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This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Bill Ross, of the ‘Action Desk — Sheffield’ Team, on behalf of Mr. D.J. Wilson, who, after recovering the diaries following their disposal, has assumed responsibility for them. They have been added to the site with the Mr Wilson's permission who fully understands the site's terms and conditions.
The story is in five parts:

Pt 1: A4350917

Pt 3: A4351015

Pt 4: A4351079

Pt 5: A4351105

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We have had some heavy rain these last three days, and the camp is deep in mud. When it is fine, a great many sleep outside because in the bungalows, it is very stuffy. The beds are three high and there are only two doors and six windows.

Today is Sunday, the fifth of September and there is only four days’ bulk left in the camp, and there is no sign of any more Red Cross parcels coming, with all the railways being bombed. The news gets better every day, we are still hopeful of being away by the end of September.

The camp boxing took place last week and it passed two good evenings away. We had the last of the Red Cross cigarettes last Wednesday, so now there are very few around the camp. Now it is getting like Benghazi; the boys are smoking Italian tobacco rolled in any bit of paper. In Benghazi, some were smoking tealeaves and fig leaves. I’ve never tried them, so I cannot say what they are like. If a person has any English cigarettes, he can buy anything.

Bulk Parcels.
1 lb (pound) tin of sausages, 2 oz. (ounces) of tea,
2 tins of M.V. 10 oz. each, 4 oz. of cheese,
1 lb. Of butter, 4 oz. of sugar,
1 tin of condensed milk, 1 lb. of biscuits,
1 bar of chocolate, 1 bar of soap.

The chocolate is very good, made into a drink.

How to pass a day in P.G. 70:
This is what I did when the parcels were in plentiful supply:
06.00, out of bed and a good wash.
06.30, went for a half mile run, then walked two miles.
07.00, Roll Call.
07.30, wash and clean up, and a little read.
08.00, breakfast and another read.
09.30, go round and have a chat with some of the unit lads, then have a walk round the camp; watch a game of football then read the notice board.
12.00, tea up, and a light lunch, then read until about two.
14.00, play a game of chess, sometimes the game takes a few minutes, or a few hours.
16.00, hot meal.
16.30, wash and a walk round.
17.00, roll call.
17.30, game of football.
18.00, bath, hot if possible.
18.30, hot water.
19.00, watch a game of football.
20.00, go round to see a townie.
21.30, have a brew of tea and a little to eat, then go for a walk or have a game of chess.
23.00, bed time. If it’s fine, I sleep outside, if it’s damp, inside.

I was well in with a lad from Sheffield. He worked in No 2 cookhouse. I spent many nights with him in the cookhouse. Sometimes, it was midnight before I got to bed. I had a sweet rice pudding with a mug of tea at 03.00

A Copy of the P.G. 70 Times

Miner’s Holiday
Miner’s big day by the sea.

Last week, the miners of the County of Durham spent one of England’s best summer weeks by the sea. This is the first holiday they have had with pay since pre-war

Donkey Derby was won by the well known jockey, Gordon Richards. Harry Graves was second followed by Cliff Richardson.
The course was crowded with all the race fans of the year. This year’s Derby was won by Fair Play, owned by Dorothy Pagan. H Woolerson holds the mile record with 2 m. 7 2/5 seconds.

PG 70’s Chess tournament plays the first game on Tues 7th. The game will be played on the green at 2.30 p.m. every day. There are 93 entries up to today Mon 6th. The players will play one game only.

No 3 won the Darts Competition last week by 37 games to 13.

Racing:
PG 70 held its fifth racing meeting last week on the green. With a great crowd of race fans waiting for the first race.

8/9/43...........The camp is running very low in parcels. Tomorrow is the last day and it is my day to draw. We have been having one every ten days. Each man draws his own panel, some go in pairs which is a good idea because it makes it run out better. If one is one’s own, his meat doesn’t last long because all tins are punctured and it has to be eaten very quickly.
But now, we are not worried, now that our boys are in the same country as we are and the news is good. It is good the way we get the news. Some of the lads in the camp go out to work every day at the slaughterhouse. They are killing all the stock from the farms that have been bombed out. They leave camp at 13.30 every day and bring an Italian paper back, which is read out the next morning by some who know how to read it.

