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Graham Millward POW

L.A.C W/OP Graham A. Millward
Leading Aircraftman Wireless operator.

After completing wireless operator and general training at Compton Basset RAF station in Wiltshire, I embarked, from Liverpool on my 21st birthday 8th January 1941, on Canadian Pacific Liner, 鈥淒uchess of Richmond鈥�. We joined a convoy of a lot of other ships with naval escort at Gourock and sailed, via Africa, for the Middle East .

Posted to a Sunderland Flying Boat Squadron at Alexandria, Egypt, for a short time. Then later to Iraq, RAF Station Habbanya, and on to Tehran, Iran. There involved in the organisation of ferrying supplies to the Russians, via the Caucasus.

After leaving Tehran by road convoy we returned to Cairo to await further posting. Italy capitulated from the war and, with another wireless operator, I flew to the Island of Cos near the Turkish coast. We took over the island with a squadron of Hurricane fighters and set up a wireless station. Whilst on Cos we were continuously bombed by German aircraft. After about 2 months (late 1943 ) the Germans landed paratroopers and seaborne forces. Within a few days our army was forced to surrender and we (RAF operations staff) tried to reach a fishing village opposite the Turkish coast by walking through the rough mountainous region of the island for 4 days, sleeping in the open and drinking water from streams. But the German army was already there and we were captured. Within a few days, both Army and RAF personnel were shipped to Greece in the hold of a cargo ship.

After much travel by cattle truck and train over a period of approx. 6 - 8 weeks, through Greece, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria and Austria, I and a number of others were taken from the train. I was suffering from Malaria which I presume I had contracted whilst sleeping in the open mountains of Cos of previously in Egypt. All RAF prisoners were sent to a prisoner of war camp near to the Baltic Sea and almost on the Lithuanian border. This was at Hydekrug Stalag Luft 6. This camp was controlled by the Luftwaffe. The winters were cold, food very scarce and we had to exist on a little black bread, watery swede soup with occasional horsemeat in it and occasional food parcels supplied by the International Red Cross. The parcels would contain a few tins containing meat, butter, powdered milk, condensed milk, block of chocolate, cigarettes, raisins etc. These were sometimes shared between 2 鈥� 8 people. At this camp, on one occasion, we used the laths from our bunks to shore up the sides of an escape tunnel.

Later the Russians started to advance into Germany and we were moved by cattle truck into Poland and then to Fallingbostel in Central Germany. When the Allied forces eventually landed in France and started to advance towards Germany, some of our camp were force-marched, under armed guard, away from the advancing troops. On one occasion during this march, when we were resting by the roadside, our planes mistook us for German troops and attacked, firing rockets. The attack continued until we all ran out into the fields, waving our arms, and the attackers realized their mistake. One of my friends near to me was killed in the attack.

We slept rough for about a month, living on very little food until we were released by the British 2nd Army. Myself and 3 other RAF personnel commandeered a car and made our way to an aerodrome where, along with others, we were able to get a plane direct to the south of England > This was on VE day and we were able to listen to Churchill鈥檚 VE day speech on the radio. We were then taken by special train to RAF Cosford. We felt that it was really good to be alive and life was, again, worth living.

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