大象传媒

The Beginning of the End 鈥� Part Five

The following is an account by the late Mr. John Lesley Sorsby of the 1st Parachute Regiment of the march undertaken by 2000 troops from Stalag 8C near Breslau on the border with Silesia to freedom. This march took place between 8th February 鈥� 10th March 1945. Their march ended at a P.O.W. camp at Bad Orb. They were liberated by the Americans on 2nd April 1945. Mr. Sorsby arrived home at Orgreave, Yorkshire in the early morning of 13th April 1945.

These memories have been submitted with the permission of Mrs. W. E. Sorsby.

鈥淭he worst job we had to do in those last few weeks was to bury our own dead. We had to dig a big hole and then push the Treckcart up the hill with just a blanket covering the body. The Padre took off the identity tags and finalised the burial. I think the reason for us having to do these jobs was lack of German manpower. Not a very pleasant job.

This brings me almost to the end; as you have read the march was now over. On the original list the total was roughly 390 miles or 624 kilometres during period of 31 days on the road. 53 men died and 175 were admitted to hospital. The rations consumed:- 5陆 loaves, 4lb meat, 12 ozs cheese, 3 ozs margarine, 2 ozs lard, 4 litres of soup (鈥楽killy鈥�), 3 packets of German biscuits (and of course the corn and raw chicken) and what we scrounged. Personally I lost 4 stone and weighed 6 stone 4lb on arriving in the U.K.

The days passed slowly by mostly spent thinking up what recipes could be concocted from the next Red Cross parcel. The water was only twice a day, morning and evening for an hour. The equipment invented to heat up the food was amazing. One was a tin box affair with a drum with vanes on to make a forced draught onto the bits of wood and charcoal that soon got hot. Another party fixed up wire from a light socket and held the insulated ends in the soup or whatever it was 鈥� perhaps the start of Immersion Heater popularity. I always reckoned the most ingenious idea was the way the Radio was kept hidden in an Army water bottle. Seems impossible to do except for the fact that the bottle was in two halves and held together by the canvas cover. It had to be assembled and as soon as the News finished it was dismantled and put back in the bottle. I never knew, in fact very few knew who possessed it. The Germans knew of it but didn鈥檛 know its whereabouts even though they many a search often in the early morning.

Palm Sunday came and passed, thoughts dwelt on Easter and how we used to go hiking on Easter Monday. Good Friday - almost the end of March. Nearly all the 2,000 men who had taken part in the long march across Germany were assembled on the hill side with the Padre conducting a Service, everyone joining in the traditional Easter hymns. He gave us an inspiring talk of Easter happenings long ago and with hope that we should have peace in the world before very long.

Next day, Saturday, rumours were rife, distant gun fire had been heard. Certainly the few guards that were left seemed a little edgy. I can鈥檛 say things were normal as everyone who could manage it where as far up the hill as possible trying to get a glimpse of the action. Saturday night was tense with excitement, quite a lot were outside after dark and no shots were fired. We could hear the heavy gun fire and see the occasional flash. The atmosphere was tremendous with everyone talking well into the night. Easter Sunday dawned, a lovely day. For some their thoughts were on Easter but mainly on our own liberation, I鈥檓 sorry to relate. Everyone was outside in the compound hopefully expecting something to happen. The Padre called everyone to a Service about five o鈥檆lock. The Camp Commandant, an R.S.M. had arranged for the letters P.O.W. to be laid out on the ground for the benefit of any aircraft to see.

The Service was well underway 鈥� we had sung the hymn 鈥楥hrist the Lord is Risen Today鈥� and had started another Easter hymn, 鈥楾he Strive if O鈥檈r, the Battle done鈥� when pandemonium broke loose. Two Hurricane Fighter Bombers came down towards our assembly, read the letters P.O.W. We could see both Pilots as they waved to us. They zoomed upwards a couple of thousand feet or so, looped the loop and came screaming down towards the Camp doing the Victory Roll all the way. I don鈥檛 think there was a dry eye in the whole compound. 鈥楾he Strife was O鈥檈r鈥� almost. Everyone to a man closed his eyes whilst the Padre said a Prayer of Thanksgiving. After a short silence the noise struck up, everyone jabbering. We were just like a cartload of monkeys. I can鈥檛 remember what time we all settled down but what a feeling!

