Age, Biography and Wiki

Henry Birkland was born on 16 August, 1917 in Caldwell, Manitoba, is a Henry Birkland was Canadian Spitfire. Discover Henry Birkland's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Learn How rich is he in this year and how he spends money? Also learn how he earned most of networth at the age of 27 years old?

Popular As Henry Birkland
Occupation N/A
Age 27 years old
Zodiac Sign Leo
Born 16 August, 1917
Birthday 16 August
Birthplace Caldwell, Manitoba
Date of death 1944
Died Place near Sagan, German-occupied Poland
Nationality

We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 16 August. He is a member of famous with the age 27 years old group.

Henry Birkland Height, Weight & Measurements

At 27 years old, Henry Birkland height not available right now. We will update Henry Birkland's Height, weight, Body Measurements, Eye Color, Hair Color, Shoe & Dress size soon as possible.

Physical Status
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Dating & Relationship status

He is currently single. He is not dating anyone. We don't have much information about He's past relationship and any previous engaged. According to our Database, He has no children.

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Henry Birkland Net Worth

His net worth has been growing significantly in 2023-2024. So, how much is Henry Birkland worth at the age of 27 years old? Henry Birkland’s income source is mostly from being a successful . He is from . We have estimated Henry Birkland's net worth, money, salary, income, and assets.

Net Worth in 2024 $1 Million - $5 Million
Salary in 2024 Under Review
Net Worth in 2023 Pending
Salary in 2023 Under Review
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Timeline

1917

Henry Birkland (16 August 1917 – 31 March 1944), was a Canadian Spitfire pilot who was taken prisoner during the Second World War.

1937

He worked as a packer for the Burns Co. in 1937–38, as a truck driver for a gas company in the middle of 1938, briefly as a dishwasher and then a gold miner at Gold Belt mining company in British Columbia for the year until May 1940.

1940

Birkland enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force in July 1940 as an aircrew candidate.

Following basic training Birkland was promoted to leading aircraftman and posted for flying training to No.11 Elementary Flying Training School RCAF.

1941

Graduating in January 1941 he transferred to No.9 Service Flying Training School.

As a fully qualified pilot he was promoted sergeant on 26 April 1941.

Birkland was commissioned as a pilot officer with effect from 27 April 1941 and sailed to Great Britain to fly operationally with RAF Fighter Command.

After six weeks with No.57 Operational Training Unit Birkland joined No. 122 Squadron RAF Fighter Command on 11 August 1941 flying Spitfire aircraft before transferring to No. 72 Squadron RAF on 19 September 1941 where he also flew Spitfires.

Flying operationally with No.72 Squadron, Birkland was pilot of Spitfire Mark Vb serial W3367 on the afternoon of 7 November 1941 on a Rodeo mission over the coast of occupied Europe.

Birkland was shot down by Uffz.

Heinz Richter from Stab/JG 26, who later claimed a Spitfire 2 kilometers north of Étaples at 15:10 hours.

Birkland was captured, becoming a prisoner of war.

Following interrogation, he was sent to Stalag Luft I as Prisoner of War Number 689 and later to Stalag Luft III in the province of Lower Silesia near the town of Sagan (now Żagań in Poland).

1943

He had been a member of an earlier unsuccessful attempt to mass escape from the camp in June 1943.

For the Great Escape operation Birkland, an experienced former miner, became one of the leading and most energetic of the six hundred officers involved in tunnelling.

He was regarded as "the toughest tunneller of them all".

In the escape plan his group of escapers were known as "the hard arsers" for their plan to avoid public transport and travel on foot a considerable distance across country.

1944

He took part in the 'Great Escape' from Stalag Luft III in March 1944, but was one of the men re-captured and murdered by the Gestapo.

Birkland was born in Caldwell, Manitoba, Canada and educated in Calgary.

He was one of the 76 men who escaped the prison camp on the night of 24–25 March 1944, in the escape now famous as "the Great Escape".

His group did not make a great distance before the alert was raised and the German authorities began a major man-hunt.

Birkland was amongst the officers recaptured relatively locally who were taken to Görlitz prison 36 miles south from Sagan.

George McGill (RCAF officer), Henry Birkland, Pat Langford, Mike Casey, George Wiley, Tom Leigh, John Pohe, Cyril Swain, Charles Hall, Brian Evans, Wlodzimierz Kolanowski and Bob Stewart were taken away in black cars by plain clothes Gestapo officials on 30 and 31 March 1944 and were never seen alive again.

Another account states that on 31 March 1944 a group of 10 officers including Birkland were taken away.

The plates on their cremation urns showed that they had been cremated at Liegnitz (now Legnica), 55 miles to the east of Sagan, but no dates were given.

So he became one of the 50 executed and murdered by the Gestapo.

Birkland's name was amongst those in the list of the murdered prisoners which was published when news broke on or about 20 May 1944.

His conspicuous bravery was recognized by a mention in despatches as none of the other relevant decorations then available could be awarded posthumously.

It was published in a supplement to the London Gazette on 8 June 1944.

The Gestapo executed a group of 50 of the recaptured prisoners representing almost all of the nationalities involved in the escape.

Post-war investigations saw a number of those guilty of the murders tracked down, arrested and tried for their crimes.

1948

His remains, which were originally buried at Sagan, were moved in November 1948 to the Poznan Old Garrison Cemetery to lie beside those of his fellow escapers.

Birkland's headstone has the inscription chosen by his parents "Beloved, by family and friends alike, he gave his life, knowing this right".