England play Scotland tonight at football. While the football was in play, two Italians ran into the camp to let our officers know that the war between the Italians and English had finished. The football finished at 8.20 p.m. and at 8.27 p.m., it was given out that it was finished. The boys in the camp went mad with joy, some were crying, some were shouting, others singing.

At 9 p.m., the band came out and played ‘God Save The King.' It was great to hear the band play it for the first time. There weren’t many that went to bed that night.

9/9/43: In the night, someone had climbed the water tower and put the Union Jack on the top, and it’s still there. We get the B.B.C. News in the camp now, instead of rumours. We are now waiting for our own troops to arrive now, which won’t be long.

As soon as the Italians made peace, our W.O.’s (Warrant Officers) and N.C.O.’s began to let everyone know their ranks. The W.O.’s went out on their own as usual.

11/9/43.......A concert was held on the green. It was a great show and lasted until 23.15 hours. Three or four parties went out for a swim and some for a walk. Some of them caused trouble, so there has been a stop put to swimming and walks. Over 7,000 men want to go for a walk but they cannot, because three hundred couldn’t behave themselves.

The W.O.’s can still go for a swim whenever they want and can go to the nearby towns about eight miles away. The men are not allowed out and should not be allowed. A great many left camp and did not return. A sergeant took one party of about 20 men with them. The news is very good. We are allowed out in parties of six and one N.C.O. A great many went out and didn’t return, so it was stopped.
The Italians have a football ground just outside the camp by the lake; you go through the bottom end of the camp. I should say about two thousand went to see the game, but instead of all coming back after the finish, half of them went for a walk in the countryside and came back just before dark. Others came in at all hours of the night, some didn’t come back. A great deal of damage was done. Major Parks gave a lecture about all the damage that had been done in the last few days and one of the lads in the camp took the Italian Major’s car downtown, and came back sometime in the night. One lad who is a very good boxer, was in town and started fighting the Italian Soldiers. When he had finished, five Italians lay on the roadside. He was brought back to the camp and nothing was said.
The walks stopped again the following day, but some got out by giving the Italian sentry a bar of soap or a pair of socks. One lad gave a complete P.P. and the sentry let him and his two pals out at 2.00. a.m.

The parcels are very low.
Monday 13th we received one Canadian parcel between two.
Thursday 16th ....1 tin of jam between 3
1 packet of biscuits between 2
4 oz (ounces) of cheese each
Friday 17th..........1 tin of M.V. between 3
1 bar of chocolate between 3
Saturday 18th...... 1 pk of fruit between 8
1 tin of meat between 2
1 tin of margarine between 4
Monday 20th........One Canadian parcel between 4
15th: went out for a walk; three of us went together and went to a great many farmhouses. We took one vest, two pairs of socks, one scarf and we came back with three big loaves, about 3 lbs (pounds) each, thirteen new laid eggs, nine pints of wine and four lbs of tomatoes. Apples, grapes and peaches we picked on the our way back. We left camp at 15.00 hours and returned at 22.30 hrs.

16th: Left camp at 16.30, returned at 22.00
We took one Italian coat, one pair of socks and a shirt. We got 15 eggs, 2 lbs (pounds) of tomatoes and eight pints of wine
17th: We intended going out about ten this morning, but Jerry surrounded the camp at 09.20 and no one knew until four Jerry Officers walked in the main gate with Tommy guns under their arms. It was the best and quickest thing I’ve seen take place. The Jerry Officers told Major Parkes that they were an advanced party, and they had come in very quietly and would go away quietly. We were told that they were here for 24 hours, just to keep us inside the camp until some of his troops pass through.
The camp leaders have just been sent for by Major Parkes who was ordered by the Jerry Officer. I’m waiting till they come back, then I’ll write it down (it is two hours since the Camp Leaders were sent for and we haven’t heard anything yet).
Ever since the Italians stopped fighting on 8.9.43, Major Parkes has been telling the camp that patrols have been out on the hills around and if there are any signs of Jerry, or our troops, we would know at least six hours before anyone could arrive at our camp. The other day, the 15th, all the Italians left except the officers and a few sergeants.

