The Diary

Dr Middlemiss wrote some place names in capital letters, maybe to make the handwriting clear. We have kept that format here.


1st March, Thursday.

Expected to get off this morning but still said to have 50 km. to go. Cold wind. Pleasant country, cultivated squares on steep hillsides, small picturesque villages nestling in valleys, half-timbered farm buildings. Spent much of day at Eussenheim. Set off evening through Gossenheim.

2nd March, Friday.

Arrived at Hammelburg station during night. Got up about 07.00, packed up and had breakfast of roast pork and stuffing cold and Klim bash. Hung about, as detraining took some time. Eventually left station 09.50 and marched through the town and up an endless hill to the Stalag [Stalag X111C]. Put in the old Revier* compound, Block V. Felt bad afternoon. Evening had beans, bread and honey and a brew on the stove. Soup was up late. Felt much worse after the soup; sick and great abdominal pains during the night.

*Editor's Note: Revier means an 'area', but in the context of WW2 could mean the area where the seriously ill were sent.

3rd March, Saturday.

Got up very late; situation seems pretty deadly, no parcels, no books, nothing. Jerry rations no better than usual. Crowded and cut off from the main Stalag. Little water and that only from outside taps. Frequent air raids and when they are on we are not allowed out of the hut at all. Weather terrible, bitter cold wind, heavy snow falls alternating with sunshine. Snow lying quite thickly today. Typical early March weather. Snow lying heavily.
A wood party went out. We got the stove going, which makes a big difference to the room. Also two electric immersion heaters were constructed.*

*Editors note: The details of these are not explained, but from descriptions of army practice during that period, they may have just passed the current thought water from two large nails in a wood board on top of the bucket.

4th March, Sunday.

Roll-call 08.30. Had hot pancakes and honey midday. Jerry "goulash" and mashed spuds with cocoa aft. (Dry rations today were margarine, jam, sardines one tin per man. Also bought 1 tin sardines. Bread 1/6 loaf per man). Had hot shower late afternoon. Bread and jam with good brew of cocoa. Toast for supper (on dying embers of the stove).

5th March, Monday.

Roll-call outside 08.00. Thick vegetable soup. Thaw; snow gone from the hills in the distance although still about the camp; very very muddy. Eric out on wood party afternoon. And came back feeling krank. Evening soup very thin. Had sardines, and bread and jam and cocoa evening.

6th March, Tuesday.

No roll-call. Sardines and bread for breakfast. Good barley soup midday; had Christmas pudding and custard after - very good. To what must for the time being be regarded as our awaited celebration dinner [to mark first anniversary of being taken prisoners] consisted after all of barley soup, Christmas pudding and custard, bread and jam and tea! Sent off postcard home morn. Much warmer day, with some bright, almost spring-like spells. Spuds came up unexpectedly aft. Evening. Had dinner of bully, mashed spuds and barley, bread and jam, cocoa. Eric in bed. Have eaten better today than at Lamsdorf.

7th March, Wednesday.

Roll-call 08.00. Bread and jam for breakfast. Bought a bread ration. Vegetable soup, bread and jam and Jerry coffee; then mashed spuds. Wood party did not go out, so no stove afternoon until evening. Evening meal salmon and toast; bread and jam and curd; tea. Snow again at night.

8th March, Thursday.

Snow lying morning. Some snow most days, which keeps melting and making the area a mass of mud. Good barley and spud soup midday. People rapidly going out on commandos [i.e. working parties, which lived in the countryside outside the camp. These were not available to medical personnel] every day. Thin rice flour and spud soup evening. Sardines on toast, bread and jam, tea.

9th March, Friday.

Volunteered for wood party, but none went out [as no guards available]. Mixed vegetable soup midday. Ate all bread ration afternoon (not the best way of eating it). Went up for wood party late aft but no postens turned up. More vegetable soup evening, had rest of bully with it.

10th March, Saturday.

