The Diary

Page 5: February 1945

1st February, Thursday.

Heavy thaw set in, turning area of the compound into a swamp. More pukha roll-call morning, this formality having been neglected in our hut for the last few mornings - it means getting up at half past eight; nuisance. Breakfast fried sardines and fried Knäckebrot (lightly fried very good). New Zealand parcels morning. See appendix 6. (1 between 3). Shower afternoon. News still very good; Russians 45 miles from Berlin, 10 miles across the Oder near Breslau, approaching Ratibor. Dinner spuds, buckshee soup (mixed veg), bully, Knäckebrot, chocolate.

2nd February, Friday.

Remarkably warm; thawing very rapidly. Breakfast fried sardines and chips, cheese and Canadian biscuit. On a short fatigue morning, clearing away rubbish from outside hut. Bill Maddock came for a brew midday. [Len Stoffani and Bill Maddock were both friends of Eric through the camp Art Club]. Dinner Kiwi corned mutton and boiled spuds.

3rd February, Saturday.

Colder, but snow nearly all gone. Good bergou for breakfast (Canadian biscuit, raisins and Klim). John Moore came for brew midday. Afternoon to Len's place with Eric and Bill Maddock to play records (Bartered Bride Overture, Jupiter Symphony, part of Beethoven's "Pastoral", La Scala di Seta Overture). Needles a great problem. Dinner: Kiwi lamb and green peas and boiled spuds, Kiwi pears, Knäckebrot with butter and jam; chocolate. Last issue of Knäckebrot today (3 per man) and issue of flour (8 days rations). Canadian parcels morning. (1 between 3) and Riverhead Gold (New Zealand) fags. Lights on all day.

4th February, Sunday.

Fine day, cold wind. No roll-call, got up late. Potato-cheese "rissole" for breakfast. Drew water, broke wood. Semolina with Klim and saccharin tiffin. Aft made 12 chapattis with flour and extra spud issue. Dinner fried salmon, fried spuds, fried Knäckebrot, butter and jam (last of the Knäckebrot). Today first issue of extra spuds to make up in part for lack of bread (600 grams instead of 450). Afternoon and evening more activity audible - guns, bombs, Russian planes over aft strafing, anti-aircraft fire.

5th February, Monday.

Breakfast stewed fruit in milk, Chapatti and cheese. Drew water. Aft attempted to make more chapattis but dough not suitable so baked it as a flat cake. Rations announcement; not so many parcels as was thought; bulk issue for next 3 weeks. In connection with the bulk issue it was proposed to cook meats and tea communally, issuing the rest. This was turned down by a large majority owing to fear of rackets. N.B. Summers! Jerry roll-call announced for tomorrow; don't like the sound of it, coinciding with the Russian advance to Grottkau, of which news just came through aft. Much activity last night and this morning - bangs, booms, fire and smoke, machine gun and AA fire, mostly in NW direction (Grottkau?). Dinner bully, Jerry bully, mashed spuds (big pile), Canadian biscuit and marmalade.

6th February, Tuesday.

Jerry roll-call - nothing outstanding. Breakfast fried sardines and potato cakes. Eric made some more chapattis (dry pan method, with doughmorn very dry, proved to be most successful). Bil Maddock came to brew again midday. Aft to Len's place to play records (Swan Lake), Brandenburg Concerto no. 2, Daphnis and Chloe, Beethoven's Quintet op. 16, Rameau's Castor and Pollux, part of Beethoven's 5th). Dinner; Bully, buckshee soup (bratling powder), spuds. Lights came on about 8.0. Did washing (shirt, towel, handkerchief). People's spirits noticeably brighter owing to latest Russian advance in Silesia.

7th February, Wednesday.

Felt rotten; guts upset. Jerry roll-call cancelled morning so Eric go me breakfast in bed - sardines and chips, potato chapati and butter. Argentine bulk issue . See appendix 7; poor issue, and next two week's lists worse. Announced that all who still want to leave can do so and to hand names in today. Took doses of mist. Mag. Trisil midday and eve. Dinner: M&V and mashed spuds, biscuits and marmalade.

8th February, Thursday.

