大象传媒

This story was taken from a journal that my father-in-law kept - he is still alive at 93 but can't remember which unit he belonged to. He was a bomb aimer in a halifax bomber and on the night of 24th may 1944 he was shot down over aachen. We don't have all of his journal, as it was lost when he was taken hostage during the suez crisis.
The night in question was his 39th trip - 15th in his second tour. The pilot was "rev" and "wally" the navigator.
That night had been ideal for a bombing run, he had checked over his bomb switch panel, set up his bomb light and was all set to release his load as soon as the pff marker flares appeared in line with the graticale, when the plane was hit. One wing was on fire and there was no hope of putting it out.
The command was given to get parachutes ready and jettison the load. With the load gone they baled out.
The following explosion blew the plane apart propelling jock far enough to allow him to open his parachute. When he landed, he was in an already burnt out building and was able to "enjoy" the next 5-10 minutes of a night bombing raid.
He tried to make his way in a westerly direction towards holland. He found a railway line but to his consternation target indicator flares started to drop and he deduced that the railway he had crossed was probably part of the nights pickings for butch harris's boys.
He spent the next 30 hours travelling and hiding, living on the chocolate from his pandoro and the occassional yeast tablet. There was a small compass in th escape kit but it wasn't functioning properly and by the time he had used his last purifying pellet he reckoned he must be in holland.
He found himself on the edge of a village and thinking he was safe walked through the streets. He was soon the centre of attention and ended up at the police station, a small affair but it seemed like quite an event to receive a pow.
A motorbike and sidecar transferred him to a luftwaffe camp where he was questionned and informed that another airman had been brought in. It was the rear gunner(don stewart) of his crew but they endeavoured to show no signs of recognition.
They were taken a railway station, he thought near gladbech and from there to cologne, and an aerodrome a few miles away. Here they were given quarters in an old carpenters shed. It had been equipped with several 3 tier beds. 6 american air corps men were already there as, to jock and dons surprise their other gunner. They were permanently guarded here, and were taken to be interrogated by the officers in charge.
They stayed for two days before being taken to cologne station where they journeyed south along the rhine towards frankfurt and their final destination dulag luft. They seemed to have adequate german rations and were able to view the holiday makers making the most of the fine warm weather.
Dulag was a mile or so walk from the train - this was the last time he would see his companions. He was put in a cell with a member of the fleet air arm - they held a guarded conversation until they realised they were in the same boat. There was only one paliasse in the cell so they took turn about between it and the floor. Jock was taken for interrogation and put into solitary confinement. He spent at least 11 days there and was described by the senior intelligence officer as the most stubborn scotsman he had met.
On the thirteenth day he was released from the cell and with a batch of about a hundred pow's transferred to a transit camp near wetzler where they were each provided with a suitcase marked red cross - this was like receiving a birthday present or christmas present, for it contained many of the things they had gone without. They were able to have a shower and shave on entering the compound and accommodation was in tents. Pow kitchen staff provided food, an assortment of potatoes, tinned meat, prunes, raisin stew, biscuits, cheese, jam, coffee and the american favourite chocolate and raisin pie.
They learned they would stay at this camp until sufficient pow officers arrived to move them to their final destination. Seven days of rest and good food went a long way to restoring their physical state. They needed it, for their next journey was to sagan and the camp to which they were destined.
This is where the surviving bit of the journal comes to an end.
This is very much an abrieviated version and we don't know anthing about the rest of the story as jock didn't speak about the war.

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