Out on wood party morning; pleasant walk; rather bleak country, rolling hills, springy turf, scattered strips of cultivation, sweeps of planted woodland, nearly all coniferous, although a few squares of hardwoods. Made good brew of cocoa before going out, but no time to drink it; very enjoyable on return.

11th March, Sunday.

Thin barley and potato soup. Sardines on toast evening.

12th March, Monday.

Out on wood party again morning (with Eric). Thin barley. Bought a jar of [French] mustard. Evening meal - mashed potatoes and mustard; toast with mustard and toast with jam. Also, bought several issues of margarine with Froggie fags*. Issue of 10 Jerry fags each for 35 Pfennig.

Editors Note: *UK slange for cigarettes. Note that in those days, even in war, cigarettes were concidered to be essential issue.

13th March, Tuesday.

Haircut morning. Very thin mixed veg. soup morn and evening. Fine day. Bought _ bottle of mustard, packet of Canadian tea and one margarine ration.

14th March, Wednesday.

Very fine spring-like day. Think mixed veg. soup morn and evening. American Invalid parcels (1 between 3) issued evening. See appendix 8. Raisins and cocoa for supper.

15th March, Thursday.

Fine spring-like day. Thin barley soup noon and thin potato soup evening. Sitting out on the grass afternoon.

16th March, Friday.

Fine day but cold in morning. Breakfast - bergou of Yank biscuits (Bergevan bergou) with Klim and Nestlés, very good, and American coffee (made on the blower). Midday spuds separately and smaller ration of thick barley, which seems a more sensible idea. FFI* morning. Did washing on the grass in the sun afternoon. Evening had Rose Mill Paté with cold mashed spuds and tea, and brew of cocoa later.

*Editors Note: We think this means Free From Infection.

17th March, Saturday.

Dull damp day. Morning Yankee coffee (on blower). Good cabbage soup. Evening. Yankee pea soup. Electricity off and no wood party makes brew situation bad. Ate all bread morning again as last three days, but not really best way and not fair to Eric; must try to find better system tomorrow. Evening good brew of cocoa (on blower).

18th March, Sunday.

Good soup midday - cabbage and gravy; bread and cheese. Worried by having cigarettes and not being able to get bread with them [cigarettes were the normal currency in POW camps. References of "buying" things normally imply use of cigarette currency]. Must get some bread. Cold mashed spuds and mustard and coffee evening and late brew of coffee.

19th March, Monday.

Shower morn. Good barley and potato soup. Vegetable soup evening; thin. Bought1/3 of a cartwheel loaf evening.

20th March, Tuesday.

No roll-call; up late. Bread and jam and tea for breakfast. Vegetable soup and spuds midday. Many long air raid alarms lately. Barley soup evening chopped pork (?). No lights at night; Eric out on wood party afternoon. Bought a 2 kilo loaf evening.

21st March, Wednesday.

Fine day for the first of spring. Eric on working party morning and afternoon. Barley and macaroni soup midday. Bought > issue loaf from a Posten. Very thin vegetable soup evening; chopped ham and eggs, toast, tea. Two lorries arrived from Geneva with parcels aft. Brew of tea at night. No lights again.

22nd March, Thursday.

Very fine day. Search of hut morning. Vegetable soup, spuds and dry rations all up at noon. Very warm day. Parcel issue (British) 1 between 2; we got 1944 Hawick. See appendix 9. Working afternoon carrying logs. Evening American soup and mashed spuds; bread and jam; tea; chocolate. Supper bread and jam and tea. No lights. More men in the hut evening, crowded again for the time being.

23rd March, Friday.

Expected to buy ??loaf over the wire morn but Posten wanted 10 fags. Evening salmon on toast. Very warm cloudless day; sunbathing.

24th March, Saturday.

Representative of the Protecting Power* came around morning. Very thin vegetable soup; spuds separate. Ate all the rations midday. Evening beef loaf and toast. Aft hot, cloudless; sunbathing. Very good news last two days of imminence of major Rhine attack.

*Editors Note. This is may be Red Cross or other representative from a neutral country that would look after Allied interests in the Axis Nations during war.