Went sick morning with diarrhoea and cough. Breakfast fried cheese mash, buttered potato cake. Stayed in bed all day. Gunfire closer than ever, also machine-gun fir and strafing by Russian planes in neighbourhood. Salt issue aft (part of the bulk issue). Also some odd canteen stuff - I won a handkerchief. Bread up unexpectedly (8 to a loaf), very new bread. Collected medicine eve (mist. Bismuth and linctus codeine). Dinner pea flour soup (Argentine) and spuds; pilchards on toast; bread, butter and jam; cocoa. Rumour is that the Russians are 4 _ miles away (certainly machine-gun fire N and NW).

9th February, Friday.

Felt much better, although still suffering from much abdominal wind, especially after meals, and liquid faeces. Got up late; breakfast of scrambled egg, potato cake and mashed potatoes. Bread up again aft. (also more salt, which is so scarce). Did sewing aft. Dinner; corned beef (Australian) and mashed potatoes; toast; bread, butter and honey (Argentine). Not so much gunfire today although more strafing and bombing morning. Extreme daily range of people's spirits, always noticeable under conditions such as these, now very evident; down today with rumour of some success attending a German counter-attack locally. Today and yesterday some fine sunny periods when the sunshine really warm, interspersed with dark cloudy spells and some rain. Much mud, but frozen quite hard night and early morning.

10th February, Saturday.

Got up late to draw water. Breakfast - chips. Good soup for tiffin - Konservin powder (Jerry gravy). Fine cold day, drying up underfoot. Not much sound of activity. Rumours: Russians pushed back; some guards from the march have returned from Górlitz and we are to move on Monday; pretty low day in all. Water on in blocks today, even in 23 at evening. Dinner: buckshee soup, spuds and bully; toast; bread, butter and Jerry honey (first I have met). Jerry coffee issued during the day.

11th February, Sunday.

Jerry roll-call 08.00 hours. Breakfast - chips. Had shower morning. Fine spring-like day although wind cold. Great deal of aerial activity all day, Russian planes strafing and bombing the nearby aerodrome. No signs of land fighting except very distant sound of on artillery gun firing to the north, morning. Not much on official news but many reports floating round - Russians approaching Górlitz; front line at present static, 12 km from here; a man who volunteered to leave waiting all day for train to Neiss&# 233;, etc. Dinner; Argentine pea soup and spuds; Jerry meat and toast; bread and butter.

12th February, Monday.

Jerry roll-call outside at 8.0am, interrupted by Russian planes bombing near the station; further strafing during morning. Some artillery fire to the N. Breakfast - chips. Developed into miserable day, violent cold north wind. Spent most of day in bed. Eve, grading by the M.O. - fit to march or not. I said not. Dinner: salmon and boiled spuds; toast; bread and honey. 13th February, Tuesday.

No roll call morning, got up late. Breakfast fried potatoes. Snowed morning, but all melted again afternoon. Supplementary parcels (1 between 4) issued unexpectedly aft. We got :

tin milk,

ovaltine,

soup,

egg,

Yeatex*,

tin cocoa,

1 pkt. Tea,

bar chocolate,

packet sweets,

1 bar sugar between us.

1 tin milk,

all the oats,

rice

* A yeast product like Marmite.

Bemax had been removed previously for use in the Revier and Lazaret [hospital]. Much gunfire to the N, loud and continuous. Slight rumours of a move Thursday or Friday. Dinner: Argentine pea flour and mashed spuds; fried egg on toast; bread, butter and honey; cocoa; chocolate - very good.

14th February, Wednesday.

Got up late. Breakfast toast and honey. Felt rotten again (abdominal pains); went to bed again until mid-aft, when felt better. Tiffin in bed. Bulk issue aft. (This week 2 tins M&V, 1 tin plum jam, 1 tin Nestle's milk, 12 ozs sugar, 1 pkt meat and wheat biscuits, 2 ozs egg powder, 10 ozs butter, 1 bar Aguila chocolate - between 2). Fine day. Loud and continuous gunfire to the N. A little Russian air activity. Dinner: M&V and mashed spuds; toast; bread and honey; chocolate; Ovaltine. No bread issue today. Obtained further _ bottle of linctus codeine.

