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Trouvé sur sur « airforce.ca/awards » :
Public Record Office WO 208/3316 has MI.9 report based on interview of 29 October 1943. [le rapport du P/O George Thomas Graham ?]
« I was a member of the crew of a Halifax bomber which took off from Middleton St.George at 1845 hours on 16 September 1943 to bomb the railway junction at Modane. We bombed our target and on the homeward journey we were attacked within sight of the French coast by a night fighter. Both port engines caught fire; we had orders to bale out.
I came down at 0225 hours on 17 September in an open field by a river, southeast of Lisieux. I buried my kit in the the neighbourhood and started to walk in a southwesterly direction. I did not speak to anyone until the evening of 19 September. At ten kilometres from Camembert (North-West Europe 1:250,000, Sheet 7 and 29, south of Lisieux) I saw some people milking cows. I approached these and after some discussion an old man took me to his house and his wife gave me food and milk.
After they had convinced themselves of my bone fides, the old man’s son-in-law took me to a hayloft and told me that he would return at 0600 hours. He duly returned and I was taken to another barn, where I stayed until 1330 hours (20 September). He turned up again with a bicycle for me, and took me to another hiding place about eight kilometres away, and about four kilometres from Camembert. He left me and returned at about 1730 hours with a girl and some wine and food. She gave me to understand that her husband and talk English and that they would return. They turned up at 2000 hours, bringing an old lady with them, and took me to the old lady’s house. Here I was given civilian clothes and food, and taken to an adjoining home for the night. The next morning I was taken in a covered cart to Vimoutieres (North-West Europe 1:250,000, Sheet 7, twenty kilometres south of Lisieux), and from here by bus to Lisieux. I stayed in a house here until 25 September while the owner was trying to get into contact with an organisation. After this date my journey was arranged for me. »
Leonard Frank Martin citation sur « airforce.ca/awards »:
Sergeant Martin took part in 23 attacks on the enemy prior to being reported missing on the night of the 16th September 1943. His aircraft was shot down by a night fighter on that night and Sergeant Martin landed by parachute in Northern France. He proceeded to walk home as detailed in M.I.9/S/P.G.(-)1704, arriving at on 17th January 1944. I consider that this Non-Commissioned Officer's gallantry while operating with this squadron and the persistence and ingenuity shown by him while making his escape fully merits the immediate award of the Distinguished Flying Medal.
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