大象传媒

METEOROLOGY BEHIND THE WIRE

Well, it all depends on the weather. Wherever you are and even when you are in the most unusual places, including a Prisoner of War camp it鈥檚 important.

You may be wondering how I, a Meteorologist, came to be a P.O.W.
Well as briefly as possible, I joined the R.A.F Volunteer Reserve prior to the outbreak of World War 2,because I was aspiring to become a Qualified Surveyor and we were exhorted to join one of the Reserve forces and I learned that using a theodolite as for Surveying was needed in the Metrological Section of the R.A.F.

I applied for a Commission but was informed that this was restricted to men having a Degree in Maths in those days, mainly School teachers, so I was 鈥渟worn in鈥� as an Airman. Soon after War had been declared I was 鈥渃alled up鈥� and started Training, my 鈥済rading鈥� went up from AC2 to AC1 and then Leading Aircraftsman.

I volunteered for Overseas Service and was posted to Rheims in France, never got there because of the Blitzkreig, but instead was sent to various places where it was possible to do some Met work. But not for long. I had a narrow escape when the Lancastria was sunk and we were on board a ship nearby.

However, got safely back to England, along with several Met colleagues applied for remustering as Pilots but were told we were more valuable, under the then existing circumstances, as trained Meteorologists. But it wasn鈥檛 long before I was posted overseas again, this time to the Middle East.

I had a few adventures before we got there, The Aircraft Carrier Furious on which we were travelling was attacked by Hipper Class Cruiser on Christmas day so only a few turned up for Christmas dinner, then after a brief but pleasant stay in Lagos, I was told to board a plane for Egypt this came down en route at a place called El Fasher in the Sudan, my pal and I went out from the crashed plane for help and after a few more 鈥渁dventures鈥� got to Heliopolis near Cairo, then got posted to Crete where we knew things were getting pretty rough. And they were. When the Invasion started I exchanged a Theodolite for a Bren gun, and although the two officers (Met) got back safely to Egypt my mate and I were taken prisoner at a [place called Sternes where we were hoping to get taken aboard ship which didn鈥檛 turn up, we were hiding in thick bushes but there was plenty of 鈥渘oise鈥� going on and presently a voice called out鈥� I am a British Officer, the Germans are in command of the situation. come out and put your
hands up鈥�. I was going to make run for it but my mate grabbed my webbing and held me back because a Jerry appeared, shaking like a leaf but holding a sub machine gun couple of yards from me. So that is how I. A Met man came to become a Guest of the Third Reich for the next four years
鈥�
Well, after six months 鈥渨orking 鈥� for the Germans in various places on Crete I suddenly was transported by road and air to a place near Athens where I was 鈥渋nterrogated鈥�. Treated reasonably well; they seemed quite interested in the fact that I said that I was a Meteorologist and with one other airman was put on a Junkers 52 and flown north; we then boarded a train and had, what was to me, an interesting journey all the way to north west Germany where I was taken to a place called Dulag Luft;
This was where it seems all RAF types were taken for interrogation.

Again the questioner was intrigued by the fact that I was 鈥淲etter Stellung鈥�, that is a Weather Frog. Now the German Code a very complex system for their information dissemination was preceded by a type of Weather report, so perhaps he thought I might be a spy infiltrated to get information on their system. Well, he could have been right couldn鈥檛 he? To get on, I was posted to Lamsdorf, a terrible place for a Kreigsgefengen Lager, where the cold was intense, thence to Luft 3 the Camp from which the Great Escape originated. I was in the NCOs lager, conditions there were not too bad, we got Red Cross parcels more often and the Germans who at that time were on a winning streak were more amenable. Our chaps had decided to set up a 鈥渟chool鈥� to overcome the awful boredom of PoW life and I decided to participate and 鈥渢each鈥� what I could on Meteorology, to help our Camp leader got permission for a 鈥淲eather station鈥� though no offer of instruments of course. But our lot were wonderful in utilising what was available on site and on my direction they manufactured a Stephenson Screen, Rain gauge, Nephoscope and we managed to bribe one or two guards to bring in Thermometers. The candidates in the school were mainly Pilots and Navigators and I was able to organise a system of hourly weather readings to be recorded in a book left for that purpose on my bunk.

At the lessons I was able to provide information on Synoptic weather charts and the concept of weather fronts, pressure variation and the effects of phenological data
From a practical point of view, the Escape Organisation would come to me for forecasts of weather when escapes were planned; quite an onerous undertaking but I gave what I considered likely but, of course, the ultimate escape decision was left to the organisation.