15th February, Thursday.

Roll-call inside 8.0am. Back to bed. Breakfast toast and honey. Aft washed 2 pairs of pants. Cold rainy morning, cleared up a bit later. Dinner: pea soup (bucks), spuds, Kam; toast; bread and honey; Ovaltine. No bread again. Rumours: Neisee, or road to Neisee under shellfire. Russians had crossed the River Neisse on evening news. (Last night had severe attack of diarrhoea during night).

16th February, Friday.

Got up late. Breakfast fried potatoes in jackets. Very quiet from war point of view again; the aerodrome seems to be evacuated. Few planes, little gunfire. Dinner: "Invalid" soup and mashed spuds, fried egg on toast; bread and honey. Bought a tin of bully evening. Announced that the protecting power requires German authorities to remove POWs from the danger zone; be ready to move any day.

17th February, Saturday.

Bath parade 8.30. On "clearing fatigue" 9.30. Breakfast, a bit hurried, spuds fried in jackets. Work occupied the morning quite pleasantly. Afternoon, provisional orders published in case of move. Dinner: Beef stew and mashed spuds; toast; bread and lemon curd. Rumours afternoon of a move starting tomorrow quietened down after official orders had been read. Evening rumour of a new Russian drive from Ratibor. Morning and afternoon much loud gunfire N and NW. (last night some to the ESE*). A few Russian fighters about but little air activity; the nearest aerodrome seems definitely out of use (there was a rumour the other day of many killed, including women, and 29 planes destroyed by Russian strafing and bombing there).
Editor's Note *East South East.

18th February, Sunday.

No roll-call, got up late. Breakfast toast. Good pea soup midday. Carrying bulk up aft. Rest of the bulk was lobbed out eve. Good issue. Make a hectic evening attending to the issue; things coming up every few minutes and trying to get dinner ready at the same time. Eventually had very enjoyable dinner of fried Kam, chips, fried bread; Jerry cheese on toast; bread and lemon curd; chocolate. Bought 2 half-bars of chocolate and a tin of Yeatex. By the time all this was finished it was 9.0pm and the lights went out. Bunged the whole issue into a wooden box which we had won for carrying and left it at the foot of my bed. 70 fags and _ pkt tobacco per man issued. Issue: (Eric and I) 3 tins M&V; lump of bully; 5 sausages; 12 meat biscuits and 10 wheat biscuits; 1 tin milk; 224 nobs of sugar (1 1/3 kilos); 1 3/5 ozs tea; nearly 1 lb butter; 1/19 of a cheese (about 1 lb); 1 1/5 pkts dried peaches; 1 tin peach jam; 1 3/5 bars chocolate (Argentine Nestlé's); _ pkt pea flour; 3 ozs egg powder; 6 bars soap; 1/5 carton of salt.

19th February, Monday.

Fine cold day. Breakfast fish cheese mash fried - very nice. Bulk tea and egg powder up morning. Very good soup midday, tunny fish in thick barley. Sorted out the full issue. Took records back to Bill Maddock. Dinner: Argentine pea soup and mashed spuds; Argentine cheese on toast; bread and lemon curd. (Last Jerry margarine issue?).

20th February, Tuesday.

First thing it was announced that a train was at Lamsdorf and a train at Annerhof. Block V111 to be prepared for an immediate move. So got up and had good breakfast of sausages and chips, toast, bread and honey. Divided up the rest of the food stock. No move materialized, however. Afternoon definite orders came out for a move tomorrow evening; Blocks 1 - V1 and X1. A parcel per man was issued (we got Christmas parcels). Good dinner: Argentine pea soup and mashed spuds; scrambled egg on toast; bread and honey; Argentine chocolate. Bought 2 bars of blended chocolate. Eve swapped Eric's Scotch Christmas parcel for a Canadian parcel. Made bed dawn once again at Stalag 344. (Fine sunny day). (Gruyère type cheese issued). At night Fred in the next bed was ill and was taken down to the Revier.

21st February, Wednesday.

