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Unfortunately, we weren’t quick enough — as we were marching we heard planes in the area — they were circling round about — they were Yanks. Then all at once, this American plane started firing coming up the road. They thought that we were Germans. As it started firing, I knew what to do by this time — get to the side of the road, behind this house and it just shot passed — you know how they travel — and I said to myself ‘I better just wait here because it will be coming back down the road again’, knowing that they were still there. So, I went to the other end of the building and the thing, sure enough, came right up the road. Two or three of them got injured/wounded and one of them also got his hand shot off. He was a pianist and used to play when they had pantomimes and shows — anyway, that was what happened. Well, the pilot, seemingly, this chap he was in the hospital, he was allowed to go and see him and he said that the chap that was the pilot, he was also shot down. He was going down too low — anyway he got shot down. Anyway, he said ‘I am truly sorry for what I have done, I really thought that these were Germans’. What a sight it was to see the Americans streaming in at the gate, and the gate was wide open. In a few days lorries arrived to take us to an air field, American lorries, where we were fed and told that we were being flown to France, to Reome. And from that dekota we waited for the Lancasters to come that took us to England then. We all got a turn of looking out of the turret, they all had a machine gun on the roof you would say, so you had to wheel it round — there was no ammunition of course, just as well. On arrival there we were transported to billets and I tried to remember where we were and which part of the country we were in but it escapes me at the moment. We were told to go for a walk and shake off the thoughts of a guard walking behind you. I felt that way for some time, and it is still hard for me to do so after five years in prison. Others weren’t so lucky — there were 500 killed at that time instead of being captured and injured and taken prisoner. I will never forget the hopelessness of it all. Five years lost of their young lives. A few days later we were transported to the railway station which was quite a few miles of a journey. On arrival there we were given travel vouchers and told to listen for the train destination going to Edinburgh and connection for Alloa. My parents were told I was travelling on it, but they were given the wrong date, they were given the day before. So, when the train pulled in, I was looking out, hoping for a welcome party, I grabbed my kit and walked home and into the house. What a welcome I got! My father had gone to work not knowing I was home. Somebody, who worked near him, told him he had seen me walking along the road and he got permission to go home and that was another welcome home I got! After a few days leave, a card arrived from some Army office with a travel voucher to report to rehabilitation to the barracks near Edinburgh, that could be Redford I think. It was very informal — eating and chatting and taken to Edinburgh then taken on a mystery tour. The next day we were informed to report for kit but it wasn’t a change of kit, army kit, it was flannel trousers and a jacket. Oh, if you had seen them! I never wore them — I still wore the clothes I had before I went — you could nearly see through them! Anyway, I’d finished my report now and had a nice time at home not having thought of work for some time.

Q. So, mum and dad, were they still alive when you came home from the war?

A. Yes.

Q. And were you allowed to write home in the years when you were a prisoner?

A. Yes, occasionally you got a card. I kept this card for years in my drawer beside all the rest of the rubbish.

Q. So, mum knew you were alive?

A. Yes, that was the fall of France. They just heard that there were so many killed and, to make matters worse, there was a chap further up the road who had been in the army and he had just got to France and this was him then coming out, so he said ‘I thought I saw Ian on one of the other boats’ he would have been better saying nothing because there were so many boats sunk, boat bombing and trapping.

Q. So mum and dad really didn’t know for a long time?

A. No, six months anyway.

Q. You must have been a bit unsure, given the Germans’ reputation, when you were captured?

A. It was a worrying time for them, only they knew what like it was, we could only hope that they did not make it too severe for them, you know.

Q. Did you get to know some of the Germans that were guarding you?

A. Well, some of them were just like our own people, you can say hello to a chap up there and he might pass you the next day, you know, that sort of thing, but others, one of the guards had a house in Collown and he could speak a little English and he said ‘did you hear the planes go over last night? That was Collown they bombed last night.’ His mother and family were in Collown. So he knew we had the same going on in our towns as they were having there. He said we know what it’s all about. He said it was something they could have done without. But he said you daren’t say anything or you would be put away to a concentration camp or something. He said just to do what we were told to do.

Q. When you were prisoner of war, did you ever run into any Jewish prisoners?

A. No. That was a different part of the country that they were in. I don’t know exactly where they were, I know it was Outswich.

Q. Was it just British prisoners you were with or were there Americans too?

A. There were no Americans in our camp but there were Canadians and Australians. It was just how they were captured. I have got some programmes there that you might be interested in.

Q. Can you remember VE Day? Were you still at the camp then?

A. Yes, we were still away at that time. In fact, we had been released by the Americans but we were still being transported home. I’m saying all these things but it takes time to do these things. We had to wait sometimes for the planes even. And, by this time, the war was coming to an end. I was quite pleased when I was going to be going on the plane anyway, we weren’t wanting any fighters sucked out.

Q. Did you manage to celebrate VE Day?

A. No, nothing like that. We were more looking for food rather than drink!

Q. In prison life, sir, what time did they get you up in the morning?

A. For work, six.

Q. The belt you’re wearing, where was it made?

A. It was made in the prison camp, to keep his trousers up.

Q. Did you make that yourself?

A. No, it was a chap who made shoes that made it. Some of it was cuttings from a strap of leather which was going to be flung out anyway.

Q. It’s very small, were you tiny?

A. I’ll let you see the difference, not that there is any difference now!

Q. You got one meal a day?

A. Yes, one meal a day. It was better in the officers’ camp. Better food, more
often. They got more and we got more too. And then I forgot to mention that
we didn’t get any food parcels sent — the officers did, just after we had arrived.
It was maybe a good time to arrive. Well, they counted how many parcels
there were, and how many people were in the camp and divided the parcels up
to try and make it equal and everybody got some. I mean at first we just got
half a tin of this, and a tin of that, but even these little things that we didn’t have unless we had been at home, you enjoyed the food and I think that’s what kept us going.

Q. Did it make you feel better by having something?

A. Oh, yes, we were able to think about having a kick of a ball or something like that.

Q. Did you play football?

A. Yes, we played football but not against the Germans. I think the Germans were frightened in case they got the boot! We would have beaten them anyway!

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