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Story of Eldred Frank Conway, Prisoner of War January 1944 to April 1945

I joined the Army (Royal Engineers) in February 1940 at the age of 20. Soon after I joined the Army I met my friend Bob Awcock, who was with me throughout the whole of the War.

I had just finished my training when the battle of Dunkirk started in 1940. I was in Folkestone Harbour helping the troops who had escaped from Dunkirk, as they came off the boats.

I continued training in different parts of the country, England & Scotland.

My wife Doreen and I were married in January 1943. Within 2 week of getting married I was posted abroad to North Africa. I served in North Africa until the German Army surrendered.

I volunteered to join the First Division to go into action. It turned out to be an island in the Mediterranean, Pantalorea, which we captured with ease.

We then went to Naples in Italy in early 1944. We got on a landing craft and landed behind the enemy lines at Anzio. We were there for 3 weeks until Bob and I were captured and taken to Germany to Stallag 4B Prisoner of War Camp. We transferred to Stallag 11A and were posted to a factory with 50 other men. We were there for 14 months, working in a timber factory. We were given very little food and made to work 12 hours a day. My trade before I joined the Army was a cabinet maker. I was ordered to make chairs. Towards the end we were taken on lorries, many miles away and left in some woods. Bob and I went off on our own and made our way to a public house where we stayed for a week, until the Americans came in their lorries and took us back to Brussels.

When we got back to Brussels we hitched a lift back to England on the floor of a Halifax bomber.

A lifetime friendship with Bob was formed during our years in the Army and our time as Prisoners of War. Our characters were different, and we kept each other going during our time as prisoners. Bob and I remained good friends for the rest of our lives, until he sadly passed away a few years ago. Even though we lived a distance away from each other — he and his family in Burgess Hill, Sussex, and my family and I in my home village of Churchdown in Gloucester — we met whenever we could. Bob & Joan came to stay at Easter every year. We shared the occasional holiday together, and one year even went to Germany together.

When my wife and I reached our Golden Wedding Anniversary, our children threw a surprise party for us at a local hall. Unbeknown to us, our children had arranged for Bob and Joan to be there. We walked into the hall and saw Bob and Joan. It was such a lovely surprise. Bob wiped away a tear when he saw the expression of surprise on our faces — a testament to our good friendship.

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