An Allied plane is shot down by enemy fighters during the Second World War. A group of French families risks their lives to rescue the pilot and crew. The grateful wireless operator and air gunner never forgets those who served alongside him and the civilians who saved his life.
It may sound like the plot of a Hollywood film, but it’s not.
This is the true story of Canadian veteran Keith Patrick, whose archives were recently donated to the William Ready Division of Archives and Research Collections at McMaster University Library. Now, his story is being shared in a free online talk ahead of Remembrance Day.
Shot Down and Hiding Out with the Resistance: The Keith Patrick Archive is set for Nov. 7, 2024, from noon to 1 p.m. ET. The compelling presentation, part of McMaster’s popular Archives Alive series, comes from Bridget Whittle, digital archives librarian, and Saman Goudarzi, cartographic resources librarian.
It's such a compelling story and one we wanted to keep telling,” said Whittle. “I think everyone would be interested in hearing this harrowing war story of bravery and sacrifice.”
Born in 1918, Patrick served in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) from 1940 to 1945. Hailing from Saint John, N.B., he came from a family of nine boys, five of whom would go on to serve in—and return from—the Second World War. He and his brother, Edmond, are the only known brother escaper-evaders of any Allied air force during the war.
Patrick completed a full tour of duty in North Africa with the Royal Air Force (RAF) 108 Squadron. It was during his second tour with RCAF 427 Squadron when he was shot down. He would go on to retire from the air force in February 1945 as a flight lieutenant. He passed away peacefully at the age of 102 on April 29, 2021, in Kitchener, Ontario.
His RCAF escape kit, cloth maps, flight logbook, photographs, letters, telegrams, newspaper clippings, and many other materials are part of the Keith Patrick archives at McMaster.
“I’ve been working with war materials for decades and I’ve never seen anything like the archives donated by Keith Patrick and his family,” said Whittle. “It’s incredible not only for its completeness of materials, but also the extensive details gathered by Keith and his daughter for his memoir. Sharing these materials and stories makes the past that much more present.”
The university library boasts many wartime maps, including Second World War escape and evasion maps. The collection features maps printed on materials like tissue paper or artificial fabrics like rayon that aided downed air crews and prisoners of war in escape and evasion.
Patrick’s archives include two maps made of silk—including the one he had on him when his plane went down—which were the first of their kind to be added to McMaster’s collection. Goudarzi will share more details about these maps during the Nov. 7 talk and highlight their importance during wartime.
“The primary use of silk during the war was for parachutes. That they were also using this expensive material for maps in escape kits for airmen or for soldiers to tuck into their boots or clothing reinforces the importance placed on navigation in escape and evasion during the war,” she said. “This material was used because it was more durable than paper, did not dissolve in water and could be easily folded into small sizes while maintaining its integrity.”
Patrick and his family made the decision together to donate his archive. His daughter, Janet MacNeil, helped facilitate the gift. McMaster was a natural recipient as MacNeil, her husband Peter, and her sister Charmian Patrick are alumni.
MacNeil and her father co-wrote a book in the early 2000s about his experience, To the Stars: Memories of a Wireless Operator-Air Gunner During World War Two.
During an interview with the university library in 2022, MacNeil said her dad was humble and rarely spoke about the war until she was much older.
“He said the people who didn’t live through the war or were injured were the heroes, and that the families who saved him in France were the heroes,” she said.
Register for the talk
All are welcome to attend the online Archives Alive presentation. Admission is free.
Register for the Nov. 7 Archives Alive event
Learn more
Keith Patrick archives webpage
WWII Escape and Evasion Maps webpage
The William Ready Division of Archives and Research Collections is open to the public. Email the archives team to arrange a visit.
Archives Alive showcases the unique holdings of McMaster University Library’s William Ready Division of Archives and Research Collections. A wealth of resources exist which will delight and inform, from rare books created before 1800 to contemporary writers’ archives. Recognizing that archives can feel intimidating, these talks allow staff and researchers to share their knowledge with the community and introduce collection items housed within the library. Archives Alive is presented by McMaster University Library and McMaster Alumni.
