Newsletter of the National Ex-Prisoner of War Association
Title
Newsletter of the National Ex-Prisoner of War Association
Description
An article about the German treatment of British and French prisoners of war.
Language
Type
Format
One printed sheet
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Rights
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Contributor
Identifier
MTaplinJA1268696-161130-050001
Transcription
[crest]
“INTREPIDUS”
Registered Charity No: 292804
THE NATIONAL EX-PRISONER-OF-WAR ASSOCIATION
News Letter
JUST BECAUSE!!
Just because the living conditions Japan inflicted on Allied Prisoners of War was to say the least appallingly cruel it does not mean to say that the treatment by Germany of its Allied Prisoners of War resembled that of life in a “Butlins” holiday camp which His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh seems to imply in his latest press interview. With respect I suggest that H.R.H the Duke of Edinburgh along with others who stalk the corridors of power in the U.K. and indeed any others who try to excuse the conduct of the German in the 1939/45 conflict should first ascertain the facts from the International Red Cross Society the address of which is in Switzerland. First of the crimes against German held British Prisoners of War happened in the French Village of La Paradis where 200 “Tommies” were herded into a barn and murdered by the German Infantry [underlined] two years before [/underlined] Japan entered the war. Those who do not believe this happened is welcome to write to me for photographs of the bodies being exhumed for decent burial. Government Ministers and MPs of all political persuasions excuse that and other atrocities on that well known “red herring” well you know old boy those “Hun Splendid Chaps” acted in the heat of battle, which is as we who were in the heat of front line battle know can be unfortunately true, – and yet ! ! ! how does one excuse those “Hun Splendid Chaps” when it is also well known that one unfortunate French Prisoner was marched over half a mile to suffer the same fate as the 200 “Tommies”. The German government with the apparent approval of those who walk the corridors of power apologised for the attrocity [sic] by the award of a £20,000 pension to one of the main perpetrators of the murder, a General Monke. Did you know that there was an objection to the use of the word “murdered” on the memorial erected in memory of those 200 or more victims? After the last Allied soldier had been evacuated from the ”Dunkirk” beach (Churchill’s words not mine) the German troops rounded up the remnants of the 60,000 Dunkirk defenders and forced marched them to the Trier where the “Hun Splendid Chaps” welcomed them with jeers and spittle. On the way no food was provided so the prisoners had to forage for what water or food they could find within range of LMG fire. Cattle mangle wurzle [sic] clamps vanished in minutes. At Trier the exhausted and famished prisoners were herded 75 to a cattle truck for 5 days or more only let out once in 24 hours for soup and a little bread until they arrived in Poland. Cramped position and loss of basic utensils resulted in uncontrollable bodily functions which in turn led to Lice . . Filth . . Dysentry [sic] . . and loss of life, and that was only the start of [underlined] five years hell not 3 [/underlined]. Yes I believe that the “Hun Splendid Fellow” was a little easier on RAF, Navy crew, and officer’s . . I also know that the “Hun Splendid Chap” was quite expert in hiding behind smoke screens. Geneva Convention!! what Geneva Convention? Look at the date of the “Nazi” medical pass at the end of this article, (my original Army Papers were confiscated in May 1940) the ”Hun Splendid Chaps” only issued it as a cover up to fool our clowns! and it obviously worked, they knew their battle was lost. From the earliest day of my captivity I was made to work on Road Building and Sugar Beet factories. 12 hours a day with an 18 hour change from day to night shift, and never mind what our guileless “leaders?” believe I received not one penny nor the rations I was entitled to. At the end of 1944 I and many more POWs were without any warning of what lay ahead marched out of the camp. This was to be the “Last Ordeal”. Paper stuffed inside outer clothing to insulate against the sub zero temperature, Dutch Clogs covered with sacking to
“INTREPIDUS”
Registered Charity No: 292804
THE NATIONAL EX-PRISONER-OF-WAR ASSOCIATION
News Letter
JUST BECAUSE!!
Just because the living conditions Japan inflicted on Allied Prisoners of War was to say the least appallingly cruel it does not mean to say that the treatment by Germany of its Allied Prisoners of War resembled that of life in a “Butlins” holiday camp which His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh seems to imply in his latest press interview. With respect I suggest that H.R.H the Duke of Edinburgh along with others who stalk the corridors of power in the U.K. and indeed any others who try to excuse the conduct of the German in the 1939/45 conflict should first ascertain the facts from the International Red Cross Society the address of which is in Switzerland. First of the crimes against German held British Prisoners of War happened in the French Village of La Paradis where 200 “Tommies” were herded into a barn and murdered by the German Infantry [underlined] two years before [/underlined] Japan entered the war. Those who do not believe this happened is welcome to write to me for photographs of the bodies being exhumed for decent burial. Government Ministers and MPs of all political persuasions excuse that and other atrocities on that well known “red herring” well you know old boy those “Hun Splendid Chaps” acted in the heat of battle, which is as we who were in the heat of front line battle know can be unfortunately true, – and yet ! ! ! how does one excuse those “Hun Splendid Chaps” when it is also well known that one unfortunate French Prisoner was marched over half a mile to suffer the same fate as the 200 “Tommies”. The German government with the apparent approval of those who walk the corridors of power apologised for the attrocity [sic] by the award of a £20,000 pension to one of the main perpetrators of the murder, a General Monke. Did you know that there was an objection to the use of the word “murdered” on the memorial erected in memory of those 200 or more victims? After the last Allied soldier had been evacuated from the ”Dunkirk” beach (Churchill’s words not mine) the German troops rounded up the remnants of the 60,000 Dunkirk defenders and forced marched them to the Trier where the “Hun Splendid Chaps” welcomed them with jeers and spittle. On the way no food was provided so the prisoners had to forage for what water or food they could find within range of LMG fire. Cattle mangle wurzle [sic] clamps vanished in minutes. At Trier the exhausted and famished prisoners were herded 75 to a cattle truck for 5 days or more only let out once in 24 hours for soup and a little bread until they arrived in Poland. Cramped position and loss of basic utensils resulted in uncontrollable bodily functions which in turn led to Lice . . Filth . . Dysentry [sic] . . and loss of life, and that was only the start of [underlined] five years hell not 3 [/underlined]. Yes I believe that the “Hun Splendid Fellow” was a little easier on RAF, Navy crew, and officer’s . . I also know that the “Hun Splendid Chap” was quite expert in hiding behind smoke screens. Geneva Convention!! what Geneva Convention? Look at the date of the “Nazi” medical pass at the end of this article, (my original Army Papers were confiscated in May 1940) the ”Hun Splendid Chaps” only issued it as a cover up to fool our clowns! and it obviously worked, they knew their battle was lost. From the earliest day of my captivity I was made to work on Road Building and Sugar Beet factories. 12 hours a day with an 18 hour change from day to night shift, and never mind what our guileless “leaders?” believe I received not one penny nor the rations I was entitled to. At the end of 1944 I and many more POWs were without any warning of what lay ahead marched out of the camp. This was to be the “Last Ordeal”. Paper stuffed inside outer clothing to insulate against the sub zero temperature, Dutch Clogs covered with sacking to
Collection
Citation
National Ex-Prisoner of War Association, “Newsletter of the National Ex-Prisoner of War Association,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed July 17, 2026, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/collections/document/44299.