A WARTIME LOG

A REMEMBRANCE
FROM HOME
THROUGH THE CANADIAN Y.M.C.A

Der lange Krieg!
English translation: The Long War!

This book belongs to

F/Lt. John McG Taylor
J.3501 R.C.A.F.
155Elm Ave. Windsor Ontario.


CONTENTS Page


My story of P.O.W. life in Africa and Italy 1 - 40
How I came to grief 41
STALAG Luft 3 Camp Plan North Comp 42
Block 123 43
Block Plan, Room Plan 44, 45
The Bunk 46
The Theatre 47
Sagan Theatre Presents 48, 49
‘The Tunnel' 51
German note on the above to Brit. Gov. 52
A Wellington 53
The Roll of Honour & the vault 54, 55
‘Escape' 57
The journey to Germany 59
Food, Red + 60 - 64
A visit to Sagan 67 - 73
Cartoons 74 - 87

Since this is the chronical of my life while a P.O.W., I think the most appropriate beginning should be my ‘IF'. All P.O.W.'s have an IF story, or their hard luck story in being captured. In my case it was a toothache. I had been suffering from a severe toothache and owing to the inaccessibility of a Dentist, I had to wait until transport could be arranged. Finally I got an appointment for Thursday, November 28, '41. At that time the November push had just started and we had been working at maximum effort, bombing all the important enemy ‘dromes. The push having started, we were taken off maximum efforts. Unfortunately the next day the order was cancelled & we started again. I had nearly finished my tour having done my 26th the night before. Then the next morning an unexpected ‘mail run' was turned on, that was our expression for the Benghasi trip. Actually our kite was on a major inspection, having new engines fitted so we thought we wouldn't be on it. After the preliminary work for the push, some of the crews had gone on leave & so when a maximum effort was called we had to go in another ‘kite'. Naturally, being keen to get my last few trips finished I doped my toothache with Aspirin & off I went. As it turned out it was my last, because when nearly there the oil pipe in the port motor burst. The first indication I had, was George Guterie growling in rather a scared voice with the ‘Intercom' some rather unprintable language re. the port motor. The second pilot & I rushed back and emptied the oil into the engine but it made no impression. So we turned back and I went forward & jettisoned the bombs; having given George the course home, I proceeded, with the axe to remove all weighty objects & throw them out. This, however made little difference because we continued to loose height. We had started at 1100 ft. & an hour from then we were preparing for the crash landing. It was a very good landing, hitting the sea & finally with a crash on the rocks of the coast. We immediately climbed out with no one hurt. We were wet through & very cold. It was about 1 o'clock in the morning of the 27th. I placed us about 20 miles east of TOBRUCK so with a few more minutes in the air & we could have made our own lines. One of the first things George said to me when we were standing on he shore was - "You may not believe me, but I forgot to jettison the main petrol tanks." Considering that there were 700 gals in them which weigh about 5600 lbs., & then how near we got our own lines, it was a major ‘black'! We pulled all our parachutes & cut them up for socks and scarfes to keep us warm. I destroyed all the papers etc. we had & the w/op made the Radio n/o and dug out the emergency rations out of the dingy, which incidentally went down 10 minutes after it came out! Among the rations was a small bottle of rum each and it was really wonderful stuff! It was almost daybreak by the time we were ready, & then we set out to walk. After a while we looked back & saw a staff car near the wreck and a cordon of Germans coming for us. There camps all around us & so there was no escape. They approached us very cautiously because they thought we had the M.G.'s from the plane, for they had noticed that they were empty. Eventually they got close enough to see that we were harmless & one stepped forward with his Tommy gun & said in broken English - "Hands up". They treated us as well as they could but their own conditions were very bad, having little or no water & not much food. They told us that it was now ‘Wach Deutschland' & for us the war was over. This was far from true as will be seen, but we now realized that we were prisoners of war which was a fate I had never foreseen for myself. This rather longwinded story is my IF which is a very tame one, but some stories that can be told are so incredible that noone will believe them anyway. The anticlimax to this story is, that from the day of my capture the tooth ceased troubling me & a year & half later when I finally saw a Dentist it was pronounced dead & removed. Maybe it died from fright?

Coupled with IF stories is the matter of mascots or superstitions. Most Air Force types deny any superstitious belief but my case is fairly typical. When I was on my squadron in England a friend of mine left a big silk square behind one night, & never returned from the trip. So thereafter I work it on every ‘op' I went on. It was extremely useful in the Middle East because we had to fly up to advanced L.G. in the day & it was baking hot, so it kept my shirt collar dry and had many other uses. Well on this last illfated trip, I left it behind - Take it or leave it; anyway I left it.

After this rather philosophical opening I will get down to facts: we stayed with the Germans who captured us for two days. They then managed to get a truck for us. They tried three times that day to get past TOBRUCK but they couldn't manage it for the bypass road was under shell fire from the town. So we went back to our whadi for two more days. Finally one night we moved out & drove One South joining up with a very large convoy. When the convoy stopped for the night, a Wellington found us & we were bombed and M. God. Fortunately for us, it missed our truck but several around us were hit. The next morning, we started off again & after driving for an hour or so, we noticed that we had changed direction & that a tank traveling alongside, suddenly closed the lid & then track! We were under shell fire from our own guns. Everything within sight immediately roared off to the West as fast as it could go with us in the middle. Many vehicles were hit & set on fire, our troubles were not over, even then, for about twenty STURAS flew over & bombed the fleeing crowd! Heaven knows why! Anyway, again we were lucky. A little later we got out of range. We were filthy before but now after that wild drive through the desert in an open truck, we were just caked with sand. That evening we were handed over to the Italians who were taking all prisoners during this push. The Italians were a completely different proposition to the Germans - they were as unpleasant as they could be. While with the Germans, they had made it quite clear how they hated the Italians & now I could easily understand why. We were placed in a barbwire enclosure for that night with about 50 army types. We were all incredibly filthy, none of us had a wash since we were captured. After dark when things were settling down four of us decided to crawl through the wire. We went in pairs to different parts of the wire & the other pair made such a noise that the alarm went up. I had my first experience of Italians in a flap. They started screaming & shots went off from every part of the compound. When this started I was under the first apron of wire, but quickly crawled back & lay still. The gaurds were so concerned with chasing the other two that I managed to crawl back. They were very badly knocked about. After that we were almost covered with gaurds. The next morning we moved off in trucks and in due course arrived at GAZALA where the trucks filled up with petrol. While waiting for the last one to be filled without any sound or warning there was suddenly a crackle of machine guns & I looked up & there just above us was a Beaufighter - I almost died! He was away as quick as he came. Luckily the shots all passed into a stack of stores about 20' away. We then went on going continuously the whole day. We arrived at the escarpment above Derma in the evening. The escarpment is 1800' high & the road winds down in a series of hair pin bends. In going down the driver broke his hand brake so that we entered the town at high speed which was increasing. Unable to stop it we went on until we reached a narrow part of the road where another truck was parked in the road. There was not enough room for us to get through so we sideswiped the other truck, killing the driver & his friend, & then we bounced off & hit the wall, where we stopped luckily not overturning. After a while they got another truck & drove us to the prison camp, where we spent the night, sleeping as well as one ground sheet, the bare ground & the neighbouring A.A. gun would allow. It was at this camp that the Italians searched us & stole all of our personal belongings. The next morning we set off again rationed with two big bisquits which were so hard that they could only be broken on the side of the truck. That evening we reached BENGASI & drove to the Prison Camp. It contained probably 2000 men, nearly all army types. Here we stayed two days. I managed to get my first wash since I had been captured at the communal water trough. My underclothes were so filthy that I just abandoned them. All I had on was a pair of flying boots - my stocking which I had previously said were of parachute silk & they were so high that even I couldn't stand them & had been thrown away two days before - a pair of shorts, a shirt & an old Tunic. The boys bombed BENGASI both nights we were there. Some bombs fell very close, in fact some splinters hit the building. The German who told me - ‘For you the war is over' was crazy. The second evening having looked around I decided that by hiding in the water truck, which left every night, I could get out. So accordingly while a good crowd was around I crawled in & hid under the truck. I stayed there most of the night with two rolls of bread for rations. The tank leaked & I got drenched. Finally I decided it wasn't going so I crawled out & got back to my mattress. As it turned out it didn't leave until the next morning, but I did. I learnt later that the water truck was used successfully several times. Escaping from BENGASI as virtually impossible with several hundred miles to go, if only for lack of water & the difficulties of the desert. Well we left the next morning - two days was an average stay for the officers. We were taken down to the harbour & put aboard an Italian Cruiser - Luigi Cordova, & that night set off for Italy. We traveled alone going flat out. How we prayed that we would be intercepted or even torpedoed. While on board we were treated excellently & fed well. The Italian naval types were of an entirely different stamp from the average. We reached BRINDISI the next night & were taken off on a tender. When we were on this Tender an Italian gaurd standing next to me spelt out CANADA on my shoulder & turned to the gaurd & said ‘Love Canada' & the other gaurd shrugged his shoulders & said ‘Africa'. That sounds a bit tall but it is quite true, the ignorance of the average Italian is appalling. To back this up I might mention that when the first American prisoners arrived in Italy, the Italians expected them to be Red Indians! To resume, on reaching shore we were taken to an empty barracks were we spent the night without any bedding & no food. ‘Per voi la guerra it finits' seemed to be really true now. Anyway I felt I would rather be in Italy than Germany where I had expected to go when the German officer said "Fur Sie, nach Deutschland". Anyway he was wrong - or was he?

So my first night in Italy as a prisoner, was most uncomfortable. The next day we were disinfected & had a hot bath! Then we were marched to the train, which took us to BARI, arriving there that night. We had to march 6 kls to the camp & when we got there we were kept waiting around for hours while we were searched in turn. We didn't get any food but we did finally get to bed. The next day we got some idea of our camp which was a small compound about 60 x 20 with two huts of equal size, with an open lavatory & washing trough between them. It was the 16 December when we arrived, and when we saw what we would be eating, we realized that we were in for a very gloomy Christmas. We had two meals a day, one at midday and one at 5, both of which were the same - consisting of a plate of soup, made from some green stuff with a few pieces of Marcaroni in it, an orange and a glass of wine.

