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Elden Victor “Baldy” Miller

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Elden Victor “Baldy” Miller

Birth	:	1914
Death	:	Nov 2004 Walkerton, Bruce County, Ontario, Canada
Burial	:	Walkerton Cemetery, Walkerton, Bruce County, Canada
Coordinate	:	44.1160316, -81.1448898
Description	:	Elden Victor "Baldy" MILLER WWII SURVIVAL AT SEA 1945, April 13, at 8:10 p.m. Elden (Baldy) Miller, along with the rest of the R.C.A.F. crew, headed out in their Lancaster bomber on a mission to bomb a German submarine base. All went well until after the bombs had been dropped and then all hell let loose when they were suddenly hit with anti-aircraft fire that wounded the Skipper and pierced the gas tanks. The crew thought they might make it home, but within half an hour the motors coughed and cut out one after the other. With one engine... Read More	Elden Victor "Baldy" MILLER WWII SURVIVAL AT SEA 1945, April 13, at 8:10 p.m. Elden (Baldy) Miller, along with the rest of the R.C.A.F. crew, headed out in their Lancaster bomber on a mission to bomb a German submarine base. All went well until after the bombs had been dropped and then all hell let loose when they were suddenly hit with anti-aircraft fire that wounded the Skipper and pierced the gas tanks. The crew thought they might make it home, but within half an hour the motors coughed and cut out one after the other. With one engine still operating they were still hoping to make base, but it was not to be. Just after midnight they were forced to ditch when the last engine cut out. It was pitch black with a medium sea running, but by the expertise of the pilot and the grace of God the plane bellied in and didn't break up. They estimated their position to be about 25 miles off the coast of Denmark. Baldy, who was Wireless Air Gunner, sent out the S.O.S. calls and then screwed the key down so the call would continue until the plane sank. In the ditching the Pilot was thrown through the inch thick windscreen, still strapped in his seat. He was badly battered, but he was conscious. The crew meanwhile, proceeded to crawl out the escape hatch, and in the darkness find their way to the wing where the dinghy was stored. Baldy found himself in the ice cold water and had to swim all the way around the huge plane to the side where the raft was stored. The first priority was to get the injured men into the dinghy. The Engineer was barely conscious when he was helped on board the Susie Q. Then the Pilot, seat and all, was pulled in. All this was happening in the darkness of midnight. The next morning the men assessed their situation. Of the crew of seven, six were on board. One of the crew, Upper Gunner F/S Vardy from Bancroft, had not been able to escape, and was drowned. Three of the men aboard were injured and the first priority was to do all they could for them. The Skipper had flak in his leg, the Air bomber's face was badly bashed and the rear gunner had a broken leg and a broken shoulder. The crew knew they would have to be rescued soon, as there was a skimpy supply of water and minimum rations on board. One more thing! One of the men had a New Testament with him on the dinghy and part of the effort to stay alive consisted of a vesper service that the men took turns conducting each evening. The men all felt this helped with their survival. Now the ordeal started. For the first couple of days the weather wasn't too bad. The men were crowded and uncomfortable, but they had some rations and help would come soon. They sometimes could hear planes, but they never saw one. On the third day the weather turned cold and nasty. Some shelter was provided by the dinghy cover, but it gave little protection when the high seas washed aboard. Baldy had the only watch and it finally stopped from the salt water, but they finally got it going again. He still has the watch, and it still goes. For almost twelve days the men were adrift in the small dinghy, on the cold waters of the North Atlantic in mid April. They were all soaked through and never got dried out because of the continual slopping aboard of sea water. After a few days the men noticed the raft was losing pressure. It was only with the greatest of difficulty that the weakened men were able to open the pressure valve so air could be pumped in with a hand bellows. This had to be done almost daily after the first few days. The limited rations were soon gone, as was the water. The men could still hear planes from time to time, but because of the foggy conditions they never did see one. By the eighth day the men were desperate for water. Then some rain came and they were able to catch some in the dinghy cover that was acting as their only shelter. Night and day they grew steadily weaker as they waited and waited for help. By day eleven some of them were getting delirious, as they were again out of water. Then they started to see shore birds. The next morning they found that they were in very shallow water and they could see lands. It turned out that they had drifted into the estuary of the Elbe River at low tide. They decided to try and walk to the land, but found none of them could walk when they got out of the dinghy. About then a small German fishing sail boat came by. He couldn't tow the heavy raft, so he signaled that he would send help. Meanwhile the tide came up and they were swept back out to sea. A few hours later a German Red Cross boat came to their aid. After eleven days and fifteen hours the men were taken ashore as prisoners, to a German hospital. Now comes the unbelievable! The war was ending and the men were transferred to a huge hangar at an airfield that was being used as a holding hospital. It housed about five thousand stretcher cases. The M.O. in charge was a Dr. Brian. During his rounds one morning he stopped beside Baldy Miller's stretcher and asked who he was and where he was from. Baldy said, "You will never have heard of the place." "It's a small town called Walkerton in Ontario". To Baldy's amazement Dr. Brian asked him if he knew Mildred Appel. (P.S. Mildred Appel was a Walkerton girl whose father owned a shop here.) "Well", the Dr. said, "She's my wife." Then he said, "I suppose you would like to get out of here". At this time Baldy and the Engineer were the only members of the crew at this location. In twenty minutes the men were on their way.

