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Part four: repatriation.

We were released by the Russians on 23rd April, St.George’s Day, 1945. But they re-held us and we were not allowed to go from the camp. Some Russian prisoners had decided to defect to the German Army and some of them were made POWs in England and Canada: Stalin wanted them back. Our people didn’t want to let them go, because they knew what would happen to them, so meanwhile the Russians had our camp and we were being used in a bartering game.

In the southern part of Germany, the Americans were advancing-the British were further north- the two armies met at Torgau, just up the River Elbe from Mühlberg. The Americans sent a truck to bring us candy bars and cigarettes, but they were not allowed to take anybody back. The Americans suggested that we write a letter card and they would take the mail back for our friends and relatives back home. But they were told this mail had to go to Moscow for censoring, so they just set fire to it all.

Because of the fighting in the area, the electricity was knocked out and there was no fresh water. Things were pretty bad. The Russians agreed we could move to a German barrack in a place called Riesa: all the British were moved there, several thousand people.

We had to walk and it was raining. I managed to save my paintings and a few souvenirs, but the pictures got damaged. I have them framed now so that the damage doesn’t show.

From Riesa we were handed over to the Americans and were taken to an airfield where we boarded some Dakotas and were flown to Brussels. We stayed overnight and then we were flown in a Stirling bomber to Dunsfold, near Guildford. There we were deloused and given some clean clothes and learnt we were going to RAF Cosford, near Wolverhampton. I had been there before, so I knew we had to go via Paddington. So I phoned Phyllis, my fiancée and said we would be coming through. But we went by truck from Dunsfold.

Phyllis, now Charles’ wife, takes up the story: "I expected him to get off the train, but a van came around from the courtyard to the back of the station. He got out and he was white haired! I didn’t realise at first it was him, but it was the delousing powder that had made his hair white."

From Paddington, we got on a train for Cosford, our repatriation station. We were given a medical, new uniform and double ration cards. We were very thin, but were told by the doctor not to eat too much, because our stomachs had shrunk and they would expand too quickly. We had to gradually build ourselves up otherwise it would be dangerous.

We had got back to England on May 30th and I finally got home two days later. We got married on June 30th, 1945.

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