Turmoil of a different kind of warfare

Evening Chronicle (Newcastle, England), Dec 7, 2006

Byline: By Mitya Underwood

A book detailing the harrowing experiences of prisoners of war from the Durham Light Infantry in the Second World War has been published by a North East author. Mitya Underwood finds out more

Describing everything from the Red Cross food parcels to undercover spy operations, For You, Tommy, The War is Over shows how life was for the thousands of men taken captive by enemy troops during the Second World War.

One of the authors, Harry Moses, of Aycliffe Village, County Durham, spent three years researching and talking to men who were forced to live in atrocious conditions, often oblivious to what was going on outside the camp.

"I found out things about the prisoners of war I would never dreamed of. Their lives were incredibly difficult and the stories they tell are amazing," he says.

Harry, 76, wrote the book with Major Ian English, a former Durham Light Infantry soldier who passed away in March this year. Harry says: "It's different from other books because it actually gives a personal account from men who were there."

NFor You, Tommy, The War is Over is published by Business Education Publishers, and costs pounds 12.95. Harry will be signing copies on Saturday at the Durham Tourist Information Centre, Millennium Square, Claypath, from 10.30am until 1.30pm.

LIFE IN CAMP

A number of castles were used as prison camps. Most famous of these was Oflag IVC, better known as Colditz Castle. This was a medieval castle towering on a high rock. It was supposed to be escape-proof and was used by the Germans to "imprison those PoWs who were inveterate escapers".

Michael Farr, 2nd Battalion, wrote of his arrival at Colditz: "My first impression of Colditz seeing it as we drove over the hill was, 'My God, what kind of place is this?' I was weary, hungry, and afraid and near the end of my tether. I was to find out that it was every bit as bad as I expected on looking at it.

"We were unloaded and led over a drawbridge into the grey, sombre castle. I was swallowed up by the formidable granite walls of this lunatic asylum.'

FOOD AND DRINK

As well as the deteriorating physical condition of the soldiers, social and mental problems were becoming increasingly evident. Red Cross parcels were absolutely vital to the survival of the prisoner.

Over the course of the war the British Red Cross and the Order of St John of Jerusalem forwarded an estimated 20 million parcels to British, Commonwealth and Dominion prisoners. In addition, the Canadian Red Cross forwarded parcels to the prison camps.

Richard Forbes recalled: "The basic food every day was either potato, turnip or cabbage soup, a third of a hard, black German rye bread, which tasted sour and soggy and gave us all diarrhoea, a little bit of ersatz margarine and that was it.

"On Christmas Day they gave us a treat. We had the usual soup, potato or cabbage, and we got a slice of sausage and we thought it was absolutely marvellous. But then we were not only hungry, we were starving. You were so empty inside, you couldn't sleep at all."

Red Cross parcels usually contained all or part of the following items: 1/4lb of tea, tin of cocoa, bar of chocolate, tinned pudding, tin of meat, tin of processed cheese, tin of condensed milk, tin of dried eggs, tin of sardines or herrings, tin of preserves, tin of margarine, tin of sugar, tin of vegetables, tin of biscuits, bar of soap, tin of 50 cigarettes or tobacco. Canadian parcels were favoured most by the prisoners. Their contents included corned beef, Spam, tinned vegetables, biscuits, coffee, tea, chocolate, raisins, prunes and cheese.

LETTERS FROM HOME

In the early period of capture there was no contact with home and loved ones and it could take several months for families to be informed a loved one was in captivity.

Soldiers reported that the Germans allowed them to write around three cards and one letter each month.

Unfortunately, some prisoners received "Dear John" letters informing them that their wives or sweethearts had become involved with other men. These letters caused prisoners much distress and, in a few cases, they became suicidal. Fellow prisoners, particularly in close friendship groups, were most sympathetic and supportive.

Some prisoners lost members of their family in the enemy bombing raids on England's major cities. Rodney Gee remembered that one officer in his camp had lost his wife and child when the ship they were travelling on was sunk. Joseph Weddle was informed that his sister had died of illness. One can only imagine the anxiety. depression and frustration of being so far away from home and quite incapable of doing anything about such situations. Edward Bates was informed in a letter from his father that his sister had died on January 28, I944. He said: "It was a great shock to me and all day long my imagination played agony with me because I couldn't help thinking of the agony that my people must have gone through, especially my poor mother."

SUBTERFUGE

Harry Sell of the 8th Battalion was at the centre of the cloak-and-dagger operations in his camp. While in Stalag VIIA (Moosburg), I5 miles from Munich, it became essential that the condition of the nearby Russians, who were in appalling physical health, should be ascertained and monitored in case of an outbreak of disease which would threaten everyone.