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15 October 2014
WW2 - People's War

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Ossie and Peg Fry
User ID: U1517858

Two of those who joined up were Ossie Fry and Peg Durman.
Ossie volunteered for Aircrew duties in February 1941. At the time the services were in dire need of people with the necessary aptitude and fitness and Ossie was called to the service in record time in July 1941.

After A.C.R.C initiation at Weston-Super-Mare, a wireless course at Yatesbury, gunnery school at Manby, a navigation course at Strenraer and H.C.U at Lindholme, Ossie was ready for duty.
He flew with 103 Squadron operating on Lancasters. This involved various operations over Berlin, Magdeburg, Stettin, Brunswick, Stuttgart and Augsburg.
In the meantime Peg joined the W.A.A.F in August/September 1942 and has the distinction of being the only woman listed on the war memorial at Enmore Village Hall.
After initial training at Morcombe Peg was posted to 19 Group Headquarters at Plymouth as a Plotter. Her work included visits to Holmsley South in the New Forest and to Pembroke Dock in South Wales, a Sunderland flying boat station. Return journeys to Plymouth on a flying boat were a memorable experience.

Ossie and Peg were married at Enmore in January 1944 followed by a honeymoon in London. It was not long after this that disaster struck.
On 25/26th February 1944 Ossie was involved in a raid on Augsberg.
The outward journey was uneventful but on the return journey evasive action had to be taken to avoid a bank of searchlights.
Just after this the Lancaster was hit by a burst of flak. A fire started and when attempts to put the fire out failed the pilot put the Lancaster into a steep dive. Fortunately the fire went out but that was not the end of their problems. They discovered that they were losing fuel fast. There was no hope of reaching the coast and their only chance was to try and reach occupied territory.
About an hour later one of the engines started to splutter and the pilot ordered the crew to bale out. Flt Lt Eddy stayed on board and managed to crash land the plane just inside the Belgian border. He evaded capture and eventually made his way back to England.
Ossie and the others were not so fortunate. They were captured and taken to Les Bulles in Belgium subsequently being transferred to St Giles Prison in Brussels.
From there Ossie was sent to Frankfurt on Main, the main interrogation camp at the time. He was then sent to Hydekrug in East Prussia but as the Russian Front moved towards the West he was force marched to Poland. When the Second Front commenced he was again moved, this time to 357 Falling Bostel, which was attached to the infamous Belsen Camp. Liberation finally came when they were marched out of that Camp across Luneberg Heath.
The months after Ossie鈥檚 capture were a time of great anxiety for Peg. No news was heard for some months and there must have been a great feeling of relief when finally news came
through that Ossie was safe and well. Some time afterwards Peg was wounded in the right eye during the bombing of Plymouth. She spent six weeks in hospital at Plymouth and was then moved to the R.A.F hospital at Cosford for seven months. By an amazing coincidence, Cosford Hospital happened to be the receiving centre for returning P.O.Ws and thus Ossie and Peg were once again reunited.

Stories contributed by Ossie and Peg Fry

A Story with a Happy Ending.

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