A roll of bread weighing 150 grams was issued at the midday meal for the whole day. Occasionally there would be some pickled fish or eels - terrible things - with more green stuff cooked with great chunks of garlic. In a very short time the whole camp had dysentery, & with the sanitary arrangements it was rather horrible. The Senior Officers were in one hut & we junior Officers in the other. We had double tiered wooden bunks set right up against one another all the way down the sides of the room leaving just enough room for the tables, placed end to end, on which we eat. After a week or so we were allowed to write letters, but could give no address because it was only a transient camp. Unfortunately we were transient until the end of April! Life here was very boring & it was the first winter for 75 years that Bari had snow, & we had to coincide with this phenomenon! We had two blankets, but no fires at all & no clothing. So naturally we spent most of our time in bed with all our clothes on. An average day went like this: - a glass of warm ‘ersatz' coffee at 7 o'clock & then back to sleep until 11.30 when lunch came up. After lunch most people went back to bed until it got warmer then a short walk of a game of Bridge. We couldn't walk very far because we weren't getting enough food to take any exercise. The evening meal came at 5 o'clock, after which I usually played Bridge until 10 when we were locked in. Our first Red Cross Parcels came in March. We were given a quarter of one each for a week! My quarter consisted of three bisquits, ¼ lb of Butter, one sardine, some Salmon & a slice of Bully & Pork meat. This I spread over the bisquits & when finished I was blown up like a poisoned pup. I lay back on my bunk in agony but as happy as the fleas must have been on us! The conditions remained the same throughout our four months stay although the green stuff changed occasionally into real cabbage near the end & became a little more plentiful. Under these conditions we became very thin and gaunt and ridden with lice & flies. The slightest scratch immediately became festered & would not heal. I had a poisoned foot & fingers all winter due to a flea bit & a cut respectively. It was in February that Paddy Harbord - a Lt. in the Buffs - and I, hit on the idea of a Tunnel & we immediately set to. We pulled the floor boards up carefully so that they could be replaced & started digging down. There was a 6" space between the floor & the ground & so we dug a ditch to enable us to cross to the other side of the hut, being the side nearest the road. We had to get through two bearer walls before we got there. The only tools we had were table knives & a metal scabbard that I pinched from the outside bath house. We then dug out a shaft down under the foundations & then went out, up to this time we had merely cut a hole in the floor above for light but now we needed some other means.

This we obtained by getting the Italians to buy us hair-oil which turned out to consist of very little oil but mostly spirit. We found this out quite by accident when one day we saw some burn. We cut off the tassels from our towels & stuffed then through the small hole in the top leaving a little outside. This made an excellent lamp, & when blown out, left a very strong smell of ‘Roses of Ashes' or ‘Ashes of Tartar' or whatever it was called. Since we used about one a day, I don't what the Italians thought we did with it, everyone in the camp donated the oil because it was no good for hair oil. The Italians love perfume and always smell like a cheap scent shop. I think they must wash in it for they certainly don't like water. Under the hut it had been mostly soil, the odd thing about it being that it contained luminous particles which glowed green in the dark! Once we started under the foundations we found sandy soil with great rocks in it which had obliviously been deposited there when they dug the flood drainage canal on the other side of the road. Two of us couldn't manage now so we took an Australian - Athol Hunter - into the scheme. He had been a gold miner in South Africa in his time - so was a very useful man to have. He was also very keen & a hard worker. The large rocks gave us some very anxious times but we managed to shore up all the shaky parts with planks that we tore of our beds or pinched them from the Italians. Our security was very good for even the fellows sleeping near us knew nothing of it for some time. When we were down everything was closed up on top & looked perfectly normal. About this time we found out that another tunnel had been started from the other hut, but they were very clumsy & noisy. We were scared that they would be heard & a search started which would reveal our too. So I went along & very diplomatically explained that ours was well underway & there was double the risk of being discovered with two. So they agreed to stop & use ours. They also offered to help which later on was gladly accepted. When we reached the state of being about six feet out we had a very Heath Robinson system of getting rid of the dirt from the fall. The fellow at the face of the tunnel had a haversack which he filled up & then tugged on a wire. It was then pulled up to the pit head by the fellow squatting there. He then reattached it to another wire & gave it a tug, when it was pulled along by a fellow lying flat on his face under the floor of the hut. This was the worst job of all because he had no room to move at all. He had to empty the sack by pulling it back & forth because he couldn't tip it up through lack of room. When the sack was empty, he tugged the wire when it was pulled back. This poor unfortunate then had to dispose of the dirt keeping the tunnel clear. Once when I was on this job I watched a great big rat emerge near my hair oil lamp & then walk slowly right in front of my face & I couldn't even move! The return to the work, we each took turns at these jobs working two shifts a day, one before lunch & one after. We couldn't work at night because with nobody walking around the huts, the gaurds might hear the digging. In this way we progressed but very slowly, the total distance to go was about 25 yds. when about half way we made a lucky find. Paddy & I went outside for a weekly shower & there we found a coal chisel which we quickly in my coat. I proudly bore it back & we made much quicker progress after that. Near the end of March we finally reached the wall, its foundations went down a long way & so had to get through it. About this time the Italians instituted walks which we gladly took because it enabled us to get an accurate impression of the outside. In this way we worked out the last detail of our plan which entailed getting out, crossing the road outside, down into the empty flood canal & then down to the coast two miles away & then stealing a boat. Our next move depended on the boat we got. If small we would cross over to Greece, of if seaworthy enough we would make it for Malta. We had a compass & had saved enough food. The day we got through the wall we prepared for the final breakthrough, which was to be made when we got out. We were to have a complete days rest to next day & leave as soon as it was dark. Well that final afternoon we were sent on an unexpected walk & while we were out the Italians went into our hut & tore the floor up over the hole & discovered the Tunnel, but they only discovered the entrance when they pulled the whole floor up. It was obviously stooged & we learnt afterwards that a South African orderly who laid the table & served the food had found out about the tunnel & told the Italians. He afterwards went to Rome & spoke in Afrikans to South Africa, the Italians were making a great play on the political unrest down there at the time. Well, when we came back from our walk we were marched down to another compound. It was obvious what had happened as soon as we entered the camp. There were gaurds everywhere & a colossal flap in progress. The Commandant met us in the lower compound & read out four names, mine among them. We were the four directly over the entrance. Naturally we denied all knowledge of the Tunnel & so we were flung into jail. Then everyone else was inspected to a thorough search but the Italians missed most things in their usual way. I was the only one who was actively concerned in jail but the others wanted to see it through & told me to keep mum which I accordingly did. That night however we got really scared, for about 1 o'clock that night for the Italian Officer well vinoed up into our cell & started screaming at us to confess & threatened to shoot us. We stayed quiet & so the Kommandant drew his revolver & poked it into my face, cutting my upper lip but after a while, getting no results, they got bored & left us. The four of us had a sloping shelf to sleep on, & although we had our bedding, we had no clothes on so when the Italians came in we had to get up & we shivered all the time helped I think by fright! After they had gone we huddled together to get warm. We got our story straight, so that the next morning when they called us out singly to question us they learnt nothing. They then took me off & locked me in a room by myself with all the shutters closed & left me. I had had nothing to eat since midday the day before & had no cigarettes on me, but I did have a packet of papers & a few loose matches. I needed a smoke then as never before so I spent a long time crawling all over the floor, it was an empty room, looking for butts! Finally I found enough for two small cigarettes. Heaven knows who had smoked them before I found them, but I didn't care. I never enjoyed a cigarette as I did that one. Some time later in came the Interpreter who spent an hour asking me questions. I lied like a seasoned veteran but I finally partially convinced him I was innocent, blaming some previous party. Anyway he couldn't prove I was guilty. He came back twice more & then I got a couple of cigarettes out of him & asked him if I could have something to eat & my bedding. They duly arrived but the meal was so small that I actually laughed because it was so ludicrous. I found out later that the gaurd had pinched most of it but I suppose he thought I was going to be shot and didn't need it. That night I didn't get much sleep because there were five Russians in the next cell who walked up & down singing the whole night. They sung entirely well so it wasn't so bad. The next day at noon I got another small meal & later that evening I saw the senior officers formed up outside. So I assumed that they were undergoing the same as we had gone through the day before. So I thought I might have company soon. Not long after I did but instead of the fellows I expected two Majors came in & the other three, but the funny thing was that these Majors didn't even know that there was a hole under their beds because the entrance was some way off & they didn't know about it at all. Well the Italians had found two holes & had six people in jail but only one guilty one - me & they didn't know I was guilty. A week later, we were released but as we were going out I was singled out & taken up to the Kommandants office. On the way there the Interpreter asked me why I hadn't told them Harbord dug the Tunnel, but I thought they were trying the same line as before, so I pooh-hoohed the idea & said he slept next to me & played bridge with me every afternoon so how could he have done it! He then told me that Harbord had confessed which I didn't believe but I was told I would see him at the office. That was a poser but I decided to wait & see what happened. When we got there Paddy was nowhere in sight, but the Kommandant asked me if I would sign a declaration that Harbord was innocent of the digging. So I duly wrote out that Lt. was innocent and signed it. He slowly pinned it to another sheet which I could plainly read, which said: I, Lt. Harbord am guilty of digging the Tunnel! Anyway he let me go back to the compound, where I learnt the full story. The Kommandant had come along and said he thought that English officers were Gentlemen - how could they stand by & let innocent men longer in jail! If the S.B.O. would give up one man for each tunnel they would only get five days in jail & the others could go free. The S.B.O. finally gave in & told Paddy & Maj. Straker to confess which they duly did. We were mad at this and Major Gibbon who was in jail with us, told the S.B.O. what he thought of him. As it turned out the Kommandant didn't believe them guilty either & let them out on the third day. A few days later we were told we were moving to a permanent camp & when I went along to the office to sign my pay sheet, the Kommandant told me in French that I could now dig another tunnel in my new Camp! So he wasn't entirely dumb. The thought of a new permanent Camp was rather pleasant for we thought it would be more comfortable & better food. We were marched down to the station once more & entrained for PADULA which is 80 kls S.E. of Naples on a small branch line South of POTENZA so that generally speaking we were in a valley surrounded by mountains in the upper part of the toe of Italy.

This starts another phase of my prison life. The camp was a large & very old Monastery belonging to a silent Carthusian Order. The building formed the sides of a rectangle about 120 yds, with a big quadrangle in the centre. Around the ground floor were 26 Rooms leading off the cloisters. Upstairs each side made long continuous dormitories. In all it contained about 500 Officers and 120 men. There was a big paddock at the back so we had plenty of room. We had very nice spring beds or at least they were marvelous after BARI. The sanitary arrangements were inadequate but washing facilities plentiful, when the water was on. This turning off of the water bugged us throughout our stay in Italy. Anyway we at least managed to stay clean and get rid of our fleas & lice. The meals were cooked by our men and served in the dining room in two sittings. The cooking facilities were inadequate, having only boilers & so could not fry or bake or deal with Red Cross food. The downstairs rooms which were divided up into two or three, contained about ten in each and the rest were in the dormitories, which were draughty & open, giving no privacy.

The camp had just been opened when we arrived but no Red Cross parcels had arrived. There was very little food at all. The meals were the same kind as BARI & so the hungry times started all over again, the pangs of hunger really knawed at my insides so much so that I & everyone else wandered aimlessly, trying vainly to forget about food. A week or so after our arrival some potatoes came in. So about four of us went round to back of the kitchen and gathered all the peelings we could. We washed & cut out the bad bits - boiled them up with salt to taste & I sat down and ate a whole [?] full. Then the evening meal Bugle went so I went in & thoroughly enjoyed my dinner having had enough for once. Another time I saved my bread for five days and on the fifth day after lunch, went upstairs, found a book & sat out in the sun and ate the lot without anything on them, but I loved it. Another thing I used to do was to eat my orange just like an apple, peel as well. After a month a batch of Red Cross parcels arrived, enough for 1 ½ each & so for two weeks we had that little extra something which made all the difference. When they ran out it was worse than before, because we had had a glimpse of what should have been.

The weather was very good at this time of year and so an average day went something like this: Morning brew of ersatz coffee, or tea if parcels were around, at 7.30 Then we got up & walked around until the Bugle went for Roll call for which there was no fixed time. At noon we had lunch, after which sunbathing was the most popular pastime. I played a lot of Bridge and had some good games for there were some fine players there. We had a library for which there was a tremendous rush after Roll call because there were not too many books. The evening meal was at 6 o'clock after which a last stroll was usually partaken. Everyone had to be inside at dark, so the usual games of cards went on or a round of visits went on until lights out at 11 o'clock. Met several old friends here & one other Canadian, Don Edy from London Ont., where I was going U.W.O. before the war. Naturally we had many - ‘Do you know -' or ‘Remember Timmy - well he …' conversations.

