大象传媒

Part three

January 20th
On the road again before it was light to do 12 km to Karlsruhe. On this stage of the journey blokes started throwing their kit away -blankets, cases, anything, everything - what a sight was all that kit strewn along the roadside, but I still stuck to mine. Arrived at Karlsruhe at dinner time and stayed in a factory. We made a couple of brews (Horlicks and cocoa) and had some meat and cold bacon on bread. At 9 o'clock the trek was continued on to ( or rather near to) Brieg, a distance of' 41 km. This night march was terrible, blokes were dropping out by the roadside, it was very cold and we eventually arrived at destination hardly able to lift our legs in front of us. Don't know how I made it. Fortunately I had a sledge, made from the lid of a case which eased things. During this march we crossed the River Oder. Arrived about l2 o'clock on the 21st January. Issued -packet of 鈥渄og鈥� biscuits.

January 22nd
Supposed to have stayed in the barns here for 48 hours but we were routed out at 2.0 am. - just over 12 hours. Went on to Schonefelt, a further 15 km. Slept in barn. Received half a biscuit (tasteless) and we had a drop of coffee. Made a better sledge from a ladder.

January 23rd
On we went to Wansen, 25 more km. Fed up with this plod, plod, tramp, tramp, aching shoulders, weary legs, empty bellies, blistered feet -what a miserable existence. Issue of 2/5 loaf, drop of soup and a few spuds.

January 24th
Stayed at Wansen, Sleeping in barns, all day. Thank goodness for a bit of a rest. Another 1/5 loaf. Whenever we stopped anywhere long enough we made a fire and mixed a hot brew and some soup from spuds (scrounged or pinched) and soup powder. Only the Red Cross food brought from camp kept us going. We had with us jam, butter, spreads, milk powder, cheese etc. but we had to go very easy with it. We removed wood (for fires) from buildings like locusts clear areas of vegetation -down came fencings, huts, parts of barns, anything wood.

January 25th
Marched 30 km to Heidersdorf. This march is getting grimmer and grimmer. Blokes are incessantly dropping by the wayside through fatigue. Still managing myself but it鈥檚 a colossal struggle.

January 26th
Stayed at Heidersdorf in the usual barn. The weather is still extremely cold, on waking up in the morning one's shoes are frozen stiff and it's a painful job getting into them. Can you imagine the discomfort and hardships we suffered? It is very difficult to describe it. This is roughing it if you like. Very scarce was the chance to wash and shaving was out of the question.

January 27th
On and on we went on this seemingly never ending journey to Pfaffendorf, 18 km. Still had some Red Cross food left but it was getting low, we would surely have died if we had had only German rations.

January 28th
Again those painful, blistered feet hit the road, a distance of 24 km to Standorf. We passed through the town of Schweidnitz. As if things aren't bad enough already, now my right groin joint refuses to function and its a job to drag my leg along. Oh Misery! But worse things had still to come.

January 29th
This date marks the second night march. And a more grimmer night I have never spent both during this march and otherwise. In fact this date is the climax of hardship and suffering. What a terrible ordeal! The distance we covered was only 22 km but it seemed like 50 and I honestly don't know how I made it.

The route was mainly over bleak wind-swept moor-like country and there was a terrific gale blowing. It was tremendously cold. The open roads consisted of sheets of ice and the remaining roads and tracks were almost blocked by drifts of snow. The wind blew the snow into a blizzard so fierce that I have never experienced the like. My eyes were clogged with snow which in turn became frozen. My eyebrows and moustache were also frozen so that my face became, and felt like, a mask. It was a matter of keeping on one's feet as the hospital wagon became drift-bound and any falling by the roadside would have resulted in speedy freezing of the body and death from exposure.

Some of the blokes saw the body of a girl (about 16 years) frozen stiff by the wayside. I shall never forget the experiences of this night - staggering feebly through drifts of snow kilometres in length. I survived this ordeal but by a very small margin. When I arrived at the destination my mind was numbed and how my legs moved in front of me I never will be able to say. The ravenous pain of hunger was also searing through my body. Passed through the town of Javer. Received 2 packets biscuits (8 biscuits) in lieu of' bread. Slept in barn in village of Peternitz. Also received 1/5 loaf on arrival.

