Great Britain. Red Cross and St John war organisation. Prisoners of war department]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Anne-Marie Watson]]> eng]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Cyprus--Famagusta]]> Switzerland--Geneva]]> Germany--Berlin]]> Netherlands--Arnhem]]> Germany--Colditz]]> Germany--Neubrandenburg]]> Germany--Munich]]> Germany--Görlitz (Görlitz)]]> Germany--Meiningen]]> Germany--Obermassfeld-Grimmenthal]]> Great Britain]]> England--Merseyside]]> England--Oldham]]> England--Surrey]]> Germany--Lübeck]]> Germany--Barth]]> Poland]]> Poland--Łambinowice]]> Poland--Tychowo]]> Poland--Żagań]]> Germany--Moosburg an der Isar]]> Ukraine--Odesa]]> Germany]]> Cyprus]]> Netherlands]]> Switzerland]]> Ukraine]]> England--Lancashire]]> 1945-04]]> A Yates]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lakenheath]]> Germany--Freising]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> Germany--Görlitz (Görlitz)]]> Poland--Łambinowice]]> Poland]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> England--Suffolk]]> 1942-09-10]]> 1942-09-11]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> 1945-04-29]]>
This item was sent to the IBCC Digital Archive already in digital form. No better quality copies are available. ]]>
IBCC Digital Archive]]> David Bloomfield]]> Anne-Marie Watson]]> eng]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Text]]> Civilian]]> Great Britain]]> Germany]]> Poland]]> Poland--Łambinowice]]>
This item was sent to the IBCC Digital Archive already in digital form. No better quality copies are available. ]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> David Bloomfield]]> Anne-Marie Watson]]> eng]]> Text]]> British Army]]> Great Britain]]> Germany]]> Poland]]> Poland--Łambinowice]]> 1941-12-25]]>
This item was sent to the IBCC Digital Archive already in digital form. No better quality copies are available. ]]>
George Grundy]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> David Bloomfield]]> Anne-Marie Watson]]> eng]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Text]]> British Army]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Poland]]> Poland--Łambinowice]]> 1941-12-25]]>

Additional information about this item has been kindly provided by the donor.

'David Joseph's son Brian met Paul Hilton in the 1980's through work, and he was wearing a prisoner of war tie. In conversation it became clear that Paul had some common experiences with David's, and a meeting was arranged. They had been in the same camps and on some of the same forced marches, had many common memories, but had never previously met.'
]]>
Paul Hilton]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Anne-Marie Watson]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany--Essen]]> Belgium]]> Belgium--Antwerp]]> Poland--Toruń]]> Lithuania--Šilutė]]> Germany]]> Lithuania]]> Poland]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Germany--Bad Fallingbostel]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]>
H G Dryhurst]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tricia Marshall]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Personal research]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> England--Hertfordshire]]> Germany]]> Germany--Koblenz]]> Poland]]> Poland--Łambinowice]]> 1941-08]]> 1941]]> 1942]]> 1942-07-22]]> 1942-08-02]]> 1942-08-28]]> 1945-03-17]]> David Kavanagh]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Canada]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Poland]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Poland--Łambinowice]]> Germany--Berlin]]> 1945]]> Annie Moody]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending OH summary]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Poland]]> England--Norfolk]]> Poland--Żagań]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> 1940]]> 1941-05-10]]> 1942]]> Susanne Pescott]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Peter Schulze]]> Carolyn Emery]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Air Force. Balloon Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--London]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> Belgium]]> Belgium--Brussels]]> Germany]]> Germany--Düsseldorf]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> Germany--Thuringia]]> Poland]]> Poland--Łambinowice]]> 1939]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> Mick Jeffery]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Peter Schulze]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> France]]> Great Britain]]> Poland]]> Netherlands]]> France--Dieppe]]> Poland--Łambinowice]]> 1940]]> 1941]]> 1942]]> 1945]]> David Meanwell]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Pending review]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Great Britain]]> Netherlands]]> Poland]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Germany--Oberursel]]> Netherlands--Amsterdam]]> Poland--Żagań]]> 1941]]> 1945]]> Stephen describes the preparations for missions, the cold and how the pilot would corkscrew as he approached targets. Following two trips to Essen and on his second trip to Berlin, his aircraft crashed. Another three Lancasters went down with no survivors. Upon landing in the snow he was captured by the German home guard and sent to an interrogation camp at Frankfurt. A person, claiming to be from the Red Cross tried to interview him but Stephen had been warned of this ruse and refused to answer any questions.
