大象传媒

Laterina (Florence area).

On February 22nd we were moved in closed trucks to a P.O.W. camp at Laterina, south-west of Florence. On the way we passed a large lake, possibly Lake Tresimeno. The rations for the day were one third of a loaf and half a tin of bully beef. Our truck finished up in a ditch, fortunately on the 鈥榙oorstep鈥� of the camp. I have lost all memory of this accident so it could not have been a serious one.

This camp had been used by the Italians to keep British P.O.Ws up to the time of Italy鈥檚 capitulation in September 1943. The camp was infected with lice and one of our main occupations was a continual 鈥榮earch and kill鈥� operation. Fortunately we had a lot of warm sunshine so we were able to sit out-of-doors and divest ourselves of clothes for this purpose. When he camp had been evacuated in 1943 a lot of library books were left behind, so I did a fair bit of reading. I discovered a bird fancier from Devon and we used to have chats about birds. Some years later, probably on our holiday at Woollacombe in 1956, I looked him up and we had quite a chat about old times.

At this camp the 鈥榮killy鈥� was better. In addition to the usual rations I noted that we got paste on one occasion, sweet rice at least twice, some cheese, and even sweet coffee. The amount of rations we were given continually hungry but not starving as during the closing days of the war. While I was at this camp I had a surprise reunion with three members of my platoon; Corporal Blackman, Paddy Walsh and Underwood. No doubt they told me their stories as to how and when they were captured but my memories fails me. On February 24th I was feeling wretched with a swollen jaw, no doubt a septic tooth, but by March 1st it was easier.

Sunday, March 5th: there was an improvised Communion Service led by a Church of Scotland Padre. He was careful to point out he was a non-conformist minister and he would understand it if anyone felt they could not participate, but no one opted out. He had applied to the Germans for a small supply of wine but they would not co-operate, so we celebrated with army biscuit and water. This service took place in the open air. The following Sunday there was another communion service in a hut and once again water was used. This was followed by a Church of England service. Some officers provided a choir and there was fine singing.

On the 14th I noticed a mouse around my bed and on the 16th someone gave me a hair-cut, using my nail-scissors!

During this period we had some warm days after early frost. A mail Cirl Bunting visited the camp on the 8th and I heard a Crested Lark singing on the 21st.

Stalag VII 鈥� Moosburg, Bavaria.

The 鈥榳ord鈥� Stalag is short for 鈥楽tamnlager鈥� and means base camp. Germany was divided into a large number of military districts and the 鈥榮talag鈥� was numbered after the military district in which it occurred.

March 21st: We at last left by train for Germany packed tightly into cattle trucks. Through a chink in the side I managed to see the grand scenery of the Alps; presumably we passed through the Brenner Pass. We finally reached Stalag VIIB on the 23rd and there was tremendous excitement as we now received our first Red Cross food parcels. These were to form part of our life for most of he rest of the time as P.O.Ws, and at the best each one of us received one parcel per week. They weighed about 10 lbs each, measured 12鈥� x 6鈥� x 4鈥�, and came from Britain, New Zealand, Canada, America and the English community in Argentina. These parcels together with the rations from the Germans and what we could obtain by bartering with cigarettes gave us a reasonable diet. In some cases, e.g. butter, we were doing better than people back home in England.

Sadly I did not have the appetite for a parcel as I did not feel at all well. It was the same the next day, the 24th, and in the evening I was admitted to the camp hospital. The following day I was diagnosed as having pleurisy and pneumonia. I still had no appetite and was provided with a special medical Red Cross parcel. What it contained I cannot now remember. At first I was treated ineffectively by a British M.O., but then a German doctor was called in and he prescribed intravenous injections. These were not very pleasant but did the trick. On 1st April I was able to write a letter and a French barber gave me a shave and hair-cut. On the 3rd I got up for a short time in the afternoon but was very shaky on my legs. I went for short strolls on the 10th & 11th. On 16th I wrote to mum that I had two spare pairs of socks and a 鈥榟ouse-wife鈥� for darning. Finally on the 17th I was discharged; I had been in hospital over three weeks. Activities noted in my diary while I was in hospital included writing cards, studying an Italian grammar, and making oat-cakes. In the hospital we were cared for by British medical orderlies and by patients who had reached the convalescent stage. It seems likely that the pneumonia was brought on by the 鈥榮tarvation鈥� rations, lack of warm clothing especially an overcoat, and the very cold spell on the train journey. My great-coat had been blown up in a truck while we were in action.

