大象传媒

This is the story of my father Rowland Thomas Williams aged 19 (fighter pilot in the second world war). It is the story of my father "being shot down" over Denmark and escaping with the help of the Danish resistance. My father is well known to Ole Runnest (forensic scientist Denmark) and attends the reuniun in Denmark almost every year since 1984. My father has been interviewed by Danish television & his video is to be shown at an exhibition in Denmark this year. It is also planned to name my father's escape route in Denmark. (this should have happened last year but the berghermaster who was managing the event suddenly passed away.....

My father believed himself to be shot down by a german plane over Denmark, but apparently my father had shot down the german plane and part of the german plane had broken away and ended up in his air intake, and it was this had ended up in my father losing his engine and having to crash land in Denmark.

At almost exactly the same moment another British aircrtaft was shot down & the pilot was killed. There was some confusion & the dreaded telegraph was sent to my mother stating that my father had been shot down and was presumed killed.

My father survived the crash, hid out in some farm buildings, was discovered by the farm dog, but was looked after by the owners of the farm. My father was taken to many places of safety and was given a route to escape. He walked many miles, hiding from the germans and took a wrong road which ensured that he covered most of Denmark before he was eventually taken across the sea to Sweden by a fisherman.

You may now be wondering about the title "Escape of the dancing pilot"? Well, the night before flying he attended a local dance and when called for duty decided not to wear the standard flying boots, but instead would wear his comfortable shoes. What a mistake!!!!! He had to walk hundreds of miles wearing his dancing shoes - not the most sensible thing to do!!

Whilst my father was hiding from the germans he walked hundreds of miles and had to avoid german troups on the move. At one point in order to escape the germans he attended a football match in order to "blend in" with the rest of the crowds.

Many people in Denmark helped my father to escape. His feet were badly damaged, due to the walking, and he needed the help of a photographer to get him new papers so that he could escape. He also had help from many farms on his travels - people who fed him and gave him clothing.

I have a video of my father's story (the video which will be shown in the exhibition in Denmark later this year),which tells it much better than I can, which I can send to you if it is of any importance. The reason I am writing this is that I was very touched ny the story of Bill McGrath that was shown on 大象传媒 Ireland yesterday, and if people were moved with that story, then I think people will be moved with my father's story.

Thanks very much
Andrea Chubb

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