N.Z. EX-CAPTIVES

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 21697, 26 April 1945, Page 8

N.Z. EX-CAPTIVES

BRITISH HAVEN STORIES OF ESCAPE PRAISE FOR AMERICANS (Special Correspondent.) LONDON, April 24. Nearly 40 R.N.Z.A.F. airmen, mostly N.C.O.s. who have . been liberated from prisoner-of-war .camps in Germany, are now at the reception centre .in Brighton. They are living in two large Hotels which were taken over by the Air Ministry, and are spending most of their time resting and “re-adjusting" themselves to the normal way of living. The New Zealanders are sharing this centre with the Australians. Tlic New Zealand section is commanded by Wing Commander R. A. Colville, Christchurch. One of his assistants is Flight Lieutenant John Grocott, of Auckland, who was himself a prisoner for three years and at Luft 3 when the Germans murdered British prisoners. He returned to England last year, and is in the posi-' lion of knowing not only what returned men Want but also how they think. An excellent organisation lias been' prepared for receiving the liberated men. mo fit of whom were in the long . arches across Germany. The perc itage of-suffering from .the effects ( malnutrition : is .about the.’ same ,-:as iong the soldiers—2s per cent—but »se who need to go to hospital are ■> it straight away to , R.A.F, estab--1 hnients oh landing' and clo not go . Brighton until they are convalesi .lit. Welcome at Brighton Arriving at Brighton by train, they ' d transport waiting to take them a the hotel, where they have a brief that with Flight Lieutenant. Grocott. ho checks their identity. Then they receive the mail and kit which wa Gored when they were reported missing and which has been freshly ..undered. There are touching moments when the men get their otters and open up their kit and heir own personal belongings. They are also given a meal as soon as poss'ble, but after living for so long on -hort rations and poor food they live small appetities and care lias to be taken to see that the food is not over-rich. They ail want to 'rink as much milk as possible, but ,‘w have any taste for beer. After routine interrogations, with as iltle formality as possible, they are ..we to do as they like and most of fiem are content either to rest in the loras of the Y.M.C.A. or sit in deck hairs on Brighton’s famous front, : here to laze in the sun or look out to wa or watch the crowds stroll by. When they are ready to go on leave -hey can take advantage, if desired, of . acly Frances Ryder’s hospitality ; heme and when they return from leave they will be found occupational work to do as soon as they indicate hat they want to be kept occupied. Every man has a story to tell, airmen, of course, all having either been .mot down and had to make a forced .anding or to use a parachute. Here are three such stories which with cerain differences can be repeated over -nd over again.

Warrant Officer F. C. Sargeant, D.F.M., of Wellington, for instance, was an air-gunner in a Wellington bomber that had to make a forced landing in Sicily ,in February, 1942. He spent 18 months in Italian camps, going to Genoa and Trieste, until the Germans took them over and sent Ihem to Forlitz and finally Lamsdorf. lie was in the long march away from the advancing Russians. For him it f-ned at Duderstadt, where, with 450 i lher men. he fell out sick with djsentery and was rescued by the Americans.. “Loose” in France Warrant Officer G. M. Hyde had father more eventful experiences—too eventful. He was in a Stirling which crashed into a hilltop near Brest on November 6, 1942, and until December 31. 1942, he was “loose" in France, being helped by French people until one man, attracted by ihe financial reward, gave him away. Warrant Officer Hyde was questioned by the Gestapo for a month. 'i hey wanted to know everything that i had happened to him during the time he had been at large. They used the typical method of trying to get a prisoner to talk. They twisted a| chain round his wrist and kept | tightening it and the fact that Warrant Officer had a boil and they I wrapped the chain over it made this particular type of cross-examination | more uncomfortable than usual. |

In February, 1943,- he was sent to Lamsdorf and in July he was one of a working party sent to the airfield. In October, with an American? a Canadian and an Irishman he got inside a Junkers 34 and nearly managed to take off. They had to find out how it “worked” ann were just ready to start the engine when it inadvertently jettisoned about a cupful cf petrol. It dribbled on the concrete and glinted in the sunshine and a guard came to investigate and discovered them. They were courtmartialled the following January and found guilty of “depriving the Reich of a means of defence” and sentenced I.j two years’ imprisonment in a civil gaol. They attempted to escape. Sharing of Food

The Canadian did get away and reached Switzerland where his case was taken up and the sentence eventually reversed to six months in a military gaol. On July 1, 1944. he was sent to Graudenz, in Poland, to a military gaol, where discipline was rigid and they were very short of food. They were released on January 20 this year and on the following day had to begin the march westwards from Thorn. They plodded by way of Swinemunde and Hanover and eventually reached Hildersheim, a distance of about 300 miles in two and a half months. They were kept desperately short of food, once being allowed only cue loaf of bread between four men 4m 13days.

With Private Jack Campbell from the Bay ol' Islands and two Englishmen, Warrant Officer Hyde “bunched together” and they shared anything they could get—potatoes, cabbages, swedes, milk and even pig meat Twice Hyde was beaten up by fists for “stealing.”

They were liberated by the Americans at Hildersheim on April 11 and down to England. Warrant Officer E. W. G. Johnson, of Dunedin, who was shot down near Verdun on September 8, 1942, hid for four and a half days but was captured one morning after sleeping in a church and' sent to Lamsdorf. During tlie long march to the west lie attempted to break away from the column no fewer than five times and finally managed lo get away on April 3 near Duderstadt. For eight, days he was sheltered by a Polish family who looked after him as well as possible. He had to leave in a. hurry when two S.S. men came to search the house. Fortunately he met the Americans and then hitch-hiked for 240 miles to Bonn and was flown to England. None of the New Zealanders can praise too highly the conduct of the American soldiers who gave them everything they could. And they are also very well contented with everything being done for them at Brighton.