Up at 5.30. English coffee was up. Folded blankets. Had good breakfast of fried bully, chips, toast, bread and (Gruyère) cheese, biscuits and honey, coffee. Washed, shaved and as good as ready by 7.30, but the move was postponed. Had brew at 9.0. Spuds up at 11.0 [10.0?]; ate them straightaway with margarine and salt as Blocks 1 - V1 had been warned to move. Final packing. 1 - V1 Blocks started to move at 10.30. Jerry in the hut shouting "Alles fertig machen!". We left Lamsdorf about 11.0 and marched to Annahof station. Bread and margarine (1 loaf & _ pat) issued. Train started about 3.0 and was through Neisse before dark. Meal of bread, margarine, Argentine cheese, jam.

22nd February, Thursday.

In Czechoslovakia by daylight. Breakfast of bread and jam 7.0 a.m.; drink of cocoa and biscuit about 9.0. More interesting country, covered in snow. Through Hohenstadt and Hochstein (had a wash in the river here). Moved very little all day. Lamb and beans cold midday. Bully and bread and cocoa eve. Settled for the night but then arrived at Troppau (?) 8.0 p.m. Macaroni soup up 10.0 p.m.; had double lashing with bread and Klim bash afterwards. More comfortable night owing to better sorting out [of places on the floor of the cattle truck].

23rd February, Friday.

Travelled during the night and by morning were said to be 40 km. from Prague. Through Velim, Pecky. Eric was sick. I had bread and jam breakfast. Brew of tea. Through Cesky Brod. Doctor saw Eric at a halt. Could not get water but scrounged some for an afternoon brew. Bully for evening meal. Hung about a lot outside Prague and throu g h Prague after dark

24th February, Saturday.

Somewhere in western Czechoslovakia by morning. Dull, sleety day. Undulating, somewhat wooded country, all open fields, little sign of pastoral or arable activities (wrong season). Many small hop fields with plants just showing (near Pilsen and Carlsbad?). Eric better. Bread, Yeatex, jam breakfast; brew and biscuit later. Midday Irish stew hot and toast; brew. Travelled quite well morning but hung about a lot afternoon Through Sunzstadt. Kam, bread and cocoa eve.

25th February, Sunday.

Fine day. In NW Bohemia somewhere near Karlabad and Eger. Stopped for water at Pürstein mid-morning. Picturesque scenery, wooded sharp hills, castles. Early morning. Were at Kaaden Brünnendorf. Many civilian refugees. Also Belgian civilians from Lower Silesia in cattle trucks. Along the banks of the River Eger (?) all afternoon; very little progress. Hot M&V with second brew. Rota [on the blower (stove)] came round to late for third brew; had meat biscuits and Canadian chocolate eve. There may be bread at Karlsbad, 24 km away.

26th February, Monday.

At Chodau. Still 13 km. from (beyond?) Karlsbad. Heavy rain early morning ushered in another dull miserable day (after the most comfortable night so far). Meat biscuits and Canadian cheese for breakfast. Christmas cake and brew at 11.0. Owing to so many cooking pancakes etc. didn't get second brew until about 7.0, when quite dark and all beds down. Stayed at Chodau in siding all day; trying to get us bread from Karlsbad. Out [of cattle truck] for ? hour evening; collected more coke for the blower.

27th February, Tuesday.

Still at Chodau; dull day. Roll-call morn. Breakfast Canadian biscuit and Canadian cheese. Owing to blower having to be repaired did not get a brew in during morning. Bread up ( ?? loaf) midday. Stewed steak hot with Canadian biscuit and brew 1.0 p.m. Jerry sausage and lard. Got second brew in before quite dark. Started to move during the night. Through Eger.

28th February, Wednesday.

Dawn at a station (Regensburg?) [could not have been Regensburg]. 7.30 at Arzburg, the Markttredwitz. Bright day; traveling well morning. Typical central German scenery, rolling country, small open chequered fields, coniferous woods everywhere. Soon became dull again. Through Kirchenlaibach, Bayreuth. Much bare rolling uncultivated land (hay?) as noticed last November in this region. Weather cleared late afternoon. More interesting country; valley with meandering river, willows, etc. (River Main). Night fell at Lichtenfels (20 km. from Coburg). Air raid warning for ?? hour. Moved a bit during the night. Eric sick again early