He and the other crew members were taken to Stalag VIII-B in Lamsdorf, near the Polish border. The conditions were very difficult with very little water and food. They burnt bed boards from their three-tier bunks to make tea and replaced them with string from Red Cross food parcels. The sanitary conditions were poor. Stephen, however, felt they were treated fairly.
He describes in detail the deplorable conditions in the camp. During his stay he escaped three times by exchanging identities with a member of a working party but was recaptured every time and punished by solitary confinement. He knew he had little chance of escaping as he couldn't speak German but wanted to keep the Germans occupied. He discusses some of the amusing incidents which occurred and outlines the entertainment activities in the camp. Stephen’s mother was informed he was missing, and his name read out as a prisoner of war by Lord Haw-Haw [William Joyce].
In 1945, he embarked on a gruelling march to escape from the approaching Russian army, often resorting to eating raw chicken and rabbit. Eventually the guards disappeared and he was picked up and looked after by the Americans and flown back to England for medical treatment. Stephen developed beriberi, weighing only seven stone. He was flown back to RAF Cosford in a C-47. After treatment he was sent to India as there were no flying post available in England. After the war ended, he was sent home to Blackpool for demob and worked in the coal mines, as a coal handler in the mills, a maintenance engineer and finally as a mill manager.
]]>
Brian Wright]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Julie Williams]]> Terry Holmes]]> Sally Coulter]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> Poland]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> Poland--Łambinowice]]> Germany]]> Germany--Berlin]]>
R Marsh]]> E Humes]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> David Bloomfield]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Essex]]> England--London]]> England--Bedfordshire]]> Scotland--St. Andrews]]> England--Manchester]]> Scotland--Dumfries]]> England--Norfolk]]> England--Cambridgeshire]]> France]]> France--Biarritz]]> Germany]]> Germany--Aachen]]> Netherlands]]> Netherlands--Venlo]]> Germany--Frankfurt am Main]]> Germany--Bad Sulza]]> Poland]]> Poland--Łambinowice]]> Germany--Munich]]> Belgium]]> Belgium--Limburg (Province)]]> Germany--Nuremberg]]> England--Lancashire]]> France--Palaiseau]]> 1939]]> 1943-11-25]]> 1944-03-30]]> 1944-04-11]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Sue Smith]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Germany]]> Poland]]> Germany--Hamburg]]> Poland--Łambinowice]]> 1943-02-03]]> H G Dryhurst]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Tricia Marshall]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Poland]]> Poland--Łambinowice]]> 1944-05-04]]> H G Dryhurst]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Jan Waller]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Hertfordshire]]> England--Tring]]> Poland]]> Poland--Łambinowice]]> England--Herefordshire]]> 1944-08-07]]> John Taplin]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Royal Air Force]]> Poland]]> Poland--Łambinowice]]> John Taplin]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Royal Air Force]]> Civilian]]> Poland]]> Poland--Łambinowice]]> John Taplin]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Poland]]> Poland--Łambinowice]]> John Taplin]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Poland]]> Poland--Łambinowice]]> John Taplin]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Civilian]]> Royal Air Force]]> Poland]]> Poland--Łambinowice]]> George Thom]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription]]> eng]]> Text]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> France--Chaumont (Haute-Marne)]]> Switzerland]]> Switzerland--Vevey]]> Switzerland--Bern]]> France--Pyrénées-Orientales]]> France--Perpignan]]> Spain]]> France--Paris]]> Great Britain]]> England--Bournemouth]]> England--Darlington]]> Alberta--Calgary]]> Alberta--Banff]]> Alberta--Lake Louise]]> Ontario--Hamilton]]> France]]> 1942-11-07]]> British Red Cross]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Pending text-based transcription]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Royal Air Force]]> Poland]]> Poland--Łambinowice]]> 1943-03-18]]> RAF Record Office]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Cara Walmsley]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Correspondence]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Royal Canadian Air Force]]> Germany]]> Poland]]> Poland--Łambinowice]]> 1943-02-15]]>