A few weeks after we got there I started making reconnaissance trips for some way out, but the going was very difficult because most people, at that time, were more interested in their comfort or food to bother about escaping and frankly I don't really wonder but at the time I was pretty mad. My partner in crime this time was ‘Boggy' Howsen - a Lt. in the C.I.H. We finally decided on a tunnel from one of the rooms, but we couldn't get any cooperation. So I took the matter to the senior officer concerned with such matters. He said he was sorry but he couldn't do anything about the matter because the discipline was bad enough as it was without aggravating the situation! In passing I might mention that a tunnel was dug from that very room & was probably one of the finest efforts of its kind. Thirteen escaped but all were recaptured. We did some more probing jobs but none led anywhere. Finally I was invited into a scheme which was just starting. It entailed using the sewers underneath the place. They were about 4 ft in diameter & led to the outside but all were blocked up. We soon knocked down the first brick wall & found a solid wall of concrete on which even a pickaxe even made no impression. This had to be got around which a big job. It was most unpleasant work because there was always about 6 inches in the bottom & continual additions gurgling down! After I had been there about six weeks, the Italians read out a list of names, in which mine was included. We learnt that we were to be moved to another camp in the North. The Security camp - So that night we went around and said Goodbye to everyone. Early the next morning we moved off to the station. We had a very pleasant sight seeing up the West coast finally reaching RENOH. Then we changed for ALESSANDRIA enbusing for BARI.

As the bus drew near, the Camp was pointed out to us. All we could see was an old castle on the top of a hill with sheer sides! It did look quite pleasant in the distance of the country side was very beautiful. Finally we were ordered out at the base of the hill. Then we had a long march up the winding track to the castle. We entered through a large gate and went into pitch darkness. It was then that our spirits sank. We had expected a pretty tough place but nothing like this. It was the sort of place that one expects to see the sign: ‘Abandon hope all ye who enter here', over the door. We then went through the tunnel & walked up a very steep winding ramp, to the top compound which was to by my home for the rest of my stay at the camp. It was a small yard surrounded by rooms right on the top of the castle. We were kept hanging around for hours waiting to be searched. Our depressed feeling was aggravated by hunger & fatigue. There was another compound below at the same level as we had entered just like the upper one. The mess was above this at the foot of the ramp which connected the two. When we arrived the place had just been renovated having been disused for 12 years, before that it had been the civil jail. The addition of some whitewash & miles of barbed wire the prison camp was made. It was horribly damp - the walls running with water & crawling with Scorpions. We had no exercise space except the ramp on which people could walk up & down & the two compounds which were just big enough for one Volley Ball court in each!

We arrived in the first week of June '42 and two months later came the fall of Tobruk & the retreat to El Alemain; this coupled with the Russians battling for Stalingrad, made us a very sorry bunch. Until the beginning of November life was unbearable, the Italians were insufferable. We were thrown into Jail on the slightest protest. After the initial growing pains were over the food got more plentiful and we were allowed to go up & down the ramp between Compounds during the day. At first we were locked in our own Compounds & only allowed to meet the lower at meals. It was some time before they came to the conclusion that we were not dangerous animals or criminals. After we had been there nearly three months the first Red Cross parcels arrived & from then on things improved. During the summer, vegetables & fruits were plentiful in Italy but meat was practically nonexistent.

The place was virtually impossible to get out of & although attempts were made they were all found because we were constantly watched all hours of the day and night. Since I was involved in no effort which had any chance of succeeding I'll not giving any details. This doesn't mean that we didn't try - we were constantly trying.

While at Gavi I was convinced that I would see the end of the war at this camp. We assumed that Italy would be knocked out first. Life as I have said improved at the end of '42. I'll try and put down how we spent our time. The day started at 7 o'clock with a cup of tea which was brewed in the kitchen and brought around by the orderlies. At 8 o'clock we had morning appell after which we got dressed & went down to the mess for breakfast. The mess provided a small meal of rice or Macaroni or Stewed Fruit & tea or coffee. We usually supplemented this meal with Bisquits of the remainder of our bread. After breakfast we usually played Volley Ball or sat out in the sun. We sunbathed all the time and the Italians thought we were mad for they always wear their full uniform & to see the Carabiniere in their dark blue uniform on a hot day was enough to convince us that they were mad. Lunch was at midday, after which a quiet period until 4 o'clock was observed - a relic from the Middle East where the siesta is the rule for the afternoon. This was the best time for working although in the Summer it was very hot. Most people use to sleep or sunbathe. This went on until 4 o'clock when Tea was brought around by the Batmen. Although messing was communal, each person kept the Bisquits, butter or margarine, sugar, jam, milk & chocolate. Out of this we provided the extras for Breakfast & Tea. After Tea, more exercise of Volley Ball, Fencing, we had a few foils & sabers, Boxing or furious walking up and down the ramp. Roll call came at 6.30. Then everyone went down to the lower compound where the bar was open. Everyone was entitled to half a litre of wine per night. The wine was really horrible stuff - Red Biddy, but one can get used to anything. It was quite potent if you drank more than a litre. I wonder we didn't all get ulcers from the stuff - maybe we did! Dinner was served at 7.30. After dinner we of the up compound had to tromp back up again. We were counted at the bottom & again at the top of the ramp. The Italians then locked us up in the Compound & we were confined to our own bunch of rooms. I usually played Poker until 10.30 when the lights were turned off at the main. In the winter time, which thankfully was quite short, we were provided with 15 kls. of wood, which we cut & chopped ourselves, for a room of 8 people. This was enough to last the evening. Unfortunately the fuel ceased on Feb. 1 by law.

Studying was very difficult because as I have described the day was split up & owing to the very close living conditions, it was difficult to get enough space or any quiet if you did. We did have a quiet period in the afternoons but the rooms were so hot in the summer. Another difficulty was the book difficulty we were getting them through just before Italy packed in. For myself, I managed to read a lot of French books, but the subject I was most interested in, was Geology & Mining. This however is essentially practical but I managed to get through several textbooks. I could never rouse any
enthusiasm to learn Italian, I think I was prejudiced by the Italians themselves - a very useless, good for nothing, cowardly knaves I can't imagine.

The mail as far as I was concerned was not so good. My Mother's letters from Switzerland came through regularly until the end of '42 & then even they became irregular with a lot missing. The aggravating part was that my letters were deliberately stopped & I don't think my Mother received more that five during the year & a half I was there & I wrote regularly all the time. I gather from my Mother that I was reported missing for over three months & that she eventually found me through the Red Cross. Looking back I think that her letters were perfect, they were full of news. Rather like a weekly review, they were very often completely blacked out but occasionally got through with some remarkable news. On one occasion I got one letter completely uncensored which was packed full of interesting news. We had a news Service which gathered the news from all the mail every two weeks & my Mother's letters always contributed a big percentage. My Canadian mail was very irregular - So get a July letter & a few days later a January letter would roll in. As for letters from my father - well he still has a dislike for writing letters which he has always had since I can remember.

If my mail was rather mediocre my parcels certainly made up the deficiency. They started coming at the end of October '42 & from then on I always had thousands of cigarettes & plenty of food. I got cigarettes from England & Canada & American Red Cross food parcels which were a God send. When they became regular I decided to lay up a store for the winter. I was determined not to have a repetition of the first winter & so I put all the food I could spare in the private food store & just before Christmas I started in on it. At that time we were cut down to a ½ parcel a week by the Red Cross so I was in clover all that winter. Actually the winter wasn't nearly as bad as the previous one.

From that winter of '42 on the news got better all the time & naturally we were all very exuberant, and very confident that it would be our last winter in the bag. Tripoli finally fell and after what seemed like a very long time the Mareth line was cracked. Tunis & Besirta were soon in our hands and some new prisoners confirmed that after Sicily, Italy herself was next! After Sicily fell & Mussolini kicked out, the Italians were very friendly & even agreed that Peace would be declared in a few days! This less than a year after they had boasted that they would soon have Alexandria!

At the end of August Calabria was invaded. We had had Germans in the villages below for some days now, & we knew they were everywhere around. This naturally caused us a lot of uneasiness. Everyone was convinced though that they would never take us to Germany citing the Syrian Campagne & that Germany didn't have the transport to spare and in any case we weren't that important.

Finally the news came through while we were all sitting in the Mess at dinner. Our first indication was the loud cheering & shouts of ‘Peace' from the Italian Compound below. We could hardly believe it but it was true. Dinner was forgotten and we rushed into the lower courtyard, to see if we could get out. There we found that the gate was locked as usual. An Italian Officer came in and said that they were still in charge and the situation would be discussed in the morning. That night they doubled the gaurd & we were obliviously happy. The next morning we were all up early; but a very different state of affairs greeted us. Out on the ramp the Italians were creeping around under the cover of the walls & immediately waved us to cover. Then we saw that the castle had been surround by German M.G. Posts. A short while later the Commandant surrendered the castle to the Germans, he watched sixty odd Germans take over & disarm the Italians. There were 400 gaurds garrisoned there & they surrendered without firing a shot. If ever I hated the Italians I loathed the yellow rats then & I always will. The German gaurds knew nothing about prison camps so we immediately started every squeme, but after a while we had everything depending on one tunnel out the back. We stood by & worked hard for two days but unfortunately the Germans gave the order to move before it was through. It was a great disappointment. As soon as the order was issued I immediately went to ground hiding in some old blocked up dungeons. To explain this I would add that, we thought that the Germans were moving out quickly. There had been stories of English landings at GENDA and LASPEZIA so we thought if we could stay behind we could get away. Unfortunately our S.B.O. who was a Brigadier General had been talking to the Jerries just before the order was issued. When he didn't make an appearance they decided on a count & they find 50 odd missing! The rest about, 400 strong, were sent on. Then the search began. They didn't bother to look for holes. They armed themselves with sledgehammers & knocked every wall down that might have something behind it, then they came in with flares, Tommy guns, & hand grenades! I remained hidden about 10 hours before they burst in. They finally unearthed everyone by knocking the place into ruins. The main bunch were only allowed to take what they could carry & so they left a lot of stuff behind. The Jerries looted all this - naturally enough - they took all socks, underwear, good shirts & toilet stuff. When we were dug out the Jerries were pretty sore but later when we were all out they began to see the funny side & treated us fairly well. We were allowed to go back to our old room to pick up our kit. We found an incredible mess. We managed by rummaging around, to get some kind of kit together. The German Commander of the district came around the next day and said - "Congratulations, you were only doing your duty, but I was only doing mine." We stayed at the castle for two more days & then we were moved out & started on our way to Germany.

