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Pvt Ronald Frederick Dearing

My father was a member of the BEF that was sent to France in 1940 as part of the British effort to oppose the imminent German invasion.

He belonged to Number 1 Section, 13 Platoon ‘C’ Company, 2nd Battalion of the Bedfordshire Hertfordshire Regiment (known today as the Royal Anglian Regiment).

During the retreat to Dunkirk my father was wounded at Messines Ridge near Wytschaete in Belgium and captured on the 28th May. His first period of German captivity was in a Belgian hospital where his wounds to his arm and groin were attended to. From Belgium he was transferred to a hospital attached to Stalag IXB in Dieburg in Germany, just south of Frankfurt. From here he was moved to Schildberg in Poland and another hospital which was attached to Stalag XXIA.

After 3 years of captivity my Father’s wounds were sufficiently healed to leave the ‘comfort’ of a hospital camp in order to move to his final place of internment in northern Poland at a place called Montwy Hohensalsa at Oflag 64Z.

Now we know that conditions in the PoW camps were not that comfortable and one in northern Poland would have not been the warmest of places to spend locked up behind the wire so any means possible to get warmer at the expence of the ‘Goons’ was bound to be worth it. One freezing cold night colleagues from Dad’s hut decided that the sentry on guard would be able to keep warm by pacing up and down the wire and really did not need the comfort of a wooden box so they decided to put it to a much better use. While the Goon’s back was turned 3 inmates crept up and grabbed the ‘box’ and hid it in a location to be later chopped up for firewood.

Dad drew the cartoon of the picture of the occasion and I believe it found its way into the national press. The picture here shows the actual camera ready copy (proof) so I’m not sure whether it is my father’s actual drawing. Anyway for his story he won a prize but for the life of me I don’t know what paper it was that printed it so if anyone recognises the ‘PM’ initials I would be grateful to hear from you. The same goes for anyone that served or was interned with my Father during the war years, I’d really like to hear from you.

My Dad was repatriated in October 1943 and went on to live a fairly healthy life up until April 1990 when he died of cancer at the age of 72. Before he died he gained recognition as a member of the ‘Not Forgotten Association’, a charitable organisation formed to provide entertainment and recreation to disabled ex-servicemen and he benefited from a day out at Wimbledon and a visit to the Queens Christmas Party at St James Palace.

My Father had a badge that said he should never be forgotten, I believe that all the veterans of a war that could have drastically changed the course of History and the future of the British people should NEVER be forgotten, not this year nor for many years to come when they are no longer with us.

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