25th March, Sunday

Very fine warm day for my birthday. Breakfast of very thick sweet milky porridge. Good meaty soup midday. Afternoon bought tickets for a picture show, but it was cancelled. Evening celebration dinner:- Pork and vegetables and mashed spuds; currant pudding and cream; toast and cheese; bread and butter; biscuits and jam. Coffee in milk. Supper of French biscuits and cocoa. Birthday well celebrated. Good news - Montgomery's and Patton's crossing of the Rhine. Bought a pkt. of English sultanas and a small cartwheel loaf evening. Bought 1/3 of a tin of cocoa afternoon (3 fags).

26th March, Monday.

On ration carrying. Coffee at 6.15. Bread at 9.0. Soup 11.15 and 4.15 (but I swapped with a "racketeer" on the last). Cold and rainy morning but cleared up afternoon. Afternoon, continuous air raid alarm, with hundreds of bombers visible and heavy bombing very near. Good news of Patton's advance.

27th March, Tuesday.

Air raid alarm from 03.00 hours, until mid-morning. Morning announced that the Commandant has orders to evacuate the camp and we may have to go with them. RSM Brown elected international Vertrauensmann* and it was agreed to pool all food supplies. So, once again in the now familiar position of suspense - to be released or to go with the Germans - where to? Streams of Jerry ambulances and marching men can be seen from our windows coming from a westerly direction.
After midday soup the order came, be ready to move by 14.30. Packed up; the sick marched to Block 111; we followed and straight out of the camp. Machine gun fire near the camp, shells whizzing over, strafing. . . .
We marched through many villages, with promise of a parcel to come. Got so far as lining up in twos at one village but nothing came. Ate bacon and bread (had bought an issue loaf over the wire before leaving for 20 fags). At next village received a tin of margarine between 2 and a tin of steak and kidney stew.
Marched on until 01.00 slept [by the roadside] until 03.00, then on again until after day break, skirting Schweinfurt over bleak country to HAMBACH.

*Editor's Note: Vertrauensmann =negotiator or representative.

28th March, Wednesday.

In barn (15 of us). Morn in with the civvies [in the farm house], brew of tea and steak and kidney and bread; wash and shave. Slept until midday. Plenty of good barley soup; issue of bread (7 to a loaf). More brews and soup again at 6.0. Moved off 7.30 and marched by the outskirts of Schweinfurt. Should have arrived at Hesselbach but the army had commandeered it so arrived at HOPPACHSHOF. Big barn; got down about 3.0 am.

29th March, Thursday.

Hoppachshof a very small place. Up for coffee about 8.0. Raining. Brew and boiled eggs in a civvy house. Had a small piece of bread from a French worker. Barley soup midday. Moved off 2.30. Had apples from the Frenchie on leaving. Marched 8 km to REICHMANNSHAUSEN. A big farmyard, where we were kept under guard. Boiled eggs on wood fire; made cocoa with hot water from the neighbouring house.

30th March, Friday.

Good Friday "chanting" by the village kids. Had tea and barley bran porridge morning (on wood fire). Boiled spuds midday - had good thick soup with mashed spuds and strong sweet coffee made in the house. Washed feet morn. Gloomy day, grey and showery. Village seems dead. Obtained salt from the house. Afternoon, marched 8 km to MECHENRIED. Put in a barn in the main street but was too crowded, so 25 of us went round the corner into a very good billet; we three [Eric Dilworth, Lofty Renouf and I] in a private corner. Brew and spuds boiled in a private house (with the Sonderführer) [German liaison officer]. Cold stew with mashed spuds. Jerry soup pease water, but a good drink.

31st March, Saturday.

Easter chanting again early morn. Bought several bits of bread, bacon and eggs here. Moved off 08.30 and marched 28 km through Hassfurt, across the River Main to TROSSENFURT. In a hay loft; cooking fires easy to make in the yard. Had good barley soup, bacon, eggs, fried bread, mashed spuds evening.. Beer evening, at the pub. Girls going to confirmation [in their white confirmation dresses].