| Admitted to: POW. Magdeburge (08/03/45). Interrogation Centre, Frankfurt (12/03/45). POW Camp, Wetzlar (13/03/45). RAF Hospital Cosford (04/04/45) |
Date of Injury: 07/03/1945 |
||
|---|---|---|---|
| D.O.B/Age when admitted: 01/12/1925 (19) |
Cause of Incident: Enemy Action. Shot down in Lancaster over Germany by enemy flak, bailed out. |
||
| Transferred to QVH: 09/04/1945 |
Injuries: Burns to forehead. |
||
| No. of Operations at East Grinstead: 2 |
IDENTITY CARD
This is to certify that the patient mentioned below and whose description is stated hereon is the authorised holder of this Identity card.
| Forename: Douglas |
Surname: Hicks |
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service No: R285802 |
Nationality: Canadian |
||
| Awards/Honours: --- |
Patient Unit: 550 Sqn, R Depot, RCAF Warrington |
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Profession: Air Gunner |
Patient Rank: FS |
||
| Death: 16/08/2014 |
Age at Death: 88 |
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr Rank: |
Dr Unit: |
||
On the way to an operation over Dessau, Hicks' plane was hit by enemy fire and the pilot gave the order to jump. From his turret in the rear of the plane, Hicks could see streaks of flame, and had to remove his left glove to disconnect his oxygen and intercom connectors. He opened the turret doors and fell backwards out of the aircraft, before realising that his foot was caught in the plane and he was being buffeted by the slipstream. The plane exploded, freeing his foot, at the same time he pulled his ripcord, and he landed safely.
He went through a number of POW facilities before being repatriated.
The youngest of the Guinea Pigs.
R Depot - Repatriation Depot
We've been looking through our collections, and discovered this 1972 photograph from the East Grinstead Observer, o…