Before I go I would like to jot down some of the reasons why things went so wrong with the prisoners. I've since met fellows from nearly all the other officer's camps & their stories are pitiful. We at least had no chance. Before the peace was signed we had an order from the senior Officer's Camp that in the event of Peace we were to stay where we were & await further orders. Every camp in Italy got that order and it was the chief reason for our misfortune. Secondly there were strong rumours that we had landed at Genoa & paratroopers had been dropped in Milan. These rumours were widespread and even the Italians believed them. Thirdly, we had heard rumours that the Germans intended taking us to Germany. This was denied by the Neutral Representative who was at our camp the afternoon of the 8th. He told us that he could guarantee that we would never go to Germany! That evening Peace was signed & naturally we were happy. Lastly the Italians double-crossed us. I have already described what happened to us but here is the case of CHIETI which is near PESCARA. This camp was only about 80 kls from our troops when peace was signed. The Italians allowed them to go out & buy a radio in the village on which they heard that our troops were taking FOGGIA. The Italians then ran off & left their arms behind. The S.B.O. ordered them to stay in the camp & mounted the gaurds on the walls, armed with sticks. They stayed in the camp for a week & finally the Germans & were surprised to find over a thousand officers still there! Many other camps had somewhat similar experiences. Looking at it from the other side the third item of the Peace Treaty was the release of all prisoners. This was left entirely to the Italians who for the most part did nothing to help or if they did anything it was to hinder them. So is was a colossal blunder on our Army's part! We were just the goats apparently!

I have seen it said that at least we saw Europe - well I suppose we did, but through barbed-wire from cattle trucks and every few minutes of the night, punctuated with Tommy gun bursts along the sides of the train! Well to continue with my journey to Germany. We left Gavi in the buses and drove all day by very round about routes to MANTOVA where we spent the night in an arena with a concrete cycle track around the rim. The next day we marched to the station where we were greeted by a large crowd of weeping Italians who threw us food & cigarettes. We were then loaded on cattle trucks. I really appreciated for the first time, the significance of the notice HOMMES 40 CHEVAUX 8. In our case it was HOMMES 30. There were three trucks full of officers & I had to get into the middle one - which was the only steel lined one - boy did we curse! We immediately set to work to try & force the ventilators off but with not much success. The other trucks had told us that they were going as soon as it was dark - this naturally increased our efforts. We reached VERONA just before dark & we hadn't got through so our last hope was to pick the lock. This couldn't be done until it was dark because it was outside. We left VERONA when it was dark. The other coach got out of there I think, for it was a wonderful opportunity but by the time we got the door open, the chance was gone. The Senior Officer in our truck was a famous Colonel & he decided that we should all go at once & not singly. This was our undoing because such an opportunity is very rare but good if it works. We all got ready in line - I was 5th to go - & waited. Finally a marvelous opportunity came along. The train actually stopped & we were ready to jump when it started again but just as it prepared to move, the fellow at the door dropped the iron bar with a terrific clang & the gaurd came racing up but the door was closed again & the train started to move. The train then ran into a gorge which for the most part made jumping impossible - we hadn't figured on this. Finally another chance arose but two Italians also had the same idea - maybe they lived there - anyway they threw three bags off & slipped off as it stopped. Well the gaurds had seen and/or heard the bags & so they quickly followed. The two Italians both cowered down behind a bush right outside our truck, instead of separating & running for it. One gaurd stepped up and yelled ‘was ist los' & so they got up & put their hands up & said Kamerad. I had my eyes glued to the grill watching. The gaurd walked right up to them & then squirted them in the stomach with his Tommy gun, they fell screaming & clutching their stomachs. Then an officer walked up & saw what had happened. He laughed & drew his Revolver & bent over each shooting them in the head. After a few minutes one regained consciousness & started again. The train started then & the Colonel cancelled everything. Several fellows argued for a long time but he ordered them to stay. I was glad at the time because I seriously scared but I am sure he was wrong we were all keyed up prepared to jump & could have gone when the chance arose.

We reached the Brenner Pass the next day, which was supposed to have been bombed but we could see no signs of it. We passed through & we were in Austria before it was dark. Well we all got ready again but not a single chance arose all the way to INNSBRUCK. When we reached there I gave up & so did everyone else. I was too tired mentally shaken to keep it up any more. The train went on to MUNICH & then a bit south to HOOSBURG where we got off & spent two uncomfortable days in this very cosmopolitan camp. Then the air force officers were singled out & we left for DULAG LUFT in FRANKFORT. We spent two days here & then moved out destined for this main Air Force Camp. We were now under the Luftwaffe's Wing & I must say they treated us very well. We arrived here, Stalag Luft 3, on October 1, '43.

Thus instead of ‘La Guerra it finites' (the war is finished) as the Italians papers had said. My prison life began all over again!

Before I close the Italian chapter of my life I must jot down a few reminisces etc.

The fact that Mussolini had kidded everyone into believing that Italy was a first class Power is amazing. Anyone who had been in the country or who had known Italians must have known to the contrary. They are quite hopeless people who, I agree, can be very brave when they have a gun and their opponent is unarmed & preferably tied up! They have no idea of organization and can only get things done by many times too many cooks. Everything they have to do is ‘Domani' (tomorrow) or ‘dopo domani' (after tomorrow). They are completely untrustworthy and would steal your eye teeth if you kept your mouth open. Their only maxim is - ‘Thou shalt not be found out'! When anything goes wrong, which it does more often than not with them, they get wildly excited & then anything may happen. They are very childish and very ignorant and it is due to this that they actually believed the propaganda and their newspapers told them about themselves although they could see with their own eyes that it wasn't true.

A few stories come to mind show what they are like; they may sound ridiculous but all are absolutely true.

A newspaper announcement, which I recall, at the time of the Genoa raids, stated that the public must not go into certain specific air raid shelters, for they were reserved for anti-aircraft personnel. Another gave news of a soldier who had been given a high military award for having won several thousand Lira in a State lottery, and not asking for leave to go home and spend it. Of course there are thousands of stories of their behaviour in Africa which are well known in conjunction with which, I give the Italian reason for the many more Italian's being repatriated than English: - They said that the Italians fought longer & to the last man, & for this reason they had many more wounded! The ‘Dove Canada' story related earlier is typical. Another air raid story which I remember was that in a newspaper a long column praising the exemplary behaviour of Italians during the air raids - & then right underneath was the report that several hundred Genoese had been killed in a shelter, one of them rushing in when the syrens went!

They love to speak of their direct decent from the ancient Romans but actually they never wanted the war and were quite open about it and actually if not acting the part of a big brave soldier they are cheerful & very simple people. I am sure there is no people on the earth more addicted to the Maxim - wine, woman and song.

From time to time we were subject to reprisals one to the supposed ill treatment by us on their prisoners in India Egypt etc.

One of these was that we were forbidden to sing any patriotic songs.

Another time they confiscated all our jewelry such as rings which would be returned within 12 hours of the Armistice - as you can imagine they weren't.

They then objected to the blue diamond we put on the seat of the pants of the Italian P.O.W.'s forgetting of course that we had a red patch sewn on all our clothes. We at first objected but since that was useless we entered into the spirit of the thing & sent everything. The Italians didn't check up on our clothes& so as soon as they were returned we tore them off & sent them again, this went on until they finally ran out of thread & then patches. So I think we won after all.

Since I have been here at Stalag Luft III the mail situation is, although very erratic is much better regarding my out going mail to my mother in Switzerland. She has since written, telling me how many letters she received from me while I was in
Italy: 14 Letters
10 Postcards
4 of the letters were sent on by the Germans after the Armistice!

I was in Italy for nearly two years and wrote at least 3 or 4 times a month to my Mother!

A letter from Mother dated March 26 - 1944 said she had just received a letter dated March 16 - 1943. Similarly, a letter dated Feb 28 had just been received. They were nearly always blacked out for no apparent reason.

This is just another reason why I love the Italians!


SAGAN THEATRE PRESENTS

4 : 10 : 43 Design for Living Noel Coward
12 : 10 : 43 Rookery Nook Ben Travers
27 : 10 : 43 Macbeth Shakespeare
30 : 11 : 43 Music Hall
30 : 11 : 43 Twinkle, Twinkle Mr. Starr Talbot Rothwell (P.O.W.)
18 : 12 : 43 Tony Draws a Horse Leslie Storm
One Act Plays: -
I. Wanted Mr. Stuart
II. Before Breakfast
III. The Ugly Duckling A. A. Milne
IV. Strong in Awe Harvey Vivian (P.O.W.)
25 : 1 : 44 Escape John Galsworthy
17 : 2 : 44 Between Ourselves Variety
3 : 3 : 44 Arsenic and Old Lace J. Kesselring
21 : 4 : 44 Pygmalion Bernard Shaw
11 : 5 : 44 Philadelphia Story Philip Barry
21 : 5 : 44 Music Hall
One Act Plays:
27 : 5 : 44 I. Master of the House
II. The Blister Drake Brockman
III. It's the Poor Not Helps the Poor James Chapin


28 : 5 : 44 i. The Purple Bedroom
ii. In the Zone Eugene O'Neill
iii. make way for Hessalina Porter & Todd (POWs)
30 : 5 : 44 i. The Valient
ii. The Proposal Anton Toherhoy
iii. Back to Zero
11 : 6 : 44 I killed the Count Alex Cooper
26 : 6 : 44 Blythe Spirit Noel Coward
1 : 7 : 44 The Man Who Came to Dinner G. S. Kaufman & Hart
26 : 7 : 44 I Have Been Here Before J. B. Priestley

6 : 8 : 44 Palina Panic (Musical) Music - W. Todd
Script - Pelling Mullins
12 : 9 : 44 Make Way for Messalina Porter & Todd
25 : 9 : 44 Saint Joan G. B. Shaw
8 : 10 : 44 Thark Ben Travers
20 : 10 : 44 No Time for Comedy
5 : 11 : 44 The Flashing Stream Charles Morgan
20 : 11 : 44 ‘At Home' - an intimate revue
3 : 12 : 44 The Importance of Being Earnest Oscar Wilde
26 : 12 : 44 The Drunkard
20 : 1 : 45 French for Love
27 : 1 : 45 Wind and the Rain

The dress rehearsal was on when the news came to move. They had finished 2 ½ Acts & then the panic started. So we write FINIS to Sagan Theatre.

Other shows - Films

Shall we Dance R.K.O.
Hallo Janine UFA Film
Bringing up Baby` R.K.O.
Orchestra Wives 20th Cent Fox
Dixie Dougan " " "
Corsican Brothers United Artist
Spater Liever German
The Spoilers Universal
The Male Animal "

The Tunnel Stalag Luft III North Comp

March 24, 1944

76 Officers escape breaking all previous records of number to escape at one time; and in the length of tunnel.

The German note re. the killing of the escapies from this camp.

This cutting is very interesting because of the dates. The escape took place in March & the note was sent in July to the British government. It says that Eden, without waiting for the German note, made a declaration in the House of Commons, way that the officers were murdered. This declaration was dated 23 June!

The article says that the prisoners broke out of different camp in Germany & that they were in touch with organizations outside. While being brought back, the prisoners were killed in different ways because they used violence or attempted to escape.

They were all seen in prison at Gorletz after recapture & so the conclusion is obvious.

The German note says that after our Terror Bombing on women - and children & our irregular methods of warfare we have no Moral Right to protest.

It ends saying that the German government intends to take no further steps in the matter due to the irregular behaviour of the English foreign minister.