I did get some 鈥渉elp鈥� via the Red Cross (Geneva) such as outline blank charts
On which the 鈥漵tudents鈥� could practice synoptic symbols, isobars and fronts 鈥� involving the application of the Norwegian Theory of Depressions.

Also I made contact, by mail of course, with Prof. Dynes of the Dynes Pressure Tube Anemometer fame; his letters gave me 鈥渉eart鈥�. Anyway, all good things come to an end, the S.S. shower turned up one night to do a 鈥渟earch鈥� of all our few possessions, and this included kicking our Weather station to bits. We did get a warning of the impending search (I cant tell you how) so I was able to prevent my Weather records
falling into the hands of the 鈥渟earchers鈥�

Not very long after this, the Great Escape took place from the adjoining Officers Compound. We had been working on an Escape tunnel in our own NCOs compound which probably prompted to our camp being dispatched, by rail to a Lager miles away in East Prussia. It was called HEYDEKRUG. It was a different 鈥渟et up鈥� in many ways from Luft 3. The 鈥渟chool鈥� was not reorganised again, and there wasn鈥檛 the days like we used to have at Sagan where when we had regular food parcels and had some sports gear sent through from Geneva- a CRICKET test Match was arranged 鈥攜es
England versus Australia and, of course there had to be a Weather Forecast posted on the Notice Board on the days of the Game which I was pleased to provide.

Also there was a different arrangement for caring for the sick and wounded. I had volunteered to assist with this aspect (as well as the Weather) at Sagan and continued more actively at Heydekrug. Even so, the weather characteristics there were remarkable. Not far from the coast (though we never saw the Sea) the cloud formations were quite spectacular, superb Cumulo Nimbus, Lenticular Strata Cu, Castellatus, and so on. It was also a location used by migrating birds as a crossing point, so on the appropriate times one could see large flocks by day and, unfortunately pick up the injured birds which had flown into the high wired boundaries of the Camp during darkness.

I made contact there too with one of the guards who had been associated with Balloon journeying in his civil life and he would open up about the trials and trips he had on. I didn鈥檛 have so many 鈥渉elpers 鈥� at Heydekrug but kept on with my weather records, getting them through several 鈥渟earches.

Watching for the weather meant looking at the sky and it meant we realised that the Germans had some of their work on their Reprisal weapons being tested not far away鈥�- Doodlebugs and Rockets. Also it was obvious that the Russian advance was going ahead and we were informed to make ready to leave the Camp we were told we were going on foot. So the Great March by PoWs from East Prussia to Western Germany was on. The weather was certainly a factor, most of the time it was bloody cold. I had a number of what you might call adventurous experiences but they don鈥檛 come under the heading 鈥淢eteorology behind the Wire鈥� suffice to say that my records were taken from me at a place called Gros Tychow.I wonder where they finished up!

Soon after I got to a camp in Western Germany I was put on the road again, troops of Germans and allied PoWs going eastwards towards the Elbe. Well, I did have a few more 鈥渁dventures鈥� but got to Luneberg (before Gen. Montgomery) and made contact with the advancing British. Oh yes, it was wonderful I can tell you.

When I got back to Britain, I was interviewed by Army Officers, no contact from my own Meteorological Section RAF. No one asked me how I came to be captured or what had happened or how I 鈥済ot on鈥�, The Army types did ask whether I had been badly treated and if so the circumstances, and after I had been back a while I had notification from the RAF that I had been promoted to Corporal as 鈥渋t is considered that that would have been your rank had you not been taken prisoner鈥�
So back on a RAF station I could not consort in the Mess with my mates, as they were Sergeants or above.

However, after the Battle for Crete, Mr Churchill said, 鈥淭he men of Crete will not be forgotten!鈥� and we said No, but we will always be bloody well last!鈥�
So everything comes to him who waits. I made personal contact with Prof. Dynes, he heard from me of what I had been doing and so on. He told me to 鈥淧repare a Paper鈥� which I did, it 鈥渨ent forward鈥� and Great Joy I was Elected a Member of the Royal Meteorological Society.

Yes, and soon after that I heard from His Majesty the King. I had been awarded the British Empire Medal for Distinguished Service whilst a Prisoner of War.

Submitted by. John.O.Weston. B.E.M.

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