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This story has been written onto the ´óÏó´«Ã½ People's War site by a CSV volunteer on behalf of Henry Gliddon. It has been added with his permission and Henry fully understands the terms and conditions of the site.

I was conscripted to the Army on August 7th 1941 At Lufton Barracks, Yeovil, Somerset-a Royal Artillery Training camp. I was part of 288 Light Anti-Aircraft Battery Bofor guns. After three months training I was posted to Wroughton Aerodrome, near Swindon. January 1942 I was placed on overseas draft, given embarkation leave and sent to Woolwich Arsenal. The draft was entrained to Gourock, Scotland, sailing from there on the 13th. February 1942 on a Norwegian ship-the liner Bergensfiord. We were part of a large convoy. We guessed that we were bound for the Middle East. The first week was very stormy. The convoy stopped at Freetown and Capetown, very pleasant, people friendly. I was taken by car up Table Mountain.

It was a two months voyage to Egypt. On the whole very enjoyable. We docked at Port Suez and travelled by train to base camp Mena, Cairo, near the Pyramids. I was posted to 122 LAA Battery R.A served at Suez and Canal area. Apart from a few air raids we had a holiday-swam in the canal, visited Suez and other places. After a few months I was transferred to 1st LAA Regiment R.A 2nd Battery, posted to an aerodrome in the Western Desert, lat line of defence to Cairo. Many German air raids.

September 1942, our Colonel volunteered to go to Kufra Oasis, the headquarters of the long range desert group, miles behind German lines, south of Benghazi. We left by train from Cairo with our guns and lorries. A really interesting journey through the Valley of the Kings to Aswan from where we embarked on Paddle steamers with equipment on Barges to Wadi Halfa on the border of Sudan. The river Nile was in a flood-a beautiful sight-I saw it all for free!

The next part of the journey was the hardest, 800 miles across the Sahara desert to Kufra, a ten day journey. One day we got as far as 10 miles, bogged down in the sand, digging out our lorries, other days we travelled over a hundred miles. We were rationed to a quart of water a day and were allowed to grow a beard. The weather scorching by day, freezing by night. We had special clothing, the mirages we saw were amazing.

Kufra was a welcome sight. Palm trees and plenty of water. A swimming pool which I believe was built by Mussolini’s son-in-law. The time in Kufra was uneventful, only seeing one German plane. We left Kufra was uneventful, only seeing one German plane. We left Kufra in December, returning by the same route. The Nile floods had receded and crops were growing where it had flooded. Reaching Cairo by Christmas, we were given leave and had an enjoyable time. Cairo was very nice, lovely gardens and buildings and I visited some interesting museums.

I had various assignments in 1943. I became a driver! A few petrol cans were placed in a row in the desert, I drove through them, did a few turns and that was it. I also passed out as a driver/wireless operator. August 1943, the regiment was posted to Palestine. I drove a water carrier from Egypt to Nathanya, lovely seaside. We were training to invade Italy. We did however have some nice sight-seeing, the Sea of Galilee and Bethlehem etc.

Early September 1943, a change of plan, we were flown with our guns to the Dodecanese island of Kos to guard the aerodrome that the engineers were building with a view to attacking the Balkans, the Italians having surrendered and joined us. The Germans attacked with junkers 88 bombers every day. The first day, we surprised them and claimed a hit-it may have crashed over the sea. Following this, they flew higher, mainly out of range. We could see the bombs being released and watched them fall, too close at times! They made huge craters on the airfield.

At day break on October 2nd, the Germans attacked from the sea and the air Junker 52s with parachutists, there seemed to be hordes of bombers including Junkers 87s Suka dive bombers. We had to change the gun barrel when it got too hot. The German had vastly superior forces and late afternoon the Durham Light Infantry withdrew and advised us to retire to the town of Kos itself. We then sorted out the personal items we could carry. Arriving at the town, we managed to get some food and drink, we were then deployed to defend the town. We were bombarded with mortar shells all night. Fortunately no one was hurt. There were casualties the previous day. In the morning, the officer in charge decided to make for the hills that more or less divided the island. We were sheltering in a gully when some Germans appeared, told us to put our hands up and that, for us, the war was over. A few soldiers were left in charge of us and others were rounded up. We all laid down and went to sleep. After a while we were marched to town and placed in a kind of walled garden, it may have been a vineyard as we given a barrel of wine and some bread. The weather was very hot. I had a blanket and asked the German guard, in sign language, for some poles to make an awning, this he did. On the whole they were very friendly and as young as me, they had served in Western desert and, to the best of my knowledge, the Herman Goering division.

