Life in Italian P.O.W. Hospitals

Manawatu Times, Volume 70, Issue 150, 27 June 1945, Page 6

Life in Italian P.O.W. Hospitals

The speaker at the weekly luncheon of the Palmerston North Rotary Club on Alonday was Mr. J. Henderson, author of the book “Gunner Inglorious.” Air. Gerald Pattle presided and Air. Henderson was introduced by Air. John Alurray- . _

Air. Henderson, who is now attached to the Army Educational Welfare Service, was wounded in North Africa and had a leg amputated. Ho was a prisoner of war for 12 months and his talk, for the greater part, dealt with his experiences during the period he spent as tho “guest” of the Empire’s enemies. Of the war he had little to say. He explained that after training for well over 700 days he had gone into action and had been knocked out after only 10 days. He admitted that the highlight of his war experience had been the moment he had been hit. He had often wondered w’hat it would be like to be wounded and found that tho smack was like a “belt” from a sledge hammer with no suggestion of pain. He explained that he had been picked up by the “jerries” aud treated considerately. Wishing to show his appreciation he tried to give one of the “jerries” his watch but found that the German would not take it.

Later he was taken over by the Italians aud found Italy to be a land

of poverty w r ith the cupboard bare and that Fascist Italy was getting pretty thin on it.

Air. Henderson mentioned that he was first sent to a hospital at Bari, in the heel of Italy. One he and other New Zealanders watched some South Africans picking some whiteflowered weeds from under the barbed wire entanglements. It was understood that the weeds were to be cooked or used as salad. The Anzacs watched for some time before a “digger” from Christchurch said, “I’d like to do something really big for those Springboks. I’d like to take them to Christchurch and let ’em loose in a chrysanthemum show. ’ ’

Air. Henderson said the inconsideration and dirt of the Italians at Bari stood out when compared with the treatment he had received at the hands of the jerries in North Africa. He added, that the wounded prisoners at Bari remained unwashed unless they could shift for themselves. The orderlies would not do anything for the man in bed and some of the doctors, he said, were “rat bags.” Air. Henderson said that some were not so bad and that one had lent him a book called “Social Life in tho Insect World. ”

It was while he was in a hospital in the north that the British were up against it in North Africa and getting it in the neck at Singapore. A number of them were discussing the news one day when a nun overheard one man say, “Things are grim.” She asked him what it meant and he, stumped only for a moment, told her “God Bless You.” It was agreed he had made a very good recovery but it was realised later that it had been “not so hot.” The nun, unfortunately, remembered the expression, ‘ * Things are grim” aud with it she greeted the men every morning and it was her parting message to them at night. Air. Henderson said the Italians were always anxious to know how long the war would last. To “cheer them up” the New Zealanders would suggest live or ten years. On one occasion, however, in response to an inquiry from a cheery little “Itio” they reduced the guess to three or four months. The Itie asked, “Don’t you think it could be over in a week?” One man said, “No, but' why do you ask?” and the reply was “I’m to leavo for the Russian front in a week.”

Air. Hendersou had a very good word to say for the Red Cross parcels which contained things for which they had longed, it seemed, for years. These parcels used to arrive through Portugal and Switzerland and the men had got a great kick out of the label on tho crates “Britain Delivers the Goods.” The vote of thanks to the speaker ,was proposed by Air. G. G. Priest.