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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday August 26, 2006 - 5 George Harvey wrote essay on prison tunnels Continued from page 3 good lessons were learned," he wrote. He and the others were sent to the POW camp Oflag VIIB in Eichstatt, Bavaria where they remained from August 1942 to April 1945. Doug explained that although his father rarely discussed Dieppe or the camp, papers in his possession ­ like those written by Harvey - shed valuable light on his war exploits. Among them were hand-drawn maps to aid prisoners in their escape rendered with typical precision that made them virtually indistinguishable from the originals. On June 6, 1944, almost a year to the day after 65 prisoners escaped through a tunnel, Harvey and others attempted yet another breakout through a 180-foot, 16-by-18-inch tunnel that broke the surface a mere 18 inches from the designated spot outside the fence. This time, only eight prisoners escaped before the plan was foiled and Harvey never made it out of the tunnel. In the February 1949 edition of The McGill Engineer (the Official Publication of the McGill Engineering Undergraduate Society) then-fourth year Mechanical Engineering student Harvey published Tunnelling To Freedom. This paper was a detailed account BARRIE ERSKINE / OAKVILLE BEAVER COMRADES IN ARMS: Major Stu Chapman Royal Light Hamilton Infantry and Jack McFarland a Dieppe survivor and POW check out a photo of George Harvey and some other POWs. of how he and others secretly dug the escape tunnel at Oflag VIIB during the winter of 1943-44. Anyone who reads its opening can't help but continue: "There are four ways in which to escape from a prisoner of war camp. Over, under, or through wire, or out the main gate. Of these, tunnelling under the wire offers the best opportunity of getting away secretly with the maximum amount of equipment and food for the journey home." In April 1945, as he and other prisoners were being marched to a new camp in the Austrian Alps, Harvey and another POW jumped into a hedge then hid out in a barn until rescued by American serviceman only eight days before VE Day. "At first they found it hard to believe we were escapers, but they immediately took us in and gave us food and clothing," Harvey wrote. "We were brought back by Jeep to Eichstatt and stopped for two hours for one last look. We saw some old faces for the last time and left." Harvey returned home and resumed his Engineering studies at McGill, where he not only earned his degree but met Margaret, whom he married in June 1946 after a "whirlwind romance," said Doug. When Margaret spent time in hospital with tuberculosis, Harvey stepped up as he always did to assume all the responsibilities for looking after his children. In that role, and later, said son Alan, Harvey was a supportive father in every way, from showing interest in his kids' interests to getting up at 5 a.m. so they could play hockey. The couple ­ who eschewed flying in favour of road trips - remained married for 59 years until Margaret's death three years ago. Even so, Alan believes the love between them continues. (Harvey's ashes are buried alongside Margaret's in St. John's Memorial Garden.) Harvey, a Past Commodore of the Oakville Yacht Squadron, was a "gentle and giving" man who also possessed a "firm hand," said Alan. He was also someone ready to "mend a fence, loan a tool or lend a hand." He and Margaret were also community-oriented, volunteering with everything from the United Way and UNICEF to the VON and IODE. Harvey was also the devoted "Grampie" of John, Madeline, Olivia and James, who each read from scripture at Tuesday's service. "He always had an impish twinkle in his eye," said Doug, adding that his father's outlook on life remained positive in spite of the horrors of war he witnessed first-hand. "He always thought the good outweighed the bad." WANT TO REACH HALTON'S MATURE CONSUMERS? THE 3RD ANNUAL SEPTEMBER 16, 2006 10:00AM TO 5:00PM SIR JOHN COLBORNE CENTRE, OAKVILLE For more information or to book space call: 905-815-0017 ext. 429 Ask About: · Sponsorships · Exhibit Space · Demo Areas · Show Bag Inserts & Sample Distribution · Special Rates For Not-For-Profit Groups & Organizations