they received news that Wally had been awarded the honour Officer of the Order of the British Empire
by King George VI; the citation reading, in part,
"Flight Lieutenant (F/L) Floody made a thorough study of tunnelling work and devised many different methods & techniques. He became one of the leading organizers and indefatigable workers in the tunnels themselves. Besides being arduous, his work was frequently dangerous....F/L Floody was buried under heavy falls of sand.....but, despite all dangers and difficulties, F/L Floody persisted, showing a marked degree of courage and devotion to duty.
Returning to civilian life he became a businessman and co-founder of the Royal Canadian Air Force Prisoners of War Association. He died on September 25, 1989.
.
He told Wally he was planning to make a movie based on the book by Paul Brickhill
, an Australian flyer and writer who, like Wally, had spent time at Stalag Luft III. After Sturges's assurance that the film was to be as accurate as theatrically possible but true to the efforts of those prisoners and the atmosphere of the camps, Wally agreed to be technical adviser on the 1963 feature film The Great Escape
.
He is popularly considered the real-life counterpart to that film's fictional "Tunnel King", Danny Velinski, played by Charles Bronson
.
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
Wally Floody OBE (born Clarke Wallace Chant Floody) (April 28, 1918 - September 25, 1989), was an imprisoned Second World War pilot who was instrumental in organizing and implementing the "Great Escape" from the German Stalag Luft III prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
(POW) camp.
Floody was born in Chatham
Chatham-Kent, Ontario
Chatham–Kent is a unitary authority in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Mostly rural, its centres of population are Blenheim, Chatham, Dresden, Ridgetown, Tilbury and Wallaceburg. Modern Chatham–Kent was created in 1998 by the merger of Kent County and its municipalities.- History :The former city of...
, Ontario. He attended Northern Vocational School. In 1936 he headed north to work at the Preston East Dome Mines in Timmins
Timmins
Timmins is a city in northeastern Ontario, Canada on the Mattagami River. At the time of the Canada 2006 Census, Timmins' population was 42,997...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
as a mucker shovelling the rock and mud into carts to be hauled up to the surface. The job would have a prophetic impact on Wally in a few years.
At the onset of the war, Wally worked on a ranch in Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
when he decided to return home to enlist in the Royal Canadian Air Force
Royal Canadian Air Force
The history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968...
(RCAF). He financed his trip back east by shovelling coal into the boiler of the locomotive for the entire trip back to Toronto. After learning that the RCAF was not quite ready for the huge influx of personnel, Wally and Betty married on May 24, 1940 and moved to Kirkland Lake, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
where Wally could go back to working in the mines.
In 1940, Wally and Betty were back in Toronto visiting family. Anxious to find out what was happening to his enlistment application Wally checked with the recruiting office only to find his application was at the bottom of the pile. The reason: he was now married. After convincing the recruiting officer that, "My wife backs me in this 100%", he was advised that the train was leaving for the BCATP air station in Brandon
Brandon, Manitoba
Brandon is the second largest city in Manitoba, Canada, and is located in the southwestern area of the province. Brandon is the largest city in the Westman region of Manitoba. The city is located along the Assiniboine River. Spruce Woods Provincial Park and CFB Shilo are a relatively short distance...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
that evening. After a quick goodbye to his family Wally was on his way to becoming an operational pilot and flying with No. 401 Squadron).
Operating from RAF Biggin Hill in England, his Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
was shot down in October 1941 over Saint-Omer
Saint-Omer
Saint-Omer , a commune and sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department west-northwest of Lille on the railway to Calais. The town is named after Saint Audomar, who brought Christianity to the area....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, where he was met by two German soldiers. He was imprisoned at the POW camp Stalag Luft III at Sagan (now Żagań
Zagan
Zagan may refer to:*Zagan - a demon in the Ars Goetia*Żagań - a town in west Poland...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
). There he was responsible for the digging of tunnels and their camouflage
Camouflage
Camouflage is a method of concealment that allows an otherwise visible animal, military vehicle, or other object to remain unnoticed, by blending with its environment. Examples include a leopard's spotted coat, the battledress of a modern soldier and a leaf-mimic butterfly...
, for the upcoming escape attempts by Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an prisoners.
However, in March 1944, the German guards, always suspicious of escapes, caught the telltale sign of sand being dropped by one of the 'penguins' out the bottom of his pant legs and immediately rounded up Wally and 19 others and transferred them to another camp in Belaria.
The escape of 76 men went ahead on the moonless night of March 24, 1944. Eventually the Germans caught all but three prisoners, and to make an example of them to all the other prisoners, Hitler ordered the execution of 50 of the recaptured Allied officers under the excuse that they were shot while attempting escape. At the end of the war Wally gave evidence about conditions in POW camps at the Nuremberg Trials
Nuremberg Trials
The Nuremberg Trials were a series of military tribunals, held by the victorious Allied forces of World War II, most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, and economic leadership of the defeated Nazi Germany....
.
On September 22, 1946, two days after Betty's and Wally's first son Brian was born, they received news that Wally had been awarded the honour Officer of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
by King George VI; the citation reading, in part,
"Flight Lieutenant (F/L) Floody made a thorough study of tunnelling work and devised many different methods & techniques. He became one of the leading organizers and indefatigable workers in the tunnels themselves. Besides being arduous, his work was frequently dangerous....F/L Floody was buried under heavy falls of sand.....but, despite all dangers and difficulties, F/L Floody persisted, showing a marked degree of courage and devotion to duty.
Returning to civilian life he became a businessman and co-founder of the Royal Canadian Air Force Prisoners of War Association. He died on September 25, 1989.
Feature film involvement
In early 1963, Wally received a phone call from director John SturgesJohn Sturges
John Eliot Sturges was an American film director. His movies include Bad Day at Black Rock , Gunfight at the O.K. Corral , The Magnificent Seven , The Great Escape and Ice Station Zebra .-Career:He started his career in Hollywood as an editor in 1932...
.
He told Wally he was planning to make a movie based on the book by Paul Brickhill
Paul Brickhill
Paul Chester Jerome Brickhill was an Australian writer, whose World War II books were turned into popular movies.-Biography:...
, an Australian flyer and writer who, like Wally, had spent time at Stalag Luft III. After Sturges's assurance that the film was to be as accurate as theatrically possible but true to the efforts of those prisoners and the atmosphere of the camps, Wally agreed to be technical adviser on the 1963 feature film The Great Escape
The Great Escape (film)
The Great Escape is a 1963 American film about an escape by Allied prisoners of war from a German POW camp during World War II, starring Steve McQueen, James Garner, and Richard Attenborough...
.
He is popularly considered the real-life counterpart to that film's fictional "Tunnel King", Danny Velinski, played by Charles Bronson
Charles Bronson
Charles Bronson , born Charles Dennis Buchinsky was an American actor, best-known for such films as Once Upon a Time in the West, The Magnificent Seven, The Dirty Dozen, The Great Escape, Rider on the Rain, The Mechanic, and the popular Death Wish series...
.