大象传媒

This was submitted by a volunteer from Age Concern Shropshire Telford & Wrekin on behalf of Slavik Federkewgoz, Sam Titley & Edward Cawthorne and has been added to the site with their permission. They fully understand the site's terms and conditions.

Slavik Federkewgoz.
Slavik is originally from the Ukraine and when the Germans overran his country he was forced to fight in the German army. He fought in North Africa and in the battle for Tobruk he was taken prisoner by the British and sent to a POW camp in Scotland. Amongst the prisoners in the camp was another Ukrainian and an 18 yearold Polish soldier. The young Pole was very antagonistic towards the Ukrainians and warned the camp officials - "Look out, these men are barbarians, dangerous people of low intelligence and not to be trusted." The irony was that far from having a poor intellect, Slavik's compatriot spoke twelve languages and was able to assist the British in intelligence work.
When the POWs were asked if any would come to Shrewsbury to work in the local sugarbeet processing factory, Slavik volunteered and has lived here ever since.
Tragically, he was separated from his wife and daughter when he was forced into the German infantry and after the war all his efforts to find them failed. There was, though, a happier ending as later on he met and married a Shrewsbury girl.

Sam Titley
Sam was an apprentice in a reserved occupation when war broke out and had to finish his apprenticeship before joining up. Although he wanted to be in the RAF he was offered a job down the mines or in the Navy. He chose the Navy and as a result saw plenty of action.
He was an officers' steward on an LST(landing ship tank)and was in the thick of the D-Day operations. They did four runs between Plymouth and Normandy on D-ay and then at four in the afternoon they hit a mine as they were returning home with wounded picked up from the Mulberry harbour at Arromanches. The worst casualties were amongst those already wounded and the sick-berth attendants who were all killed. Another LST came alongside to take off survivors and Sam was one of those lifting the stretcher cases out of the hold which was pitch black without lights or portholes. When the hatch was opened and the light flooded in, he saw the decapitated head of a man with eyes wide open staring up at him. The shock and horror of that sight has never left him.
On one of the LST's cross channel trips,they were carrying home 10 RAF men, and the Group Captain in charge of them asked the 1st lieutenant of the LST to find a man to act as batman to the RAF officers. The 1st lieutenant was furious and replied - "We're the senior service here,sir. Find one of your own men for the job."
After the sinking of his vessel Sam had two weeks survivor's leave and was then back in action on HMS Onslow, escorting Russian convoys; another hazardous job.

Edward Cawthorne
Edward was in the RAF reserve pre-war and was called up in May 1939. He was stationed at RAF Brize Norton, first on the ground staff and then he volunteered for aircrew. He was sent to the United States for training and became a W.O. glider pilot. They trained for the D-Day landings for more than a year.
The gliders were huge and could carry 38 men as well as a jeep and bren gun carriers. He was proud to have trained Major Howard DSO for the assault on Pegasus bridge. Major Howard and his men landed nearest the bridge and saved it: a hugely important strategic position.
Once he was sent to Hawarden airport in Liverpool to collect a new American glider which had been brought over by sea. He was to take it to Brize Norton into RAF service and was being towed by a Sterling bomber. Unfortunately there was no communication between him and the pilot of the Sterling as there were no batteries for the intercom. It grew dark and the Sterling pilot was obviously lost,so when Edward saw the gooseneck paraffin flares of Brize Norton he detached himself from the bomber and landed safely.
He was very pleased with himself until all hell broke out because he had landed without permission. He was surrounded by jeeps and armed men who thought he was the enemy because they didn't recognise the glider. They were finally convinced that he wasn't a German speaking perfect English when they asked him "Who won the Cup Final?" and he was able to give the right answer!

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