大象传媒

My dad who died on July 18th. 2002 was born at 18, Cobden Terrace, Brandon on August 29th. 1919. to Charlie and Florence Pigg. He worked at Brandon Pit House when he left school on the Locomotives.
He was nineteen when he was called up for active service to the 8th. Durham Light Infantry, on 2nd. May,1939 and was a Sapper in the army his army number was 4455498. He was taken prisoner in Popyringe in 1940. He was marched from France through Belgium and Holland to Stalag 8b which was in Upper Silicia in Germany, his prisoner of war no. was 14255. While at the prisoner of war camp he underwent various tortures which he never talked about until his latter years,he had bayonet scars on his back obviously food was scarce and unedible but had to eat to live.
When he was liberated in 1945 he had to walk from the working camp to Bavaria which was a 900 mile journey, he always said no-one believed that he had to do that, but a few years before he died a Readers Digest book had a story in from Richard Pape who described the journey and he commented that now everyone who reads it will know he was telling the truth.
While my dad was away his brother Leslie and wife Lizzie had a son and he was called Irving as they did not know whether my dad was alive or dead. My mother (Yvonne Balmer) worked for Murrays shop in Brandon at the time and my grandmother when she found out he was alive told her that her son had been taken Prisoner and if anyone did not want their chocolate coupons would she save them for her to send food parcels to him, although my mother did not know him well she said she would as she knew him as a friend of her elder brother Jack.
When my dad was demobbed on 30th.June 1946 he went to the local dance with my Uncle Jack and was introduced to my mother and were married on July 12th. 1947 and when they went to see the vicar of St. John's Church in Meadowfield he said my dad was not a Christian as he had not been to church and my dad said when he was a prisoner of war he had been down on his knees praying to God to get him out of this hellhole and that he did not need a church for him to pray.
After two years I was born and whenever I went into the room his eyes lit up, two years later along came my brother Malcolm. He went back to Pit House Brandon to work when he came home until it closed down in 1968 then he went onto be an Ambulance Driver at Framwellgate Moor Durham until he retired owing to ill health when he was sixty-one years of age.
He never condemed the Germans soldiers for what they had to do as they were only doing a job and if they did not obey orders they would have been punished or even killed.
My dad always watched the Rememberence Service on television in November and cried when the poppies were falling, he also stood even though he could barely in latter years and saluted for the last post.
Two years before he died I sent to the Army Medals Office for his WW2 medals and received one which had been commissioned for P.O.W's. on the day of his funeral they were put onto his coffin and blessed by the vicar in St. John's Church Meadowfield were they were married all those years ago.
He never condemmed the German soldiers for what they had to do as it was their job and if they did not obey orders they would have been punished of even killed.

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