Informal outdoor portrait of four RAAF servicemen. Left to right: 408173 Sergeant Ambrose Haley; ...

Informal outdoor portrait of four RAAF servicemen. Left to right: 408173 Sergeant Ambrose Haley; Ken Edwards; Fred Taylor and Max Knight (probably 400807 John Maxwell Knight, [killed in an accident in Scotland on 13 May 1943]). Haley enlisted in the RAAF on 28 February 1940, and trained as a pilot with the Empire Air Training Scheme in Canada. Serving with No. 155 Squadron RAF, Haley was shot down during operations over Tunisia and taken prisoner of war (POW). Whilst a prisoner Haley was promoted to Flying Officer then Flight Lieutenant. Pencilled information on the back of photograph P11429.004 indicates he was a prisoner at a camp in Szubin (Schubin), Poland in 1943. A Red Cross communication of May 1943, places him at Stalag Luft III, Sagan, Poland, as of 19 April 1943. He remained there until January 1945, when the POWs were forced to march away from approaching Russian forces. For the next four months, the POWs travelled through Bremen and onto Lubeck, stopping at POW camps or sleeping out in the open. The freezing weather conditions and strafing by Allied aircraft lead to the deaths of many prisoners. Lt Haley survived and was liberated on 2 March 1945. He returned to Australia and was discharged on 2 November 1945. A letter written by Haley to his mother speaks of the death of his brother 438006 Leading Aircraftman Peter John Haley in Canada, and describes the POW forced march. See PR04734.