大象传媒

One day, as I was walking around the perimeter of the camp, an Italian guard outside made an astonishing statement to me (not quite certain how to spell it accurately, but it sounded something like 'Cinque hora soldat finito.') I thought that he was just going off duty at 5p.m. but could not understand why he should be telling me this, let alone speaking to me as a POW anyway.

(Our forces from Tunisia had captured Sicily in July-August, 1943 and invaded the Italian mainland on 3rd September. Mussolini had been overthrown on the 25th July; and the new government signed an armistice on the 8th September and declared war on Germany on the 13th October).

Shortly after the guard had made their intentions known, all hell broke loose and all the camp guards stampeded towards waiting trucks. An Italian officer was seen to be firing at them, as they disappeared amidst a cloud of dust. We very quickly formed a long line and together rushed the fence, bringing it down to earth and we were now free to roam the immediate area around the camp. At this point, it was said that some men did actually escape, being assisted by Italian families, but most ran into the wrong end of the gun, whilst one or two were in a such a dreadful condition that the the effort was completely fruitless.

Some of us visited the camp of the French Foreign Legionaires, where it was an education to see them squatting on the floor around a very large bowl, into which they had mixed several items from Red Cross parcels together - condensed milk, fish, meat, etc. and eating therefrom by dipping their hands into the bowl!

Later on many of us made tracks for the nearest village in search for food. It was amazing to see chicken flying out of the front doors as we passed by. Because we had been free for a few days, we thought that the Germans had forgotten us, because it was said that they were in great numbers on the other side of the Apennines.

Lo and behold, just as I reached the centre of that village a car suddenly appeared, coming to an abrupt halt, in a cloud of dust and I saw a German officer in the back of the car brandishing a revolver at us. Never had I ever rounded a corner as quickly as on that occasion. I shouted to others who were still making for the village to get back to the camp with all haste, otherwise they would cease to be under the protection of the Red Cross.The enemy would have closed the camp to them.

I had not long been back in the camp when a few Germans marched up the centre of the compound. They told us that it would be quite impossible for us to escape, because they had troops all around the area. That they would arrange football games with us and above all, we would not go to Germany!

It had aleady been said that some of our POWs had slit the throats of some Italian Carabineeri up in the woods during the spell of freedom, but I cannot vouch for that.

The Germans softened their hearts on this occasion, opened a well and each of us was offered about half-a-litre of water, which could not have been more welcome if it had been champagne!

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