大象传媒

"This story was submitted to the People's War site by CSV/大象传媒 Radio Nottingham on behalf of Charlotte Robinson with her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions"

In 1938, my late husband Stanley (Stan) Robinson joined the Territorial Army at the Raleigh Cycle Co. At the time we were friends along with groups of young people who, danced every Saturday evening at the Mechanics Ballroom. On the evening of Saturday 2nd September 1939, Stan's parents came to the dance bringing a telegram, informing him that he must report immediately to the Drill Hall Derby. This brought it home to us that war must be imminent and of course it was declared the next morning.
Stan served in the Royal Artillery, as a dispatch rider, in England until 1940,when his Battery sailed for Greece, Calling at Durban, South Africa to replenish supplies. Stan always remembered the kindness shown to him by people in Durban. By this time however, Greece had already fallen to the Germans, so the ship had to proceed to Alexandria, where they disembarked and moved up to the Western Desert. Stan then had what he called "the best job in the desert" driving a water wagon. Unfortunately these wagons, having a large tank at the back, stood out very clearly and water being so precious in the desert, they were special targets for the Stuka Dive Bombers. Eventually someone had the bright idea to fit a frame and canvas cover so that they looked no different from the other lorries. The Battery served in the Western Desert until June 1942, when they were taken prisoner by the Germans at Tobruk.
After three months spent in the desert with very little food or clothing, they were taken in the hold of a coal carrying ship to Italy, arriving very dirty and ragged and in that state were paraded in the centre of the local town. They remained in Italy, near Capua in very primitive conditions. The diet consisting of one small bread roll and one bowl of soup per day. The sanitary facilities were very limited; therefore many cases of dysentery etc. occurred.
When the Allies landed in Italy, the Germans moved the prisoners north and Stan went to Stalag 8B, near Stettin on the polish border where conditions were much improved, helped by regular deliveries of Red Cross parcels. At this point it became possible for a little surplus food to be discreetly passed to Jewish prisoners held in a camp nearby. Stan remained at Stalag 8B until January 1945.
When the Russians were advancing, the prisoners were marched towards the west in the depth of winter, sleeping in farm buildings and with just any food they could find. The march carried on for 1,000 miles, through Czechoslovakia, (as it was then) and on to Munich, where the Americans finally released them in early May 1945. Stan said that one of the first people he saw striding into the camp after the release, was General Patten, wearing revolvers on both hips and it was a great sight after living through the previous years. .
Stan came home on May 12th 1945 and we were married on June 16th 1945. With rationing still in force, relatives helped by kindly contributing some of their precious food coupons towards the lunch and clothing coupons for the dresses. It was a very happy day.
We had a wonderful marriage until December 2001, when Stan died aged 82.

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