Dresden – Rye's Own Magazine

Michael Whiteman’s Graphic Account of His Days as a P.O.W. in World War Two.

Part Four: January 1944

Could the end be in sight?

So came January and towards the end a party was sent out to Sosnowiec. It was an iron works, electric plant plus it had its own coal mine, making coke. We were pulling down two areas for re-building. One morning we all refused to go to work, saying that they were making us work too hard, as we stood on parade the German in charge with a guard counted ten men, me amongst them, put us up against the wall – I thought “Iv’e been here before”. Threatened to shoot us if we did not go to work. Our Sergeant in charge said “OK lads, we’ll go back to work and see if we can get it sorted”. This we did to our advantage, early in May we were seeing train loads of political or Jewish POW s going to Auschwitz. Poor devils. We used to wave to them as our camp was close to the line. We did know what was happening to them because the Polish workers we worked alongside told us, they all seemed to know but kept it to themselves. Continue reading The Long Journey Part Four

The Long Journey

Part Two: Three Days in a Cattle Truck

Michael Whiteman’s graphic account of his days as a German Prisioner of War

We got to the top of the town to find lots of other lads had been brought there. And so started a slow trek, to where, we knew not. I remember going back through St. Omer that evening, being put into a field for the night. The next few days were very hot and we were all starting to suffer with nothing to drink or eat. I found myself picking dandelion leaves and sorrell to chew keeping my mouth more moist. My toes were getting sore and blistered. Luckily I had some Germolene ointment with me which helped no end. I remember one night four of us sat back in a field, the next morning when we woke we looked like snowmen with frost Continue reading The Long Journey Part Two