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Elden Victor “Baldy” Miller's memorial?
Elden Victor “Baldy” Miller's memorial is located at: Walkerton Cemetery, Walkerton, Bruce County, Canada.
When did Elden Victor “Baldy” Miller death?
Elden Victor “Baldy” Miller death on Nov 2004 in Walkerton, Bruce County, Ontario, Canada
Where are the coordinates of the Elden Victor “Baldy” Miller's memorial?
Latitude: 44.1160316
Longitude: -81.1448898

Family Members:

Parent

Norman Victor Miller

(1892 - 1962)

Maude Burrows Miller

(1893 - 1974)

Spouse

Elda Agnes Bell Miller

(1914 - 1997)

Siblings

Daniel L “Tiny” Miller

(1948 - 2003)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Walkerton Cemetery
Walkerton, Bruce County, Canada
Coordinate: 44.1160316, -81.1448898

2. Calvary Cemetery
Walkerton, Bruce County, Canada
Coordinate: 44.1134260, -81.1467700

3. Presbyterian Pioneer Cemetery
Walkerton, Bruce County, Canada
Coordinate: 44.1302500, -81.1407000

4. Anglican Pioneer Cemetery
Walkerton, Bruce County, Canada
Coordinate: 44.1380939, -81.1438976

5. McLean's Cemetery
Brockton, Bruce County, Canada
Coordinate: 44.1295962, -81.1863350

6. Bethel Methodist Old Pioneer Cemetery
Brant Township, Bruce County, Canada
Coordinate: 44.1298270, -81.1863640

7. McDuff's Corner Cemetery
Brockton, Bruce County, Canada
Coordinate: 44.1090000, -81.1987000

8. Saint John's Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery new
Carrick Township, Bruce County, Canada
Coordinate: 44.0637740, -81.1029190

9. Saint John's Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery Old
Carrick Township, Bruce County, Canada
Coordinate: 44.0672000, -81.0833000

10. Salem Evangelical United Brethren Cemetery
Carrick Township, Bruce County, Canada
Coordinate: 44.0678000, -81.0784000

11. Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Cemetery
Formosa, Bruce County, Canada
Coordinate: 44.0674591, -81.2140503

12. Saint Francis Xavier Catholic Cemetery
Carlsruhe, Bruce County, Canada
Coordinate: 44.1108856, -81.0459747

13. Saint John's Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery Lot 20
Brant Township, Bruce County, Canada
Coordinate: 44.1922600, -81.1401700

14. Brocklebank Methodist Cemetery
Brockton, Bruce County, Canada
Coordinate: 44.1812000, -81.0884000

15. Greenock Methodist United Church Cemetery
Greenock Township, Bruce County, Canada
Coordinate: 44.1007540, -81.2556340

16. St. Matthews Lutheran Cemetery
Mildmay, Bruce County, Canada
Coordinate: 44.0338000, -81.1252000

17. First Saint Peters Lutheran Cemetery
Brockton, Bruce County, Canada
Coordinate: 44.1827640, -81.0731150

18. Carrick Baptist Cemetery
Carrick Township, Bruce County, Canada
Coordinate: 44.0729880, -81.0438580

19. Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Cemetery
Mildmay, Bruce County, Canada
Coordinate: 44.0328000, -81.1243000

20. Mildmay United Church Cemetery
Mildmay, Bruce County, Canada
Coordinate: 44.0356900, -81.1068600

21. Saint Ignatius Roman Catholic Cemetery
Deemerton, Bruce County, Canada
Coordinate: 44.0473747, -81.0746384

22. Crispin Cemetery
Hanover, Grey County, Canada
Coordinate: 44.1372700, -81.0276000

23. Hanover Cemetery
Hanover, Grey County, Canada
Coordinate: 44.1382408, -81.0263901

24. Saint Peter's Lutheran Second Cemetery
Brant Township, Bruce County, Canada
Coordinate: 44.1891070, -81.0636100