“As you view this plaque from time to time, share the pride that Patrick was one of you.”

With those words, Dennis Langford, the younger brother of Patrick Langford – the only Jasperite to be given military honours in the Second World War – brought the memory of a war hero into the halls of Jasper Jr./Sr. High School.

Langford was on hand to present a plaque to Jasper Jr./Sr. High School students commemorating the sacrifices of Patrick Langford, the Jasperite involved in The Great Escape.

“With a point of pride, I present the plaque to you the Jasper school system,” said Dennis Langford.

Patrick Langford grew up in Jasper before his family moved to Field, B.C. His father was the chief warden at the time, and the Langfords attended school in both communities.

Living in Cabin Creek, Langford took a dogsled to school, which at the time was a kilometre from his home.

“There was nothing in between. It used to be pasture for government horses,” Dennis Langford said.

Yet the pastoral existence was shattered by war. Worry transformed into grief for the family in 1943, once the unwelcome shadow of the telegrapher appeared at the Langfords’ door. It was news that Patrick Langford’s Lancaster bomber had been shot down.

“My family was aware of the capture. The telegrapher came to the house, and they knew something was wrong when they saw him walking up the street,” Dennis Langford said.

The message from the telegrapher only said Patrick Langford was missing in action. It would be another three weeks before they found out he was a prisoner of war. Prior to his transport to Stalag Luft III, he was in a hospital, where he was treated for severe burns suffered when his Lancaster bomber was shot down.

Life was harsh in the prison camps, and censored mail was only allowed to be sent once a month.

“The allied POWs survived on Red Cross parcels, which was better than those in the Russian POW camps. The Russian POW lived on watered down potato soup and nothing more,” Dennis Langford said.

He said he’s thankful his parents never lived to hear all of the horrors of life in those camps.

The family did learn about Langford’s time in the camp through letters, including his involvement with The Great Escape – the largest POW escape in the Second World War. During the escape, 76 POWs broke free from the camp through a tunnel 348 feet in length, situated 30 feet underground.

Patrick Langford was a trap door guardian on one of the tunnels which had its entrance underneath an iron stove.  It was said he could conceal the entrance to the tunnel with the stove in 20 seconds. The escape has become the stuff of legends, and was popularized in the 1963 film starring Steve McQueen.

One such letter spoke of Patrick Langford’s dedication to escape.

Although he went in for other activities in the camp, it was escape activities that fulfilled most of his interest and drew him irresistibly. He was a boy of full spirit and the adventure and risk were an irresistible lure,” wrote H.M.A. Day, a prisoner of war who knew Langford in Stalag. “I shall always remember your son as a staunch, sturdy figure, pared to the waist, standing at the top of the shaft which sank 20 feet down the tunnel level, pulling up by rope kit bag after kit bag full of sand. I think 70 to 80 bags used to be the quota and each bag contained about 100 to 150 lbs  of sand. It was only a man with shoulders and as fit as your son who could do such work.”

In all, nine Canadians were involved in The Great Escape: Langford, Henry Birkland, Gordon Kidder, George McGill, James Wernham and George Wiley were all executed for their role in the effort. Canadians Bill Cameron, Keith Ogilvie and Alfred (Tommy) Thompson managed to escape, but were recaptured.

The fact the prisoners were murdered came as a shock, as it was in contravention of the Geneva Accord. The execution order came from Adolf Hitler, who took a great interest in the escape attempt. Two months following The Great Escape, D-Day – the massive offensive on the beaches of Normandy which turned the tide of the war – occurred.

Dennis Langford told the students that the soldiers who fought in the Second World War are responsible for the quality of life the students enjoy today.
“It resulted in the peace and freedoms we enjoy today,” Langford said.

Dennis Langford, along with nine surviving members of the Great Escape, received a tour of the former prison camp in Sagan, Germany. A museum now marks the location, and the younger Langford was able to see the remains of the tunnel his brother worked on during the 50th anniversary of The Great Escape. He encouraged all of the students to visit the site, as well as the graveyards in Europe, where seas of gravestones mark the war dead.

But now, with a commemoration in the school, reminding the students of his story, Dennis Langford believes his brothers memory will go on.

“Pat’s soul is where it should be. I believe his memory is back in Jasper, where he enjoyed the early part of his life.”