John Weir, an RCAF Spitfire pilot in WW II, talks being shot down in 1941, burnt and blinded by an exploding gas tank in his Spitfire, and then being captured shortly afterwards. John Weir was born in Toronto and joined the RCAF in September 1939. He flew spitfires over England, France and the English Channel with the renowned 401 Squadron, but was shot down in November 1941. Despite several escape attempts, he spent the rest of the war as a PoW, and the last two years in Stalag Luft III. John was one of the key figures in the "Great Escape," but missed the actual escape due to being shipping out of camp just prior to that fateful night. He survived the deadly winter march to Lubeck in 1945, and returned to Canada where he still lives. This short video is one of five featuring John Weir, and one of thousands in the Testaments of Honour collection created by Blake Heathcote. (www.testaments.ca)
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