After just a few days we were transported in the hold of a Collier, covered in coal dust, to Athens. Many, including myself, developed dysentery. The stay in Athens was short. We were marched to the railway station and herded into wagons (10 horses or 40 men). We were on our way to Germany. The route took us from Greece, Macedonia, Yugoslavia, a corner of Hungary to Vienna rail station, where we were allowed out. The Red Cross, Austrians I think, provided us with lovely food. I particularly remember a delicious soup. The German airmen gave out cigarettes (I am a non smoker). The journey had taken several days, with little food and little sleep. Overcrowding and lack of sanitation made conditions horrible.

We continued to Stalag 7A Moorsberg, had our particulars taken, showered, had our heads shaved and issued with an identity disc, which I still have. Moorsberg was a most unpleasant place. Overcrowded, with no bed, as they had been burnt for warmth. We slept on the floor and woke in the morning covered on lice. Luckily I wasn’t there for long and was moved to Stalag 4B near Berlin before Christmas 1943. 4B was a well organised camp, providing entertainment, concerts etc. We were issued with Red Cross parcels and some better clothing. I developed Yellow Jaundice but received quite good care from the doctors. In January 1944, a large batch of us were transported to Stalag 8B Teschen on the Czech/Polish border, where we were formed into working parties to work in the coal mines. First to Climontow working above ground stacking pit props etc. The weather was snowy and well below zero. We had good warm coal fired huts and fairly good food. After a few weeks we were moved to Kazimierz, a mine a half mile deep, on five levels.

I ‘worked’ on level five, taking pit props to the coal face, also helping an old Pole making repairs after the fall. There were some advantages to working in a coal mine, even if we didn’t see daylight all winter, working at 6 am to 6 pm. We had comfortable warm huts and a slightly larger food ration. The so-called ‘soup’ was horrible. We could also barter with the Poles- chocolate for eggs etc. We also made our own entertainment and held church services, we also had a shower everyday in the mine. Life continued much the same during 1944, I was now getting letters and parcels from home through the Red Cross. I received my first letter after six months.

Suddenly, on 18th January 1945, we were awakened in the middle of the night and told we were leaving. The Russians were getting close. Luckily, I had a good holdall type of bag. I packed all my spare clothes and food, also a good blanket and personal belongings, it was quite heavy.

Marching conditions were atrocious-the snow was two feet deep, temperature 200 degrees below zero. Our boots froze on our feet. We marched all day until we came to a village with a large building where we were billeted. Not very comfortable, we slept on a stone floor, exhausted. The march continued day after day, 10 to 20 miles. It was a job to keep count, very little food, we melted snow to drink. We were billeted in any suitable building at night. A barn on a farm was best. We stole potatoes kept in the cellars. There was usually a boiler or something available with which to boil them. We were getting thin and exhausted, sanitation was abominable. We marched from Poland, across Czechoslovakia, quite near Prague, to Bavaria, about 700 miles, crossed the River Elbe and Danube several times. When the weather improved in spring, one could almost appreciate the scenery. One bright spot on the march was when we stopped at Pilsner, Czechoslovakia, we went into the brewery and had a welcome shower and a drink. The Czech people were very kind and gave us food.

April 1st, 1945. We were billeted in what had been a guest house, I was starving and exhausted, at my lowest ebb, almost too weak to stand, terrible pains in my stomach. I German guard asked if I had a pen. My mother, who had died when I was in Egypt, had given me a Conway Stewart fountain pen for my 21st birthday. I had guarded it through thick and thin, I was loathe to part with it, he gave me eggs and potatoes for it- for about three days. He saved my life. I think it was divine intervention, I will never get this experience out of my mind. We continued to march towards Nuremburg. On the 4th May we were freed by the Americans, our guards disappeared and we were on a farm. I killed, dressed and boiled threes chickens and shared with four others. We also took eggs.

The Americans told us to go to Regensburg, a two day journey. We stayed with a German family at Steinberg for one night. They were quite friendly, had a son who was a P.O.W in America.

After a few days we were flown from Regenburg to Le Havre, then by boat to Southampton, given a good meal, a bath and a change of clothing, issued with a pass to home, arriving at Exeter on 10th May 1945. I was given two months leave and double food rations, I served in various places in England until my demob at Guildford at the end of 1946.

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