BROTHERS REUNITED

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVII, Issue 23226, 13 June 1945, Page 7

BROTHERS REUNITED

Experiences As Prisoner N.Z.P.A.—Special Correspondent LONDON, June 11. Now speaking fluent Italian and German, which he leanred while a prisoner of war, Sergeant L. W. (Jim) Deere met his brother, Wing Commander Alan Deere, D. 5.0., in London last week. They had not seen each other for eight years. They learned that another brother, Private Brian Deere, who also was a prisoner, is believed to be in Odessa. Alan Deere flew over from Hanover to see his brother. He is shortly leaving Germany to take a wing commander’s post at Biggin Hill, the famous airfield from which he operated two years ago. “It means, I am afraid,” he said, “that I have to give up all hope of paying a quick visit to New Zealand." Jim Deere, who was captured at El Alamein on July 21, 1942, by the 21st Panzer Division, confirmed other New Zealanders’ bad opinion about the Italians. With J. Beauchamp, of Wanganui, and J. F. Broad, of the West Coast, he was captured by a German field kitchen unit while he was bathing in the sea near Mersa Matruh. They were handed over to the Italians, who treated them as desperate criminals, with a guard to each prisoner “and no consideration and no water.” s Conditions Bad For six months they were in a camp at Benghazi, where conditions were very bad and many cases of beriberi due to malnutrition. Eventually Jim Deere was sent to Tuturano in Southern Italy, where he stayed for 13 months and learned Italian. Conditions generally were bad. After the British invaded Italy the camp was moved to Undine, which was notorious for gaoling men for the slightest offence. Further moves were made later to Marktpongau, in Austria, and then on to Gorlitz. When the .Germans ordered the camp to march away from the Russians, Deere and seven South Africans hid in the ceiling above the barracks used by Serb prisoners. They stayed there 36 hours and then lived with the Serbs for eight weeks expecting the Russians to arrive any day. The Serb prisoners were kind and helpful and when the Russians did not arrive and the German guards returned, the Serb “man of confidence” took the blame for the New Zealander and the South Africans being in the camp and went to gaol. Deere was taken to the punishment camp in Hohenelbe, but after he had been there a few days the Germans decided that the camp should be moved in case it was attacked by the Czech partisans. Deere volunteered to remain behind with the sick. The Germans left at 1 p.m. and the Czech partisans entered at 4 p.m. Deere made very good friends with the partisans and after sending the sick to Prague he lived with them for "early three weeks. Then he went to Pilsen, via Prague, and met the Americans. He reached England via Rheims. “The worst time of all was spent in North Africa,” he said. “Malls were our biggest worry and were very irregular."