Monday, the 2nd of April 1945. No guards anywhere, very little heavy gun fire, a little small arms fire but heavy rumbling noises getting nearer. Then what a sight! American tanks rolling up the hill, tank crews waving - no stopping these fellows. Down go the gates with a crash, following by the flattening of the perimeter wire and almost into the compound. Bars of chocolate and sweets thrown in all directions, eagerly snapped up and as many of the lads as possible clambering on to the tanks. Things calmed down after a while and when the transport arrived the American Engineers decided it was better to keep us all behind the wire; we weren鈥檛 fit to be roaming all over the countryside. Perhaps a good idea but it didn鈥檛 seem it at the time. The American Medics decided they had to ration the food we were given as already some of the lads had made themselves ill. The amount of food we had eaten in the previous months had contracted our stomachs. By the next day we were once again behind barbed wire although under much better conditions as Medical Orderlies were sorting out the worst cases.

I was down by the gate early the next morning and a British Artillery officer asked for someone to act as runners to take messages into the camp from the office outside. I was through the gate in a flash. I got the job along with an American G.I. The first thing we did on getting to the office block was to have a shower (lovely) and the Q.M. gave us a complete change of clothes, it was a Yankee outfit but I didn鈥檛 care, it felt marvellous. The lists were being prepared as to who should be repatriated first and in what order. Meanwhile Engineers were preparing a landing strip for the D.C.47鈥檚 to land and take off. In between our trips back into Camp, the G.I. and myself made ourselves useful by cooking and so forth for the repatriation staff. Ourselves, we ate mostly chocolate on advice the Medical staff. Needless to say I always managed to take some back into the camp by my mates.

After three or four days everything was ready for the evacuation. The worst cases first. I took the British list to our Chief and the G.I. took the American list. On the way our of the camp the Americans had big tea chests full of chocolate, cigarettes, pipes, tobacco and a host of other things for the comfort of the lads. One of our jobs was to keep the tea chests filled. Time passed quickly now. I don鈥檛 know how many planes were involved in the airlift but they much have gone on over a week. The camp gradually emptied. I was to be on the last plane load. The bulldozers went into the compound demolishing all the huts and made sure it was the end of it - parasites and all. A big heap of palliasses were doused with petrol; the G.I. and myself were handed long flaming torches, we didn鈥檛 have to be told what to do with them!

We left the airstrip at 14.45 hours on the 11th April 1945. As we circled the camp we could see the fires burning furiously below, a lovely sight. We landed on Wednesday evening at Aylesbury to be met by the Red Cross, an organisation of which I shall always respect. We had a meal and a place to sleep. Next morning we had a Medical to see if we were fit to travel home, I was lucky. I can鈥檛 recall what time I left Aylesbury but I arrived on Sheffield station at 2.00 a.m. I had already sent a message home roughly what time I should arrive. There, on the platform waiting for me was my brother Eric and a friend, George Payne - what a welcome sight, almost too much to bear in my state at the time.

The circular bus left just after 2.30 a.m., it dropped us off at Orgreave crossroads to walk through the Pityard, I was now on familiar ground. What a feeling! We reached the Pit Canteen and I felt like a sit down so in we went. Feeling hungry by this time and of course everything was on ration, Mrs. Emily Radley was there and gave me a whole bottle of milk and a home made breadcake with a nice slice of ham in between. Something I will never forget.

Everyone was downstairs waiting for me when I reached home, quite an emotional time really. Both Stuart and myself back in the fold once more. I didn鈥檛 venture out for a day or two. I had a few visitors and a visit from the Press, asking questions as to what I had missed the most. Of course my thoughts were still on food and I mentioned Apple Pie and Chocolate Cakes. A couple of days later I received three or four Apple Pies and Chocolate Cakes. These actions really tug at the heart鈥檚 strings and I was very grateful for their thoughts. The following Monday I had a walk down towards the 鈥楻ec鈥� and the Hilly fields and looked down towards the Old Dike as it used to be. The Hail Mary Wood was coming into leaf. Marvellous! I had seen some nice scenery through Germany and Bavaria but the sight of this was for me. I said to myself, 鈥業鈥橫 HOME!!鈥欌��

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