WW2 POW Bring Back

[wazu013]

I bought this knife a few years ago on Ebay. When it arrived it had a hand written note attached that said "This knife came from a pretty famous World War Vet pilot. He got shot down and was in a prison of war camp for 1 1/2 years. He got the knife at that time, he traded matches for the knife. He started the Airforce Flying Club here in Canada. His name was Jim G. Leslie. I hope you enjoy"
I would like to see if any of you members from Canada or all of you guys have any information about Jim G. Leslie.
The knife is a Garantie, Solingen Germany.
Thank you,
wazu013

[orvet]

Nice one Wazu!
Goins guesstimates them to be 1920-1940 but has no other info.

Solid rare find and a pretty knife too!
Are the handles bone?

[wazu013]

Nice one Wazu!
Goins guesstimates them to be 1920-1940 but has no other info.

Solid rare find and a pretty knife too!
Are the handles bone?

Dale,
They are bone. The knife is pretty hefty at 4 5/8" closed and weighs 4.6oz.
Mike (wazu013)

[wazu013]

I just want to Bump this in case someone can shed some light reguarding James Leslie.
wazu013

[Owd Wullie]

Tried about 30 minutes of my google-fu and found nothing with regards to James G. Leslie or Jim G. Leslie either as a POW or ACE or RAF or RCAF pilot.

[wazu013]

Tried about 30 minutes of my google-fu and found nothing with regards to James G. Leslie or Jim G. Leslie either as a POW or ACE or RAF or RCAF pilot.

Owd,
Thanks for trying. I tried Google several times since I bought the knife. That's why I put it up here. I was hoping a Canadian who served is a knife collector. I am afraid to tell the story until I get proof. This is the first time I mentioned it. You would think if Jim Leslie was that famous he would have his own Google something. Thanks for trying!!
wazu013

[wazu013]

I finaly got some information about Jemes G. Leslie. Take a few minutes and read about him.

gbuskirk from another forum found this information for me.
.
"My google-fu is strong today"

From a site called Stalag Luft I Online Guestbook

Name of POW James G Leslie

POW camp Stalag Luft III, Sagan, Poland (of the Great Eascape)

Address 15-75 Bayly St, Unit 161

City, State, Zip Pickering, Ontario, Canada

Comments:
My father was pilot of a Handley Page Halifax, 35 Pathfinders Sqn, RAF, when he was shot down over the Schwartzwold at the beginning of 1944 returning from a night raid on Leipzig.

His entire crew bailed out and was captured. The plane crashed in Germany.

He himself was on the loose for 5 days before he was captured just a few kilometers from the Swiss border and sent to Dulag Luft for interrogation. I don't know how long he was there, but from what he told me, he must have been one of the ones who wasn't intimidated and wouldn't be bribed because he tells of long periods of solitary alternating in a hot room and then a freezing room.

From Dulag Luft, he was sent to Stalag Luft III and arrived just as the survivors from the Great Escape were being returned to the camp. His job in the camp was as a scrounger, similar to the character of James Garner in the movie.

He was there until January of 1945 when the camp was abandoned in advance of the approaching Russian Army, and the prisoners were marched in two groups west to Germany. His group was imprisoned south of Berlin.

Near the end of April, 1945, he woke one morning to find the camp abandoned by the Luftwaffe guards. He and another prisoner headed west and crossed into Allied Lines a couple of days before the end of the war.


According to "Odyssey of a Bombardier: The POW log of Richard M. Mason", the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum in Pooler, Georgia has a copy of James Leslie's POW diary as file 2009.0403.001

[wazu013]

Here's a link to his obituary. He was a war hero and a wonderful citizen. It makes me proud to post this http://www.federationgenealogie.qc.ca/a ... ?id=402204

[tjmurphy]

Way to go, Wazu Don't you just love it when perserveriance pays off? I had bought an engraved Vietnam era ZIPPO lighter several years ago with the guys name engraved on it. I searched for a couple of years for the owner and finally ran him down. He said that the last time he saw the lighter was when he was carried wounded off the battle-field He was reunited with his ZIPPO.

[wazu013]

You're right Murph I lit up like a Christmas tree when I finally got all that info My Brother lives in Buffalo which is like a suburb of Toronto so I'm going to have him look for Jim Leslie's Step-son. I'd like to give him the knife if it means anything to him.
What a life that Mr leslie lived. Isn't that something

[wazu013]

Way to go, Wazu Don't you just love it when perserveriance pays off? I had bought an engraved Vietnam era ZIPPO lighter several years ago with the guys name engraved on it. I searched for a couple of years for the owner and finally ran him down. He said that the last time he saw the lighter was when he was carried wounded off the battle-field He was reunited with his ZIPPO.

I'll bet that Zippo is in a safe place now