大象传媒

With the regularity of those Monday morning air raids, the Germans became suspicious and
one day they came across some wires dangling below a trap door of one of the three chimneys, which was said to be a false chimney and it was also said that as a result, 17 of the works officials were executed. Cannot vouch for that however.
It used to infuriate us to have heard in letters from home, how the German POWs were being transported to and from work and enjoying good food.
In February, 1945 we lost our former Lagerfurher who had possibly have been more lenient towards us because we heard that he had accommodation of sorts in the lovely Rhineland district of Germany, which many British people used to visit. He was so highly regarded by we POWs, that it was suggested he should be given a special mention to the British Red Cross upon our hoped-for return home! Suffice it to say, that he was replaced by a real snorter, who reminded us that we had got away with it lightly, we were now going to make up for it.
The bombing of Dresden could be heard as very heavy thunder on the other side of those Erzgebirge Mountains - in Germany. One
night what was regarded as a thousand bomber raid attacked the Hermann Goering Works. I well remember, as countless others must have done at home, the sound of bombs falling nearer and nearer, like an express train approaching, we having been allowed into the pit shelter for the occasion. One or two who had just entered, said it was a truly impressive sight above ground with chandeliers of light all around!
The mine opposite our camp was torched, presumably by fuel having been spread around prior to ignition, by a person/s unknown.
Hitherto,we were always known to the German soldiers as "Englisches Schwein- Hunds" (Dirty fellow or Cad), but in these latter stages we were to become promoted as being "English Gentlemen!"
A 'plane seemingly miles away fired some cannon shells which struck along the main road outside our camp.
On the 7th May we were marched towards the mountains to a village about a mile or two away whiush was called Johnsdorf. There we were to clamber aboard flat railway wagons and we wondered where on earth we were to be taken. After some anxious period of waiting we were quickly off-loaded and returned to camp. Reference to this incident will be made towards the end if this story!
On the morning of 8th May we went to the mine as usual.

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