THE ROLL OF HONOUR

The following Officers were killed while "attempting" to escape. The German authorities handed these lists to the Senior British Officer a week after the escape:

F/O M. Birkland R.C.A.F.
F/Lt. P. W. Langford R.C.A.F.
F/Lt. E. G. Brettel R.A.F.
P/O T. B. Leigh R.A.F.
F/O L. Bull R.A.F.
F/Lt. Can. McGarr R.A.F.
S/Ldr. A. J. Bushell R.A.F.
P/O G. E. McGill R.C.A.F.
F/Lt.H. J. Casey R.A.F.
F/O R. Marcinkus Polish
S/Ldr. J. Catanach R.A.F.
P/O H. J. Milford R.A.F.
P/O A. G. Christensen NORGE
F/O J. T. Hondschein Polish
F/O D. M. Cochran R.A.F.
F/O K. Pawluk Polish
S/Ldr. K. P. Cross R.A.F
F/O H. A. Picard Belgium
P/O M. Espelid NORGE
F/O P. P. J. Pohe R.N.Z.A.F.
P/O B. H. Evans R.A.F.
P/O B. W. M. Scheidhaver Polish
P/O N. Fuselgang R.A.F.
P/O S. Skanziklas Greek
Lt. J. S. Gouws S.A.A.F.
P/Lt. C. D. Swain R.A.F.
P/O W. J. Grisman R.A.F.
Lt. A. J. Stevens S.A.A.F.
P/O A. Gunn R.A.F.
P/O R. C. Stewart R.A.F.
P/O A. M. Hake R.A.F.
P/O D. O. Street R.A.F.
P/O C. M. Hall R.A.F.
P/O E. Valenta Czech
F/Lt. A. M. Hayter R.A.F.
P/O G. W. Walenn R.A.F.
P/O R. S. Humphries R.A.F.
F/O J. C. Wernham R.C.A.F.
P/O G. A. Kidder R.C.A.F.
F/O G. W. Wiley R.C.A.F.
F/O R. V. Kierath R.A.F.
S/Ldr. J. E. A. Williams R.A.A.F.
F/Lt. A. Kiewnarski Polish
S/Ldr. T. G. Kirby-Green R.A.F.
F/O Tobolski Polish
P/O J. F. Williams R.A.F.
Later three more were hear of:
F/O D. Krole Polish
F/O A. W. Kolanowski Polish
P/O Long R.A.F.

ESCAPE

If you can quite the compound undetected
And clear your tracks, nor leave the smallest trace
And carry out the programme you've selected
Nor lose your grasp of distance, time and space,

If you can walk at night by compass bearing
Or ride the railways in the light of day,
And temper your elusiveness with daring
Trusting that sometimes bluff will find a way

If you can swallow sudden, sour frustration
And gaze unmoved at failures ugly shape,
Remembering for further inspiration
It was, and is, your duty to escape.

If you can keep the great Gestapo guessing
With explanations only partly true
And leave them in their heart of hearts confessing
They didn't get the whole truth out of you.

If you can use your cooler forsight clearly
The planning methods wiser than before
And treat your past miscalculations merely
As hints let fall by fate, to teach you more.

If you can scheme on, with patience and precision
- It wasn't in a day they built Rome! -
And make escape your soul ambition,
The next time you attempt it - you'll get HOME.

by: E. Gordon Brettel R.A.F.
Stalag Luft 3.

FOOD

Food is the most important thing in a prisoner's life. The rations supplied by the detaining Power are insufficient to keep a man healthy. It is for this reason that the Red Cross Parcel is so important. Each prisoner receives one per week, and with this can supplement his ration to achieve a good diet. As will be seen from the following lists, the parcels contain all the essentials & the prisoner relies on the detaining power for bulk.

The cooking of this food is a very important problem, which varies as to the cooking facilities naturally but also to the Messing Policy. In Italy, at Padula, the Mess merely cooked the Italian ration and each prisoner made his own stove for cooking his Red Cross food. At Gavi, the Mess took the Red Cross food as well, except Bisquits, Marge or Butter, Jam, Sugar, occasionally Milk & Chocolate, and provided Communal Messing. In Germany, that is here, we live in rooms of 8 or 10 and Messing is done by rooms, cooking on a Communal Stove at regulated times. Each method had its points, but naturally they are dependent on the size of the Camp and its living arrangements.

THE PARCELS:

CANADIAN

½ lb. sugar
Tin of: corned beef
york meat roll (Pork)
salmon
sardines
klim (powdered milk)
1 lb. butter
bisquits
½ lb. raisons
prunes
¼ lb. cheese
1 lb. jam
salt
soap
5 oz. chocolate
4 oz. tea or coffee
8 oz. sugar

If taken individually the Canadian is the best liked, mainly because of the Butter, it is the only one to have it, and its large Bisquits which make good flour & the very nice Nielson's Jersey milk chocolate. It however never changes.

ENGLISH

stewed meat & veg.
meat roll (beef)
salmon
condensed milk (sweetened)
½ lb. butter
bisquits
2 oz. cheese
12 oz. jam
egg flakes
½ lb. oat meal
4 oz. chocolate
2 oz. tea
4 oz. cocoa
4 oz. sugar
soap
dried fruit

These parcels offer the greatest variety & they vary a great deal, having the occasional pudding, pancake powder, custard powder & varied dried fruits.

Both Canadian & English Parcels have an issue of 50 cigarette per week.

AMERICAN

corned beef
meat roll (pork)
meat pate
salmon
sardines
klim
½ lb. margarine
bisquits
16 raisons
cheese
Nescafe
soap
4 oz. chocolate
4 oz. jam or orange syrup
½ lb. sugar
cigarettes 60 - 100

Besides these, there are New Zealand Parcels, which are very rare & bulk issue from Argentine. The N.Z. are roughly the same as above, except that it also contains a lb. of Butter but no Bisquits. The meats are stewed Rabbit or Lamb.

The bulk issue also varies, having more cheese and Bisquits but less milk & spreads. This is also very rare.

Thus the most ideal arrangement is a different brand each week - this is always done when possible - in this way the most attractive diet can be arranged.

GERMAN RATIONS - per week, per officer

Fresh Meat - 200 gms.
Sausage - 50 "
Margarine - 218 "
Cheese - 31.25 "
Barley etc. - 100 "
Peas - 110 "
Bratting Pulver - 50 "
Potatoes - 3500 " - 20 % due to sand from the farms.
Vegetables (fresh) - 1800 "
Sauerkraut - 300 "
Sugar - 175 "
Tea (Ersatz) - 10 "
Coffee " - 17.5 "
Jam or Honey - 175 "
Bread - 2225 "
Salt - 105 "

These rations are always liable to change and so are subject to alteration.

The Kriege Diet during the day.

8.30 BREAKFAST

A cup of coffee (soluble)
1 ½ pieces of Black Bread & Margarine (or Butter) & Jam

11.45 LUNCH

Cup of Brew - Coffee or Tea
2 slices of Black Bread & Margarine, Jam or Cheese etc.

3.45 TEA

Same as Lunch

6.00 DINNER

Soup - Potatoes & Boullon
Meat - Spam, Bully, Stew, Salmon - (fired, baked or cold)
Veg. - Pototoes - (boiled, mashed, baked, fried, etc
Maybe Turnip or Cabbage

Dessert Pie (ground bisquits for flour). Raison, Prune, Date
or Pudding - barley & Raisons
or Cake - Barley &/or ground Bisquits, Raisons
or Fried Bisquits
or Prunes
Coffee

10.00 Coffee (real, soluble, Ersatz)
or cocoa
or tea
& ½ piece of Bread & Jam

The 6.00 Meal is the big event of the day and it certainly taxed the cook to produce a variety. Everyone takes his turn at cooking, each cooking for a week - this ensures maximum variety.

For over a Year I was Ration Officer in Block 123. I was also Officer i/c orderlies.
How one of the Officers in 123 pictured me!

The Red Patch of Italian P.O.W. Days

This is one of the Red Patches which the Italian sewed on our clothing as a Reprisal against the blue diamond on the seat of the Italian P.O.W.'s

It was sewn on every article of clothing we had - even uniform!

FAN MAIL extracts from Mail

From a 2nd Lt. in a Searchlight Battery to a long term Kriegie: - "You must hold on until Spring, only till then, & we'll be over ourselves to get you out"

"we visited a German officer's P.o.W. Camp. What a beautiful spot! The Gaurds looked more like prisoners than the officers did. The grounds were gorgeous. If you are receiving as good treatment as they are, we don't need to worry about you. The boys need no food parcels. They were playing tennis in white flannels & looked more like college boys that P.o.W.'s Their great shortage, they complain, is in brilliantine.

An extract from their daily Menu is as follows: -
Breakfast - Choice of cereals with fresh milk
Bacon & eggs Toast and coffee

Lunch & Dinner: Soup
Roast Meat & Veg
Best butter, pickles & tomato ketchup always on hand.
Plentiful supply of Beer available at all times. Well stocked canteens catering to all their needs.

That brilliant official Mind again

Had a couple of ------- a few days ago, yet didn't -------- either, altho' -------- did. Hadn't a ------- for ages, had almost forgotten what ------- were like.

Received by N.C.O. at Sagan after being a Kriegie for 3 years

"Darling ----- I've just had a baby, but don't worry, I still love only you - the American Corporal, who is the father is sending you 500 cigarettes per month."

Oh no! Too bad.

"Four months is a long time to be away from civilization."

Cecil's so nice

"I see in a P.O.W. magazine that your Dance Band is very popular, who is your dance with?"

Shush - Security old Boy

"Now that you are in Germany you may as well visit the B.M.W. works."

The little twerp - bless him

"Our engagement is off, I would rather be married to a 1943 hero, than to a 1941 coward. It is not certain whether the darling hero was in the Home Guard or H.F.S."

Oops Sorry!

"Please don't go on writing to Bill - he's been dead for over 2 years."

Oh God, after 4 years (Rec'd in June '44)

"I have just heard a new expression ‘chins up' Good isn't it?"

Written in ‘ 43

"When your brother heard you were a P.O.W. he rushed out and joined the Home Guards."
"Hope you are not being extravagant with all the pocket money you get."

Illiterate or International

"I was at home when word arrived that you were missing, which you will agree is a blessing." (from fond Mother)

Oh well I never was a hero

X received a Red Cross sweater, & wrote thanking to donor. This was part of the reply - "I am sorry you got it, as I wanted it to go to someone on active service."

What shot Johnny down 1939?

"Darling I'm so glad you got shot down before flying got to dangerous." Jan ‘ 44

Oh really? When did it start & where?

" - and of course you mustn't forget there's a war on."

Justifiable Matricide - and how

" I didn't send pyjamas in your parcel as you asked, as I heard that you sleep in your underwear.

Long live Democracy & Now Combatants

I heard from his wife that she had wanted his clubs to a German P.O.W. to enable him to play on the local links. X replied in the obvious manner & pointed out that apart from no golf he himself had never been allowed outside the compound during his 2 ½ years as a PoW. He later received a letter from the Secretary of his own club, saying if that was his attitude, his club would be pleased to accept his resignation.

The German Point of View

The long heralded invasion has started in France.

It seems superfluous at the present juncture to give reasons for our conviction that Germany will win, not is it our wish to dishearten British prisoners of war in Germany by statements of a military nature in support of our view.

