大象传媒

I am going to begin this story in about 1960/1 when I was about nine years of age, my father had taken me out shopping in Portsmouth, and, as we were looking in a shop window I heard a man shouting "Dick, Dick" from across the road, the man and his wife came across the road, he seemed to be so pleased to see my father, saying to his wife, "this is the man I told you about,the one who removed my leg". I learnt the couple were on holiday in Southsea, and had decided to have a day looking at the shops.
The man went on to say that when he finally got back to England at the end of the war, the surgeon that he saw said that the amputation had been such a good job, even to the extent of tieing off the tendons etc. that the leg needed no further work on it. I must have been stareing at his legs (how rude, I think now)! as he raised his trouser and showed me his false leg, knocking it with his fist to show me it wasn't real.
They carried on talking for some time but being young I lost interest, I think I was given some sweets so paid no more attention.
It wasn't untill we were going home I remembered and asked my father about the man, Dad explained that they had been in a Prisoner of war camp, and that the mans leg had been infected with Gangreen, he was very ill and would die if nothing was done, so it was decided that someone would have to amputate his leg, the others decided that, that someone, would be my father as he had killed pigs on my grandmothers farm and he could also carve a joint (I bet surgeons now need to know more).A penknife that had been hidden was found and sharpened as well as they could, and with others holding the man down, dad removed his leg, he said he had to be a quick as he could, and when it was done the man was sewn up with some cotton and bandaged up as well as they could, my father was moved from the camp a few days later and never saw the man again untill the day we went shopping. I am sorry I canot say what camp this was, but from the back of my mind I think it was Poland, but I may be wrong.
My father Also told me in later years of being transfered from one camp to another in a very over crowded cattle wagon, one of the men had Dysentry and it was very hot in the wagon and some bright spark (my Dads words)said lets lift him up and put his bottom out the window (a small hole about 18 inches square in the top corner of the wagon) this worked well, untill the train went round a long curve in the track, and one of the guards at the back of the train thought that someone was escaping, and shot him, (he did survive).
Dad didn't say much about the war years only a few snipets here and there, I know as a child I remember him having what my mother called fits of the shakes, and photos taken just after the war show him as being very thin and having lost all his teeth due to such a poor diet. I know he was in the Army but what regiment etc. I canot say, and as he died in 1992 I am afaid I cant ask him.
Kay Jackson (Daughter).

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