Today, Jerry arrived at the camp main gate before anyone knew he was here. No I don’t believe there are 10% of the men in camp, nor do I believe a word Major Parkes has said in the last two weeks. If the Jerry pulls away, nearly all of the camp will leave for the hills.
Major Parkes has not walked through the camp today. The boxing tonight has been cancelled; we are not allowed to have the lights on after 21.00 hours.
We have just heard what Major Parkes said: "If we stay inside the camp, Jerry will stay outside and no one will walk about after 21.15 Hours."

18th: A few shots were fired in the night, but everything is very quiet this morning. The Italian flag has been taken down today. If the Jerry saw the Union Jack on the water tower, I think he’d have had a lot to say, but the Jerry has no flag flying and there are no Italians. Somebody has to have their flag up. We are now German prisoners with the Union Jack flying. The German officer wanted to buy some cigarettes, but the Italians said they hadn’t any, so Major Parkes gave them some English ones that were left in the stores. The Jerry had been filling his tanks up and putting plenty of food at the ready, in case of having to pull out. Everyone in the camp seems to think he will go tonight, he doesn’t seem to worry about us, as long as we keep quiet and don’t bother him.

We have just heard that the 8th and 5th Armies have joined the 7th Army, 60 miles south of here.

19th: We had a little news this morning, which Jerry didn’t know we’d received; from a wireless in the camp. Our troops are coming up very fast and the Jerry is retreating very fast. He is going past the camp on the East Coast Road at full speed, and not worrying about P.O.W.s

Two Jerry three ton lorries have arrived from Port St Giorgio, full of Canadian red Cross parcels, and they are now being unloaded in camp. The big wireless in camp is always playing, since Jerry came, but it’s all German. The Jerrys went to camp 59 and there were no prisoners left in camp, but they found the Italians there. The Italians had been helping themselves to the Red Cross parcels that were left. The Jerry didn’t like it, so he set into them and brought all the parcels back to our camp; approximately 8,000 all told. The German Officer saw our rations come in and when he saw the greens, he told them to throw it away. He said they weren’t fit to eat and that the bread wasn’t big enough.
The parcels arrived at 17.30 hours and cigarettes were given out at 18.15 hours. We received 25 each week. Six men from the camp went out to take our bread, but last night, they arrived back at 18.00 hours and the German officer sent 16 again at 19.00. They were baking all night.

20th: Every man in camp received one parcel each. Some more German troops arrived, but left. I cannot say where to. The wireless has been playing all day, No. 3 gives its boxing contest tonight. No 1 and No. 2 gave theirs on the 15th and 16th.

Two Sergeants were shot be Jerry while they were on one of the farms. One is doing well but the other died at 16.20 hours on the 20th of September. They were shot on the night of the 18th.

21st September: I have just looked up the water tower and I’m sorry to say that the Union Jack does not fly there any more. I cannot say if was taken down, or if it fell down.

23rd Sept, the first batch of the bags left by railway tracks, destination unknown, 1500 left.

24th: An Italian civilian came into camp with his cart full of foodstuff. It was drawn by two oxen. The German inside the gate took all his foodstuff and his oxen, then told him to take the cart away.

Yesterday morning, one Italian guard started pushing one of the lads that were moving out. The lad dropped his kit and hit the Italian guard. The guard went for his revolver, but then a German sergeant told the lad it was all right. The German sergeant had got the Italian guard covered with his revolver. The German troops do not trust the Italians one bit. One day, the Italians are fighting for them, the next day, for us. The German officer takes the Roll Call every morning now, and if anyone is moving, we know by 10.00 Hours.

4000 men are left in camp, today being the 25th and he intends to move every one in the next two days. All this was written in pencil while on the train, and then put down in ink. On the afternoon of the 24th, there were fires all round the camp. The boxing ring went up in smoke at 17.50 hours. Italian beds were thrown on to burn.

No. 4 camp left on the 23rd. Half of No2 and No 3 left on the 24th. We received orders to move the following day.

Pr-BR

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