British prisoners of war, however, will be interested how the news of the invasion was received in Germany. It is no exaggeration to say that every Germany soldier and every German civilian has longed for this opportunity. During the past few years the German troops have by no means seldom been forced to fight under unfavourable conditions as regards supplies and reinforcements. The Supreme Command had long taken into account the fact that an invasion was a practical possibility and had acted accordingly. The German soldier is convinced that no enemy is his superior. During the first years of he has won a series of unparalleled victories. He knows that his General Staff is composed of experts second to none, officers who know their jobs and have been schooled by the experience of countless battles and campaigns. The German soldier knows also that the battle against the Anglo-American invaders will decide the issue of this war. He has long been eager to play his part in this decision. The news of the invasion brought a sigh of relief from all. The German army can now show the stuff of which it is made.

This conviction of superiority in the army is shared to the full by the German people. The civilian population has also suffered some hard blows during the past months. No one can deny that the civilians have emerged with honours from this period of trial. Their morale has been in no sense weakened by the attacks from the air. On the contrary it is stronger than ever. The German civilian population, too, knew that the air bombing would never decide the war, and that the clash of armies must follow. The people of Germany have been waiting for these battles and view the outcome with confidence.

The following pages show how Germany received the bombing & their reaction.

The Bombing did enormous damage & killed hundreds of thousands of people. This was & is as I write happening day and night. Besides the slaughter & damage the Germans detailed in the papers some low flying attacks on civilians or children, or some cultural buildings which had been wantonly destroyed. They also resurrected speeches made by our Ministers during the last twenty years & used them to show how we were to blame for the ‘Terror Bombing'.

DRESDEN a misdeed without Parallel March 8, 1945.

The following report which is the first authentic account of the death of the city of DRESDEN appears in ‘Das Reich".

The catastrophe caused by the unexampled will for destruction of the Anglo-American terror squadrons is without parallel. According the account the attack started in the late evening of 13th Feb. 1945, when very strong forces of British bombers struck at the core of the city on both sides of the ELBE and the adjourning ring of settlements. Covering it with an unaccountable number of bombs. The circle of five covered many square miles of thickly built up area, in which there were only living areas, business, shopping premises, public buildings and world wide historical buildings of culture.

At the time of the onslaught the city contained nearly 600,000 residents and 400,000 air-raid victims, evacuees and refugees from SILESIA. In the fury of "fire storms" and the wide spread sheets of flame very many people found a sudden death duke to the lack of oxygen. Tens of thousands of people paniced to the open lawns and parks away from the centre of the city - to the "Great Park" and to the banks of the ELBE.

At midnight, a second huge British air fleet attacked DRESDEN and created a veritable unexampled bloodbath with high explosives and machine guns amongst the thousands on the open spaces.

Twelve hours later the 3rd attack extended the area of death and misery by striking the city at exactly those places in which the main bulk of the population had sought shelter away from the city centre.

24 hours later, a 4th attack struck at the villages along the Valley of the ELBE into which were pouring the long pitiful treks and the unending columns of the refugees and bombed out.

It has been shown that as a result of the 4 attacks of the 13th, 14th, & 15th February - up till now this was the most radical destruction of any large compact city area and that in proportion to the number of inhabitants and the number of attacks - this city has by far the record of the greatest losses in human life yet counted.

A city silhouette of unsurpassed beauty and harmony has been wiped out of European skies and tens of thousands of people were removed to mass graves without even an identification being possible. In the inner city districts the picture of destruction and devastation is complete.

According to the report, the theory of the enemy that these attacks on DRESDEN merely served the smashing of traffic communications and that it was of military importance cannot be accepted.

The fact is that a city of culture which has not only given very much to the history of GERMANY, but also to that of the whole of EUROPE, has been leveled to the ground.
"Zwener Zeitung" 8/2/45 (Zwener newspaper)
Swener is a town 30 km N.E. of BREMEN

Throughout our first winter in Germany we only had the air raids to cheer us up. Colossal though they were & still are - we were sure that they would never break the German moral, sufficient to make them give in. Many of us remember the air raids on England.

So time went on until the Spring, i.e. the time we thought the Invasion would come off. The Winter was miserable weather for us - being a series of snow & thawing snow - hence our spirits were about the same.

Having arrived in Germany, our next hope was in an Invasion. Everyday the German Press was full of articles about the Atlantic Wall & their preparations for the inevitable Invasion. We became even more pessimistic as time went on bringing no result, except words.

We heard of speeches from Roosevelt, Churchill, Smuts, in fact every one, saying that the invasion was coming. New Kriegie told us of immense preparations. So we had to believe it was coming but when?

The great day arrived & immediately after the news everyone was deliriously happy. Everywhere it was discussed & the time was spent in thinking how we would spend our money on our return to the outside world.

As the days speed by, the bridgehead didn't seem to grow much - weeks sped by & finally in August came the break through at Avranches & the next six weeks were really wonderful again our moral rose to new heights & we were almost packed. The first few German Villages fell into our hands & then came that bull which we all hate. Gradually we lapsed back to our normal life. There were the occasional attacks but none of them got anywhere.

Still the advance through France was a very good effort and fun for us.

January, 1945

"The great Russian Winter Offensive has now begun". This is how the German Radio announced the beginning of what we hope will be the final attack.

With the preliminaries being so disappointing, we are perhaps boosted as it were by an anticlimax. The West Front had been stagnant for so long - anyway it seems that way to us; then came that awful schock of the German attack which resulted in the Ardennes Salient. Although the position was got under control in a bout a week, it made us realise that perhaps we in for a repetition of 1939 - 40.

It is true that the Russians had been advancing around Budapest but this was not enough to raise our moral to thoughts of home again.

Finally came the news of the Russian Winter Offensive. Our moral curve reached a new high but this time the events made a new significance to us.

Little events were enough to make us think the best; for instance that evening two days after the attack had started, the Americans in the South Compound on Appel were told we would go on full parcels. They raised a tremendous cheer - that we on hearing it thought for a wild moment that the war was over! We soon learnt the significance of the yell, however.

That same evening we heard that the Russians had taken Tschenstochan Tomaschow & Warsaw. The former is half way between Krakow & Breslau. A glance at the map shows we are only 75 miles from Breslau. The importance of this was terrific. Everybody began to fear that we would be moved by the Germans. This immediately brought up shades of the Italian evacuation to we unfortunates that were there. A move of some distance almost certainly done by marching would be a sad thing for all of us. None of us had much energy to keep going for very long having been on half parcels for the last months. It would also entail leaving most of our belongings behind which would be my second effort in that line.

One can imagine the chaotic state of mind we were in - thinking up the tactical moves of the Russians - debating on our possible move - taking in Rumours (the seasoning of Kriegie Life) & the wanting for more news with one eye directed on the map.

The majority of people were already preparing packs to carry their belongings - mostly out of blankets. Every room resembled a sewing circle & the talk revolving on, how much one could carry, the best way of carrying it, how long we could keep going, where we would go to, fears of the weather (we have had over a month of continually freezing weather). In fact we were in a fever of unrest.

We still have hearted hoped for something from the West Front, but as yet no result. Never have the Anglo American Armies been thought so little of as now. The comparison with the Russian Armies make them look pretty bad.

Anyway we are sure that this one must be the last attack & bring the end of the war. We have thought this many times before, but we are incorrigible optimists when good news is around.

Jan 23rd The news is still extremely good. The Russians have reached the vicinity of FOSEN and BRESLAU. So we are within 100 mls from the front. We still have no news of our fate. The burning question still remains - will we be moved or freed?

The hour was nearly up when another official announcement was made to the effect that we had another hour. So we went on eating! Then we had the idea of making sledges. So we tore down the book shelves - all those lovely books were just dumped on the floor & trodden on - we split the room up into two parties for the march & each party made a sledge to carry the food, we had to carry our own stuff such as clothes, smokes & blanket roll. Finally we were ready & then we heard that we had another hour! This was at 11 o clock. So there we were all dressed & packed & full up with food, just waiting to go. My mind was a complete blank - just incapable of thinking of anything. Every now & then some news rumour would come in: The Russians had broken through - Peace negotiations were in progress! Oh & many more. Naturally we thought our move was the result of another Russian advance & so we all had hopes of being freed!

The hour delays went on until 4 o'clock our time which was an hour ahead of German. Then came the order for our block to move down to the gate & we would get 1 parcel each to take with us.

This should now be titled the ‘Great Trek' for at 3 o'clock German time we started our travels.

We were counted at the gate & passed through the Vorlager & got a parcel each, which was packed on the sledge. From there we joined the column waiting to start. It was snowing & very cold but we, I think, were warmed with excitement & expectancy.

All over the place was a debris of discarded belongings. When each man got his parcel he found he could carry everything so piles of stuff littered everywhere. The Germans were going around & picking up food & clothing such as they hadn't seen for years.

About ½ an hour later we marched off. We had heard that we had 75 kls to do in 3 days so we had a big job on our hands.

The march is hard to describe - I have heard of streams of refugees blocking the roads but now I was one of them. All that night we marched in a S. Westerly direction with no stops of more than 5 min. At daybreak we reached the big Autobahn south of Sagan - crossed it & continued on. The German gaurds were just as tired as we were - the only thing to do was keep going. We eat when we could - & it was all frozen; it something that I'll never forget eating a sandwich of bully Beef all completely frozen! We passed through HALBAU in the morning at 8 o'clock but kept on going until about 1 ‘clock when we reached FREIBALDAU. We had walked about 28 kls by this time & naturally we were completely exhausted. It was still snowing & freezing cold. In this town the gaurds lost control & in no time we had corrupted the town with cigarettes - the German civilian only get 2 a day! We all started looking for billits - we however being at the back of the column were a bit left out. I was more interested in looking for a lavatory! Finally the authorities turned out the Army & rounded up & later that afternoon we were on the march again. We marched all through the afternoon & evening & when dark came we were completely exhausted. We finally stopped & they started billiting the boys down in barns. By some breakdown when the German Officer ran off & left us we were marched further & kept out of the snow until 9 o'clock when we finally got into a barn with 700 others! It was bitterly cold but there was hay & I managed to get a few hours sleep. There was one fellow near me who was just crying all night though cold & fatigue. Several men got frostbitten!

At 8 o clock we were all ready again & by 9 o'clock we were on the march again. We had done 36 kls the previous day. Well this day the 29th was much the same. We marched all day passing through PREIBUS. This day I had picked up an abandoned sledge & patched it up & used it for my pack & blanket. In the afternoon my sledge broke down & I had a tough time, because it was ploughing through the ground instead of sliding. At the next stop I did a quick repair but a little later it was worse than ever. Gosh I was tired! I was just pulling my heart out. Well I could keep up with my party & so I gradually dropped back. I kept going why or how I don't know! but finally just before dark I reached a village where I stopped & asked for some boards, nails & a hammer - two kids brought them out in no time & I slapped a couple of runners on in no time & then the lady brought me some hot coffee & I was feeling much better. Then came a gaurd who with much shouting & threatening drove me on. By this time the other half of my room were passing by & so I just tagged on & four kilos further on reached MUSCAU. This was destination. At 9 o'clock we finally got our billits which were in a riding academy with Tan Bark floor. We were right at the back of the column & so we were among the last & were packed in, in different places. Then we heard the cheering news that we would stay here for at least 48 hours; having just done another 30 kilos that day we were more than thankful. I slept like a dead man that night & the next day spent the time fixing my sledge. We got all the wood & tools necessary from the next door shop for a very cigarettes! That night I went to sleep & woke up as sick as a dog. All night I was vomiting etc. So you can imagine the next day what I felt like! We were allowed access to the stables where there was another bunch of fellows & they had hot water & I really needed a wash & a shave!

