大象传媒

Joined the airforce in February 1941,Joined as a UT Pilot and went to 11 ITW Scarborough. Unfortunately contracted influenza and failed the pilots course, then remusted to air gunner.Then on October 16th 1942 the plane was shot down and I was in the tail end, we were on a gardening trip ( mine laying mission). We went to the Bay of Biscay mine laying, had to fly low,entered French Coast due to shortage of fuel had to take a short cut across Northern France to the Bay of Biscay. Unbeknown to them they were being tracked by the Germans who lay in wait for the plane going back. They were eventually shot down.
When I came round I had a big lump on my head, had to lay flat,when I was transferred to the hospital I collapsed and fell down. After I recovered I was taken prisoner of war and was then transferred by train with two guards to Du Lag Luft prisoner of war reception, we waited in fear of being killed, we waited there for a posting to Stalagluf 1.But had to wait until there were enough people to fill a cattle truck.
I was at Stalagluf for about 10 months, we shared 6 to a room which was very good at that time. The we were shipped in 1943 to Stalagluf 6 in Lithuania, I was held there for about 12 months. Then we went by cattle truck and marching to Mamel. We marched for about 200 km
from there we were loaded into freighters, a single shell ship. We docked and were manackledto bars in a cattle truck and taken to Stalag 11B,at Fallingbostel, which was an army camp,there were all nationalities there. We were all suffering from malutrition,and were lousy. Captain Pollack was our saviour and helped look after us, he was a really good bloke.I arrived back home in the UK on the 16th April 1945 where I was sent to Cottesford hospital where I stayed for a couple of weeks. The sister on the ward did her training with my sister,i got preferential treatment after that. I decided from that moment to sign on with the airforce for another 12 months. I wanted to stay in the airforce and did so until the age of 45.

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