Following my discharge I was put in a different compound. (Internal arrangements in the camps were organised by the Senior Warrant Officers, or N.C.Os.) Here I noted we had three-tier beds, palliasses and two blankets. What we had had before was not recorded. In this compound I had a surprise meeting with Ritchie with whom I had trained at Maidstone Barracks during the winter of 1939/40 after which our ways parted. He had been captured in the Dodecanese Islands, during the ill-fated campaign in Greece. I also met again Smith, Jack steel, and Cowdrey who had been members of my Company on the Angio beach-head. On the 19th there was the issue of five German razor blades, so the one I had been using for weeks was given retirement! Activities noted include bird watching and reading (including a detective story in French borrowed from French P.O.Ws.

April 23rd: We had an Anglo-catholic communion service followed by international football matches with the French and Yugoslavs in the afternoon. The following Sunday there was a simple service accompanied by a band in the French 鈥榯heatre鈥�; this was well attended.

April 24th: There was an air raid warning during which we saw formations of our planes passing over. I wrote to Mum I was intending to join classes in French and Spanish but our move on May 1st intervened.

April 26th: I was moved back to the original compound and we were de-loused and given baths.

April 27th: Noted that I washed my socks and darned them.

April 28th: We made a cigarette collection for the Russian prisoners who received neither Red Cross parcels nor cigarettes. Had the unusual experience of a cock Common redstart and a cock Black Redstart side by side.

German rations at this time included pea soup, rations of sugar and cheese (made locally at Moosburg), German sausage and potatoes. The issue of food parcels resulted in much trading and the setting up of an auction mart. We also incredibly received 50 cigarettes a week from the Red Cross. With my cigarettes I obtained a pudding, tinned raspberries and gooseberries, jam, and a tin of boot polish and a tin opener. One midday I made a lovely batter with syrup. A specimen menu was as follows:
Breakfast: Coffee, sausage, potatoes, bread, butter and honey.
Lunch: Macaroni, grated cheese, potatoes and cocoa.
Tea: Sardines and potatoes, biscuits and honey, cocoa.
Supper: Bread and butter and Ovaltine.
This menu was of course concocted from both German rations and Red Cross food.

I had a cutting from the Daily Telegraph giving the obituary of Edward Ward the B.B.C. Foreign Correspondent. He was captured in the western desert and sent to Stalag VIIB in 1942. He said 鈥渄iscipline was lax and the guards gratifyingly corrupt; for a few hundred cigarettes a prisoner could even acquire a Luger pistol鈥�.

Stalag VIIIC, Sagan 鈥� Upper Silesia

May 1st: We were marched to the station and loaded onto cattle trucks; this time no straw was provided. The Germans doled out a ration of three-quarters of a loaf and a sausage for each man to eat on the journey. Presumably we had the usual 鈥榗offee鈥� but how often is not recorded. On the journey I particularly noted the frequency of bird-boxes on farms and in gardens. Hares were also seen and a few deer. En route we had an issue of Barley Soup. We reached our destination during the night of the 2nd/3rd but had to stay on the train till morning, and then we discovered we were at Sagan, 80 miles from Breslau, at Stalag VIII C.

In a separate segregated compound was Stalag Luft III for airmen. This was the well known camp from which 74 airmen escaped in March 1944, of whom 50 were shot. The airmen received so many cigarettes that anyone receiving a parcel put it into a collective store from which anyone could help themselves when they liked. They used to throw packets over the wire to us.
At the new camp we were given baths and de-loused and allocated to our living quarters. The beds were the same type as at Moosburg. That first day we received some thick barley stew. On the 4th our rations were: potatoes, soup, sauerkraut, margarine, sugar and bread. That day I improvised a knife, how I do not recall. The following day we were officially registered at last and I was given the number 86478, also our finger prints were taken.
May 6th: I improvised a darning needle from a nail (I cannot imagine how I did it), and a mop from a piece of wood and sacking. There was an issue of Canadian food parcels but unlike at Moosburg there was very little trading. We also received games and 75 French cigarettes!