On the way over I met a friend of mine who had only arrived that morning - having dropped right behind. He & seven others were in a room by themselves & they had a bath with lots of hot water! He asked me along & gave me some hot coffee & I felt much better. That day the Americans had to move out to another camp down at NEUREMBERG & so since my friend had two Americans in his room he asked me to move in, which I did very readily! So I had a good sleep that night & felt much better. The next day I went for a walk with a friend to look for bread from the civilians. We jumped over a fence & got outside & walked for some distance & went up to a house & knocked on the door. The people came to the door, saw who we were - looked around & saw that noone had seen us & then to come to the back door & asked us in! We sat down in comfortable armchairs - first time in four years - & talked to them. I could talk enough German to get along but my friend only knew a few words. They finally gave us a meal of noodle soup, & gave us a loaf of bread & 8 apples to take with us. We left him plenty of cigarettes, exchanged addresses, promised to return on the morrow if we were still there & then we went back to our billits. On the way back a German soldier with a girl met us & asked me the way to some place. He looked at my uniform but it didn't mean anything to him. I didn't know the place but pointed up the way he was going & told him confidently that he was going the right way - with a smile & a greeting we parted. When we got back at 5 o'clock only to learn that we were moving at 10 o'clock! So we had meal & packed. All that day it had been thawing but that evening it started to rain!

By the time we were ready to move the snow was almost gone. This was an awful blow for us with sledges. Well we moved off again on the 1st Feb. We soon realized that sledges were not practical & most people abandoned theirs within the 1st kilo. I stuck to mine, for I figured it was easier. We were told we were going to SPRENGBURG in two stages 18 the first & 8 the second. Well I finally abandoned my sledge after about 13 kilos & lumped the rest. We finally reached GAUSTEIN at 7 in the morning of the 2nd where we got into another barn which was like heaven - lovely & warm with bags of hay, but we had to be on the march at eleven again! At eleven we were off again, finally reaching SPRENGBURG. We marched into some German Barracks & settled down in garages - very tired. We got some barley soup & having filled up I prepared to get washed & clean & then intended to visit some friends of mine of the East Compound who had joined up - when the order came that we were moving on at 4 o'clock to the train. That has been the trouble you never know how long you have before you must move on.

So we packed hastily & marched off again. This time we learnt we had 4 kilos to do. We reached the train at dark & after some waiting we finally climbed in cattle trucks 40 to a truck. This is a very close fit & only by cunning arrangement & lying on ones side can it be done.

At midnight the train started off. We knew now that we were going to BREMEN to a Milag.

The journey went through HOHENBOLNA 0500 hrs RUHLAND 1000 hrs, PLESSA 1150 FALKENBERG 1300 HRS TORGAU 1520 HRS where we crossed the ELOE
EILENBURG 1000 hrs DELITZSCH 1645 on the 4th HILDESHEIN 0700 hrs HANOVER 0800 hrs NIEWBURG 1045 hrs TARMSTED ost 1700 hrs. Here we got off.

The train journey was a horrible nightmare we were kept locked up. For the first 40 hrs we got no water. These conditions were horrible when most of the fellows were sick.

We finally got off at 1700 hrs and marched off again & had 3 kilos to walk to reach the camp. We reached the road outside the camp at 1830 hrs & then had to wait while the Germans searched each man. It was midnight before we got in. We were horribly tired, dirty & absolutely fed up.

We were now in a navy camp run by the German Navy. There were 2000 of us & the camp resembled Sagan slightly as far as huts go. Our huts had been occupied by Naval ratings who were told to evacuate for us. They, however, didn't believe it & thought that Berlin refugees were moving in & so they wrecked the place.

So here we are sleeping on the floor with no furniture & no stoves; so we are still pigging it.

Lets hope the war is on its last lap because I've really ‘had' this life in a big way.

When we arrived here it was dark & the camp search lights were winking around as though in welcome. Never were P.O.W.'s more anxious to get inside than then! Nothing could be worse than that which we had experienced during the 100 kls trek.

As a matter of interest about 10% didn't make it nearly everyone was sick - all in all a most uncomfortable experience.

MILAG

The camp is situated 23 kilos N.E. of BREMEN & is a camp for Naval Officers & Mercantile Officers & other ranks. The Compound we occupied was formerly occupied by Marine other ranks & on being told to evacuate for us, they didn't believe it, thinking that civilians were coming in & so wrecked the place. They made such a thorough job that we slept on the floor for the first two weeks - sleeping on straw. Luckily we brought enough food to last us for a few days but even so it was Red X food & so we suffered from lack of bulk. After that 100 kilos march we needed lots of food but unfortunately we hadn't got it. After a week or so the Germans brought in a few beds, utensils & our rations started so things improved. Then enough parcels arrived to give us ½ parcels for two weeks. By the end of March we had enough beds to get everyone off the floor. Then came the news of the new German Ration cut to take effect from March 5th. It was very drastic & with no more parcels we were in very low spirits.

Previous Scale from 26/Feb
Ration Scale: - March 5/45 per week/per officer

New Old
Fresh Meat 200 grams - 210 g.
Sausage 50 grams
Margarine 220 grams - 133 g.
Cheese 31 ¼ " - 27 g.
Barley etc. 650 - 520 "
Pears 110 - 80 "
Coffee 17 ½ - ?
Bratting Pulver 50 g. - x
Potatoes 3500 " - 1770 g.
Veg. fresh 1800 " - x
Sauerkraut 30 " - 150 "
Sugar 175 " - 155 "
Bread 2225 " - 1975 "
Jam & Honey 175 " - 155 "
Tea 10 g. - 7 g.
Salt 105 " - ?

However a few days later came the news of the successful drive in the West & the arrival of 5300 parcels - enough to last us on full parcels for 2 months. We share them with the Navy fellows. So starting March we were feeling much happier & very confident of being home in 2 months? Fuel is our big trouble - we get no coal & depend on wood parties which go out twice a week to gather bush wood. This unfortunately is not enough so we can only keep a fire for 2/3 hours in the evening. The main Kitchen had to cut out hot water for our brew & washing water through lack of fuel.

The above mentioned brew is the all important thing in this life especially in cold weather, we get hot water from the kitchen at 7.30, - 10.30 - 3.00 6.00 when we make tea, coffee or whatever we have. We always add an hour to our local German time to get the extra daylight & above times become the meals

Breakfast 8.30 - Brew & 2 slices of bread(1 from March 5)
Lunch 11.30 - " & 2 slices " with Marg & Jam
Tea 4.00 - Brew & 1 slice cheese, etc.
Dinner 7.00 - The Soup & Potatoe (2 ½ each)
& whatever we have from Parcel.
Dessert Pudding made with Bisquits jam
Cakes raisons prunes from
etc.
Parcel

The Kitchen make a Soup with the veg & barley & meat, when they get it everyday, from the German rations. Issue the potatoes later.

In order to boost the Soup & make a presentable meal in the evening we had to make a fire & oven because the rooms were all devoid of any cooking facilities. It was made entirely of tin cans we found lying round. A plan of our stove is given below: -

Our life here is extremely elemental, we live from brew to brew with the climax each day at our evening meal. It is extremely hard to concentrate sufficiently to even read a book. We have very little kit - having the clothes we stand in & a change in underclothing & a spare shirt. Cigarettes are the most valuable thing here. Only yesterday I heard that someone had paid $ 20 for 200. After the first three weeks the majority had run out. I have luckily brought about 1000 cigarettes & 2 lbs of Tobacco & so have managed very well. Its incredible being short after the thousands that we had in Sagan. I keep cursing myself for not bringing this & that; but in the panic it is understandable; its just "annoying" being short of kit after this length of time.

Washing clothes is a real trial - at first we had to do it in cold water - not very successful, but later we got hot water from the kitchen. Having only odd thins found lying around it was managed only with difficulty. The real trial came in getting the stuff dry. The weather here is very humid rather like England. It never stays constant for very long & so the clothes eventually reach a minimum dampness & stays that way.

The lights are very insecure. Apparently the main system has been bombed & they are now run on the local system which like us, is short of fuel & so we only get about 3 hours with lights a night - very embarrassing for our meal so we try to get it cooked before daylight goes - about 7 o'clock now (March 1).

The night of March 7 was really eventful because we saw a powerful air-raid on HAMBURG - we saw the air battles with the night-fighters, in fact we had a front seat to all the phases. We saw 8 planes shot down - we had no way of knowing in some cases whether friend or foe. It was a ‘busman's holiday' to a grim show. It made us realise how little chance one had of getting out of of burning plane - things happened so quickly. A sharp burst of cannon fire & maybe the rattle of the 303s answered & then came a dull red glow which suddenly grew & became a blazing comet with its flaming tail diving steeply to the earth. It was very dramatic but horrible. The Germans at the Interrogation Centre have given figures showing that 1.3 % of all those shot down, manage to bail out at night, 6.4 % get out in the day!

War is a rather wonderful exciting experience until the gory ever present side is shown or rather impressed on the bystander. The point was vividly brought home when we saw those blazing planes plunging earthwards for the last time. We now know, that we are lucky to be alive. c.f. page 112

All our thoughts are now concentrated on the hope that we will soon hear that our armies have crossed the Rhine. That I am sure is the heralding of the approaching climax. (Will it be the climax?)

March 15 Well a week has gone by & the bridgehead across the Rhine still much as it was. With typical Kriegie impatience we are clamping on the bit for something to happen.

March 26 Well Monty & Patton are across the Rhine & going at top speed. We are fairly certain that this is the last lap. Everyone is terribly excited and hanging on the news. However rumours have started that we will be moving again! It seems absolutely futile but I suppose the Goons might do it. At a recent conference of all Senior Medical Officers from all the P.O.W. camps throughout Germany - the Germans admitted that they couldn't feed us & we would have to depend on Red Cross food! We also learnt that at most of the camps appalling conditions prevail - no parcels & much desease. Our own trails seem very trivial now - we are really well off. We have a month of Parcels left which is very comforting.

We have been on Parcels now for two weeks and it has made a big difference to us all. Unfortunately the German rations are very short. The cuts shown earlier have been very appreciable. Even the latest scale is not being maintained. The result is that we have no bulk such as the Potatoes & Barley that they had in Sagan, this gives us a diet of almost entirely Red Cross food, which is very rich, so giving many of us a bad time. We have a large epidemic of Jaundice here - luckily I have escaped so far, maybe my attack that I got when I came up from Italy has made me immune - I hope! Flash: - The Senior Officers have just announced that it is a 50 - 50 chance that we will be moved!

Hurry up Monty - I want to go home!

March 29 Monty & Paton seem to be going great guns - they have advanced so far now that a move to the South seems impossible. I think our next move, will be on our way home. The excitement here is terrific. Yesterday we had a Rumour of Capitulation! - Shades of Italy again!

April 3 Monty is very near, but the possibility of moving is stronger. The S.B.O. has told everyone to be ready!

April 5 The move scare had died down & my impatience has increased.

April 7 The 2nd British Armey is within 20 - 25 miles from us. This makes tonight the critical time re. moving. Everyone confidentially expected our release within the next two days. Its incredible thinking of our release in terms of days but the situation certainly warrants it! Conversation is strictly limited tactical discussions or plans when we get to England & then home. Our gaurds here are all unanimous in saying we will soon be released - they are all over 50 & only want to lay down their arms.