January 30th
Stayed at same place. To get to our bed space four of us had to clamber along a beam. At this place we pinched some spuds and made soup besides having a couple of brews of tea. A Polish lady was also dishing up a drop of buckshee soup but what a queue and wait. The field kitchen served 陆 cup of soup.

January 31st
On the move again, 14 km to Prausnitz. Told here that we would wait until transport was arranged. At Iast the Germans have realised that we can't go on much further by foot. Everybody, without exception, is on their last legs. Bread issue was now 1/6 loaf per day and a bit of marg. Still living in the barns. Red Cross food now finished.
Soup from the kitchen amounted to a cup a day. Blondie and myself now draw our rations on our own. Stayed at this place several days until transport was ready. Got very little food -bread, 2 spuds, cup of soup, bit of marg. - not much, is it? For the first two days we were able to have a cup of porridge from oats we had with us and a few brews but the trouble was making a fire as wood was so scarce. The last day I ripped off a lavatory seat and we brewed some soup from a powder I had. We just existed (not lived). In fact we got to the state where we searched through a cart load of sugar beet tops (cattle food) for the odd whole beets. When one was found it was pretty near rotten but was, nevertheless, eagerly devoured.
Headlines in the Daily Express, February 3rd, 1945
"76,000 British POW prisoner's on roads in Germany" -That's us, chum!

February 5th
Issued 2/5 loaf, bit of marg and 1/3rd tin of meat ( like potted meat) and marched 7 km to Goldberg to entrain for a 2 day journey. Packed tighter than sardines in box cars -56 to a car - still even this was like heaven after our march ordeal. At night it was impossible to sleep for many minutes due to cramp and numbness. We passed through Seignitz, Sagan, Cottbus and
Falkenburg.

February 7th
Most blokes had eaten their 2 days ration and were now without food. The Germans didn't give us any more but I was able, by very strict rationing, to save a little.

February 8th
The German food ration is small enough as it is without having to stretch 2 days into 3. Arrived at Luckenwalde in the morning and marched 3 km to Stalag IIIA. Had a shower, (found I was lousy) and then made a bed with wood shavings on the floor. It was noticeable how bodies had become thinner even since leaving Bankau. What a relief, though, to get behind wire again. For a time, at least, the ordeal of' marching under such terrible conditions was over.

Over the journey covering a period of 3 weeks we lost 300 men due to fatigue, cold, hunger, frostbite , etc. - a very big percentage. Many men will lose their toes because of frostbite. For those that survived it was will power and pure guts that kept them going. Over the period of the march I had 2 washes, no shaves and didn't undress at all. The food the Germans issued was shameful -it was less than camp rations and they are by no means large (far from it). We didn't have one good nourishing meal the whole journey. Sometimes we were marching without any issue of German rations. I had about a dozen blisters on my feet and that is no exaggeration. Due to hunger the blokes turned into human tigers where food was concerned.

Prospects of Stalag III A were not too bright! There were no food parcels, our sleeping quarters are very much overcrowded (the floor is just one interminable mass of bodies at night) and no facilities for washing clothes. The food is very meagre l/5 loaf (4 slices), handful potatoes, 1录 cups soup, bit of marg. (or meat paste, or 鈥� cream" cheese) tablespoon sugar, cup of tea (or coffee). We have 2 roll calls -7.15. a.m. and 4.30. p.m.

In our room are 350 men so you can imagine how overcrowded it is. Everyone feels weak through lack of food. Still, compared with the march things are good. Let me say here how much I am looking forward to the comforts of a home, to seeing those I love, and to getting my teeth into a good, home cooked meal. Certainly am going to appreciate food cooked by mother and my darling, realise now how so very good their cooking was. Naturally everybody has got considerably thinner and are mere skeletons of their original selves.

February 16th
Things are getting worse, bread ration has been cut to 2/15 loaf - from 300 grammes to 200.
70 grammes flour has been issued instead. We made potato cake with the flour.

February 17th
Bread back to normal - thank goodness. 2 blokes have been caught stealing rations - bastards! (sorry) There have been several cases of theft.

February 18th - Sunday
Cheers, Sunday ration of bread 录 loaf - not much more but still it something.

Part four to follow

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