| This account of the first days of my husband being a P.O.W. was the only thing he managed to write down, but he told me of other things that happened to him.
As he stated, he was first a prisoner of the Germans, who then handed them over to the Italians, and after a bit of a muddle during ensuing battles they were back with the Germans but were eventually handed back again to the Italians. They were taken to a camp in Italy, and he managed to escape only to be taken back to Germany to Stalag 8B.
When he was recaptured (in Italy) he had a nightmare 900 mile trek to
Germany along with other prisoners, and if they moved out of line they were shot! (Presumably, under the assumption that they were trying to escape).
He was taken to Krakow in Poland to work down the mines. The Poles had flooded the mines, but the Germans wanted them clearing so that they could use them. The prisoners had to be up at 3.30am and were up to their knees in water all day long
At the end of the war Harry only weighed 8 and a half stones. He was liberated by the Americans, and he came home wearing a prized pair of
American army boots.
He eventually went to work on the dock railway and retired in 1980 at 62, due to ill health. He died in 1995.
Submitted by Audrey Sole
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