April 9 Trek No. 2.

Finally the feared but expected order came & this afternoon we assembled & told to be ready to move in 2 hours time. The same set up as Sagan in that we expected our troops hourly. The S.B.O. said we couldn't move but eventually we had to get ready. We procrastinated as much as possible & it was eleven o'clock before we set out. It was a foggy night and an air raid was in progress. We had no sooner set off from the Gates when bombs started dropping. The Kommandant got scared & so turned back! We gleefully marched back to our rooms & went easily to sleep in very chaotic rooms.

The next morning we set off again. The Trek as it turned out was a very different affair from Sagan. We had wonderful weather & the whole affair became more Comic Opera as time went on. After the first few hours we took complete control. The S.B.O. ordered us not to escape & we had to stay as on organized body. The trip can be seen on the map. A few recollections to show how we lived. The first aim of every Kriegie or group was to get a wagon to carry his or their kit. With the wagon a complete camping equipment such as tools, sacks &/or tarpaulins & cooking utensils. The Kriegie has to learn fast - since he is not provided with these things & they are essentials, then he gets them anyway he can - by borrow or steal. Further the Kriegie needs food. We all get Red X food but very little bread & no vegetables. The Germans have given up any attempt to feed us so we rely on the Red X & what food we can get. Our march took us through good farming districts & the people have plenty of eggs & bread & potatoes & these three main items are what we bartered cigarettes & coffee for. We camped in fields all night on straw if we could find it. Our marching was entirely controlled by us - we marched on an average 10 - 15 kls/day. As soon as the camping site was reached - Kriegie could be seen everywhere getting ‘organized'. Straw for beds, wood for fires, eggs & potatoes to supplement the meal & water for the brew.

As for me - our old Farmstead room split into pairs which later formed into parties. Our group eventually evolved into six - four from the original room & two new companions a friend of mine - one of McLeod's. I was the only member who could speak German & so I did all the trading & other ‘acquiring'.

The first day we just managed. ‘Schrocky' my ‘pair' & I were green to this business or rather we were dulled by the calamity of this 2nd trek. The second day we started to enjoy it. The weather was fine & the pace slow enough for us to appreciate it. So I started on my quest for a wagon & equipment. That day I wasn't very successful but I got potatoes & onions I think. That night we banded with 3 others & messed & camped further together. The third day Col. McLeod & Pete Kinpford Smith managed to acquire a baby buggy for a chocolate bar! So they were set. That night we camped down & were told we were to have a 24 hour halt. That spurred us on we really got organized in a hurry. I had managed eggs & potatoes & an extra load of bread so we fed well. The next day was the highlight. I got my wagon! Here's how I did it. I went out ostensibly to get food but really on the scrounge. On the way back after a several hour stroll I spied a harrow which was fastened to the set of wheels. It was these wheels which took my eye. I sat down until no one was looking & then over I went & lifted the collar off & pulled the wheels out. I then loaded my food on & calmly dragged it back to the camp. No one stopped me & I got it safely into the camp in the crowd.

Back with the gang we got together to decide how we could fix a platform on it so that we could carry our kit. It was here that I asked Don Edy to join up. So we had to fix it up to carry food for six & kit for four, the baby buggy managing Cols & Petes kit. So we started looking around. Finally I found a bridge over a stream

Just outside the field. We, [?] & I lifted it up dumped it over the fence & then walked around back into the field & carried it up to our camp. We borrowed a saw, brace & bit & sawed the rotten ends off & bored a hole in the middle to fit over the upright column & there we had a dandy platform. We chocked it up over the axle & we had a fine wagon.

This is how she looked. The wheels were iron & had ball bearing & the platform really strong so we had no worries about breakdowns. As it turned out she went fine. One man held the shaft in the middle steering & keeping it level & one on each side pulling on ropes. Only uphill was this hard work. The next day we set off very proudly & got safely away. The night before I had again a good bucket and we got fairly well set. I could now trade for food without a load on my back. We had heard we were going to LOBRECK this made a ferrying over the Estuary above HAMBURG imperative & we wondered if we could hang out long enough to get overtaken. We did a lot of hanging but we got across just the same - without wagons! We put on a lot of weight & cooked really well. We were sun burnt & very cheerful. We were feeling better that ever before in captivity. We were averaging 3 eggs a day with loads of potatoes, & other vegetables & plenty of bread & Red Cross parcels! Add to this the news & we had every reason to be happy.

It was Thursday, 17 days out & we have reached HANSFELDE just outside LUBRECK. Accommodation is unfit for humans in LUBRECK so we are staying in the country. The gaurds if they went to come with us will be fed by us. They will also be under the command of our S.B.O. So we have given our parole not to escape, we learnt today that we are going to stay in a village 13 kls S.W. of here & live in comfortable barns until we are freed! What a crazy war. All the Germans are browned off with the war & we felt on fire with them. The kids love us & are always playing round our camps. In our two to three weeks we have destroyed all the propaganda that Goebells has taken several years to instill into the people.

Tomorrow we move to our new billits at TRENTHORST WULMNEW. We have a very comfortable outfit now & are a very happy bunch. Unfortunately the weather has turned bad which takes the gilt off this Boy Scout life.

We are duly installed in our Cow Barn which we had to clean out before we could use - & what an unholy mess!

Monty has apparently crossed the Elbe & is right around us so I think our release is imminent.

May 2. The action is all around us. Firing has been going on all night & this morning. About 1 o'clock someone came through on a bike & said the tanks of Cheshire Reg. were in the next village. Half an hour later an armoured car came & reported to the G/C. We are now free men. The Germans are surrendering everywhere even to us.

The Signature of the Lieutenant of the armoured car is enclosed.

F/O Bob Baldwin (Baldy)
Charlton
Ontario

Geoff M. Hobbs
No fixed abode
Cox & King's Bank
Pall Mall

Les Stodgkins,
Pennant,
Llangefni, Anglesey

F/O Malcolm R. MacPherrow
49 Gleusaire Avenue
Toronto

F/L A. E. Hannah
Weirdale
Saskatchewan
Canada

2nd Lt Mark T Osborne
1410 Cold Well Ave
Nashville, Tennessee

Derek Willis
Brooming House
Fleet, Hants,

R.M. Leir
C/O Back of N.S.W.
Greens Street
Brisbane
Australia

F/O Saul James
20 Admiral Road
Toronto

F/O Ralph A. Carson
"Kit"
83 Balmoral Ave
Toronto

Roger J. Teille [?]
Bank of Montreal
Vaughan Street Br.
Winnipeg Man

James Dorcavan
1A Rumsey Blvd
Leaside Toronto
3756 - 6th Ave West
Vancouver, B.C.

Harry Pereniuk
Wimmer, Sask

Art M. Watson (Stone)
Bank of Montreal
Broadway & Granville Br.
Vancouver, BC
Canada

Peter Ely Dunnford
15 Adrienne Ave
Southall
Middx
England

W.R. Owen (Wyn)
10, Ouslow Terrace
Landu, Bridgend
S. Wales,
England

M. A. Stephenson
c/o Royal Bank
Belleville, Ont

C. R. Thorpe
508 - 2nd Ave. West
Calgary Alberta

J.M. Downs
Homewood
Manitoba

D.M. Blatt
Leader, Sask.

George T. Pearson
99 Sprucehill Road
Toronto
Can.

Wm. B. Higgins
199 Dunn Ave
Toronto Ont. Can.

Don Edy
306 Orford St.
London, Ont

Hal E. Miller (Buck)
2407 Curtis St.
Redundo Beach
Calif.

J. Earl Clare
Port Credit, Ont.

Ralph H. Johnson
638 Clarke Ave
Westmount P.Q.

John H. J. Crozier
71 Hiawatha St.
St. Thomas Ont
14624 - 102 Ave
Edmonton

Geoff Jowett
c/o E.L. Jowett
4628 MayfairAve
Notre Dame de Grace
Montreal

R.C. Neil
7 Courtney Road
Worchester Park
Derwent 2695
Surrey

Capt. Pat Schofield
Treleaven
Avondale Rd.
Edmonton S. Devon

Lt. G.R. Patterson ‘Pat'

F/lt Peter T. Dowding
RAF Reg.
25 Cottesmore Court
Kensington
London

J.E. Abbot
Owen Court
Ont.

F/Lt A. B. Goldie Rae
Braemer
Woolwich
Abbeywood
London, S.E. 2

F/Lt Norman Downie RAF
Architectural Assoc.
32 Bedford Sq.
London WCI

M. R. MacPherson RCAF
49 Glencairn Ave
Toronto

Capt. C. Paul Diver
40 Pembroke Sq
London W. S.

Capt. Bob Nixon
32 West Bank Rd.
Birkenhead
Chesire

F/lt. Don Tunice Wylie
West Street
Fylie
Yorks

Frank Mills [?]
RCMP
c/o G. A. Spjohn
625 Avenue Rd. Apt 24
Toronto

James D. Cancovan
1A McIntyre St. W.
Marth Bay, Ont.

Chuck Witcher
854 - 5th Street
Brandon

Pep Pepper
Vernon B.C.
147 - 13th St.

Ed Brodrick,
9 Beaumont Rd.
Rosedale, Toronto,
Ont.

Henry E. Holland "Rampchuk"
Armidale N.S.W.
Australia

Dior Dawes
The Lodge
Sandwell Park Golf Club
Birmingham Road
West Bromwich
Staffs

C. Bruce Fredrickson
565 Orving St.
Joliet, Ollincie

Charles F. Buckholz
1417 W. 62nd St.
Chicago, Illinois

Howard G. Parton
108 South Portland Ave
Brooklyn, 17, New York

Eugene J Stepko
114 Monongakela Ave
Glassport, Penna.
U.S.A.

Thayne W. Thompkins
2011 Jerome St
Lansing, Mich

Rifford J. Carpenter
St. John
Michigan

Doug P. Matheson
10125 - 125 St.
Edmonton, Canada

J. Wisdom
42. Clarence Avenue
Claphum Park,
London, S.W.4.

Clarins Eriksen Jr.
Holenen Kollen
Oslo
Norway

Peter F. Roper
Oaklawn
Port Hope, Ont.

Tom Straker
Deep Creek
Canvastown
Marlborough N.Z.

Dieter Beider
Muskau, Oberlausitz
Baumschulenweg 5
Germany

Arthur R. Schnok
Start St.
Townsvill
NPL QLO
Australia

F.P.N. [?]
Bath Club
London W.
England

Michael Kaye
11A, Rathan Rd.,
Hathington,
Manchester 20

D. W. Findley
24 Maze Road
New Gardens
Surrey

Alistair Kennedy
45 Wollangang Rd.
Amehue
Sydney
N. SW
Australia

‘Hap' Geddes
Glenfell
Sask.

Bernard J. Kohan
Seneca
Kansas

Ian A. Young
369 Marion St.
Sudbury

W. L. Jacobson
108 Landsdownshire
Winnipeg,
Canada

Laurie Simpson
3 Fallon Street.
Caulfield
Melbourne
Australia

Ted Farrington
169 Broadway
Wimbledon
London S.W.19

Jack Rydings
1A Kanimbla Rd.
Hollywood
Western Australia

Wesley Houston
31 Park Parade
Ravenhill Rd.
Belfast
Nr. Ireland