May 7th: I borrowed a book from the camp library and sent off a letter to Mum. I told her we had had a simple service led by the camp band. Menu for the day:
Breakfast: Sardines and potatoes, bread and jam, tea.
Lunch: Barley broth, tea
Tea: Salmon and potatoes, stewed prunes and raisins in syrup, cream
Supper: Biscuits, butter, jam and tea.

May 8th: There was an issue of clothing: socks, pants, vest and pull-over. That evening we were invited to a concert in another compound. According to a letter to mum the concert was given by older prisoners. It included an hilarious comedy complete with full stage props. Two 鈥榞irls鈥� in the comedy were so well made up that one could easily be taken in.

May 9th: There was an issue of apple marmalade instead of margarine.

May 10th: I completed an application form for educational books; French and Insurance, but they did not come through until November 25th!

May 11th: Another bath. We had an issue of Canadian food parcels, but again trade was slack.

May 12th: I received a spare pair of 鈥榮lacks鈥� presumably through the Red-Cross, had a haircut and made a case for my shaving soap having just been issued with soap and shaving soap. The camp barber ran a regular business and was paid in cigarettes. About this time we also received some spare underclothing.

May 13th: It was a general practice for prisoners-of-war to work in pairs for cooking and other activities. My particular mate, Sam, who had had tailoring experience shortened my 鈥榮lacks鈥� for me. We worked out a menu for the week and in a letter I told mum he was a good cook. I can still see his happy, cheeky face. After the war I tried to make contact with him but with no success. I understood the area in which he had lived had been redeveloped.

Sunday May 14th: There was a service this morning followed by Holy Communion according to the Church of Scotland order.

The next week I made an inkstand, a cover for my notebook and a coat hanger. Library books read were: 鈥楽amuel Titmarsh鈥� by Thackeray and W.H. Hudson鈥檚 鈥楢dventures among Birds鈥�. We had a general issue of matches, and jam again. Sam obtained some biscuits for 25 cigarettes, and extra bread from the other compound.

May 18th: Today there was another issue of Canadian parcels. I traded for sardines and raisins.

May 19th: Another bath in the morning and we were able to wash clothes. The afternoon was very warm and we were able to sit out-of-doors. I obtained some coffee and cheese, presumably in exchange for cigarettes.

May 20th: I obtained some jam, three packets of prunes and one of raisins for 40 cigarettes. There was a band concert in the afternoon and some German films in the evening including one on the life of the crayfish.

May 21st: I sat out again. This last week I read 鈥楾he Christ of the Indian Road鈥�, and part of 鈥極ur mutual friend鈥�. (Did I get bored with it?)

May 24th: Received an overcoat at last (Just as we were approaching summer 鈥� how I could have done with it during the winter!), and an issue of pyjamas. In the evening there was a camp concert including an excellent conjurer.

May 25th: We were issued with English food parcels and I bought extra chocolate, salmon and sugar with my cigarettes.

May 26th: Busy again. I made a kit bag from some sacking, a picture frame for my photo of Mum, and a stand for my mirror. We received an issue of razor blades. From the library I borrowed 鈥楶olar journey鈥� and 鈥楾he animal world鈥�. A triumphant letter from mum: 鈥淗urrah! I have heard from you at last.鈥� She had written 12 letters to me via Geneva.

Sunday, May 28th: There was a service in the afternoon led by a padre. Our dinner that day: steak and kidney pudding, peas and potatoes, sultana pudding and cream, tea. I wrote to mum: 鈥済etting rather fat 鈥� my belt will scarcely meet.鈥�

May 29th: We celebrated Whit Monday with a late appel (=roll call) and it was the only one of the day. (normally two).

Among the things we received in this permanent camp were:
1. 鈥楾he Camp鈥�, a weekly propaganda newspaper from the Germans.
2. Lager-Geld i.e. camp money. They gave us a small allowance to spend in the canteen on things like razor blades, writing paper, but in fact there was very little to spend it on.

Specimen Lager-Geld notes

3. German soap. Very heavy, greyish and pretty useless. It was said to consist of pumice powder and horse fat!

Another ergaty product we noted was string made out of twisted brown paper. (I still have a specimen).

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