DOCTOR’S STORY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 87, Issue 273, 18 November 1943, Page 4

DOCTOR’S STORY

GREECE AND AFTERWARD WITH PRISONERS OF WAR Cairo. Nov. 3. One of the most interesting biographies and factual accounts of prison life under the Germans in this war is that of Major G. H. Thomson, of Now Plymouth, a medical officer who was captured near Kalamaia, Greece, late in April, .1941. Major Thomson, who recommended Sergeant J. D. Hinton for the Victoria Cross from a German prison camp, witnessed many phases of German treatment of prisoners. Of the New Zealanders remaining in prison camps, Major Thomson sayj that the conditions Ox 90 per cent, are quite good; in fact, almost normal, tnanks entirely to the Red Cross parcels, aud he has no doubt aoout tneir future health.

Thougn reluctant to talk, Major Thomson has a great story lo tell. He

remained with the wounded near Kalamata as the New Zealand Division fought its rearguard actions, and ne surrendered to an enemy advance party.

“The officer commanding this vanguard was rather decent,’ said Major Thomson. “1 surrendered to him. He sent me in one of his trucks, so 1 travelled 10 miles to Kalamata with the enemy.”

Describing Sergeant Hinton's courageous stand against all odds as a small Allied party was trapped, Major Thomson saia: "I could see some of our soldiers not far away irom the truck X was travelling in. There was quite a lot of noise and movement, h iring broke out as the German party arew near, and I heard a British officer’s voice shouting, “Take cover, men, take cover.’ i heard another voice yelling, ‘To hell with all this, take cover! Who’s coming with me?”

“Sergeant Hinton appeared with rifle and bayonet, and hand grenades. With a small party of perhaps a dozen men he came at the Germans, who tired a two-pounder gun at him at point blank range, but missed. The Huns ran into several houses. Hinton burst in the door of the first house, throwing hand grenades. Then he Jed his men inside with bayonets. A shambles must have followed hjs entry, because when he came out his bayonet was literally dripping Hood. “With his men behind him he raced across t j the next house. Some of the men tell, but Sergeant Hinton and the remainder cleaned up the second house, and it was w’.itn he was still pursuing the Germans running down the road that he was shot in the abdomen.”

Major Thomson jumped from the truck and started across to Sergeant Hinton but was fired on by a British party, who later explained that they thought Major Thomson was a German in British uniform. Major Thomson had Hinton lifted on a truck and taken to hospital.

Major Thomson says he saw Hinton no more than a fortnight ago, immediately before leaving Germany. Hinton, who is camped at Mui hausen, refuses to be boarded on grounds that he is likely to be graded and this woud make him non-combatant, and

he is anxious to “get cracking again.' He looks well. While in the vicinity of Kalamata Major Thomson organised a hospital for the Allied wounded and had German assistance in its operation. He would like it to be known that every man who was killed or died at Kalamata was buried correctly with honours in a small plot of land at the back of the town which forms a last war memorial. He acted as padre and says that all the graves were properly recorded and the Greeks promised to look after them until the Allies are there again. Major Thomson was later at Firaeus with composite other hospital staffs and it was here that the British, New Zealand, and Australian wounded were evacuated to Crete. Early in June, 1941, Major Thomson, at tne enemy s request, opened a hospital near the Polytecnnic at Athens. He had several New Zealand medical officers with him in addition to British and Australians, and also a New Zealand and Australian staft. Padre R. J. Griffiths, Second N.Z.E.F.. was also there.

'The courage, cheerfulness, and great spiritual comfort rendered by all lhe New Zealand padres now prisoners in Germany are lauded by all the repatriated men, particularly the Rev. R. J. Middlestone, of Auckland, who is stated to have volunteered to stay with “his boys.” Tributes are also paid to the work of Mr. John Ledgerwood, of the Y.M.C.A. (Hamilton and formerly New Plymouth), who is camped at Stalag 18A, Wolfsburg, near Gratze.

Major Thomson was dismissed from this nospital by the Germans. Disagreement between them arose from the enemy’s confiscation of milk, eggs, etc., which the Allied medical officers paid for out of their own pockets in order that seriously wounded patients might nave a light diet. .This was not to be the last time Major Thomson refused to bow to the wili of the conquerors. From Athens he was transferred to Hymettus, and later, with many men was sent to Salonika, being compelled to travel in filthy cattle trucks each containing 55 men, and each completely closed. During this journey they were allowed naif a pint of water and a small tin ot rations daily, and all the men suffered from dysentry and other ailments. The last, lap of this particular journey lay over the Lamia Pass and (he prisoners were compelled to march 25 miles with full kit—and it was mid-summer.

Fully illustrative of the' Germarns attitude towards their prisoners at that time was the fact inat hundreds of empty traucks travelling in the same, direction passed the Allied soldiers while on the march. The men ed the march singing, but all the guards had to be picked up by trucks —the prisoners cheering them. “The Allied troops’ spirits were always high,” said Major Thomson, “and this phenomenon always puzzled the enemy.” .. Conditions at the camp at Salonika were dreadful. The barracks were lousy, with iiliie sanitation, and after one week Major Thomson volunteered to travel as medical officer with 3000 Allied troops (mainly New Zealanders and Australians) who were being transferred to Marburg, the former Yugoslav town of Marlbor. "At Mai burg were 6000 mixed British troops and 6000 Yugoslavs/’ he said. “I was the only British officer, but as a doclor I received invaluable aid from one B lugoslav doctor and one Cypriot who was a member of the R.A.M.C. We formed a lazarette ol 150 beds, but the beds were only in name, comprising wood planks witn no bedding and only one blanket. We endured this for three months. There was no water, no hygiene arrangements, no sanitation. The boys made concrete cricket and baseball pitches and we held a sports meeting. The camp functioned under what is known as Stalag organisation, which meant that the prisoners were detailed to various duties under German control. The Maoris were in the cookhouse, and they were responsible for a wonderful job. Incidentally, German office! s and men who met the Maoris on the battlefield rated them as the most dangerous of all the troops.” . “The New Zealanders as a whole were we!’ behaved, and together with iu •.(•finable factors this ranked them popular with the enemy guards. They

preferred working outside and as they, were most popular throughout all the' countryside some did better than they might have none. In addition, they} had the benefit ot the open air. ’ _ “In Marburg town was a civil hos- ■' pitai under the control of sisters of' | the St. Vincent de Paul Society and £• ' had the right to fill 100 beds with serious cases. These sisters were ab»>lutely marvellous and frankly I think; they saved 20 per cent, of lives."

Here again, as sole British officer ia a camp of 12,000 prisoners of ril ranks Major Thomson had to act as padre for some time. Whenever 4 burial was necessary (and this wa* regrettably too mam times' the burial party would parade, and by borrowing here and there for clothing, would turn out like guardsmen. After the burials Major Thomson, who was guard commander for lhe occasion, in addition to being doctor and padre, and commanding officer and the Germans' (hief headache, would marclti his party through Marburgh’s main street.

"I always believe in singng after a funeral," he said, "and I used to get the boys to sing. Usually they sang lustily, for the benefit of the Yugoslav* population, such tunes as 'There Wilt Always be an England.' 'Carry Me to Blighty,' and ‘Roll Out the Barrel, and the people would rush smiling from, their shops and houses and watch ttw boys go by. I thought it would be a. tonic fot them all."