My Long Walk
22nd September, 2020
22nd September, 2020
To commemorate
the Long March of Prisoners of War in 1945
and to raise funds for Alzheimer's Research
Philip Baker
Curator of The On-Line Museum of Prisoners of War
the Long March of Prisoners of War in 1945
and to raise funds for Alzheimer's Research
Philip Baker
Curator of The On-Line Museum of Prisoners of War
A Walk Too Far
Twice I have travelled, though not on foot, over routes of the Long March that prisoners of war had to endure for three months or more, when the Germans decided to evacuate many POW camps away from the advancing Soviet army in January 1945. Because I have read so many accounts of that March over the years, I have sometimes thought that I would like to have attempted to follow one of those routes myself, on foot, to get a better idea of what it was like for the POWs. It would have needed to be properly planned of course, with proper equipment, nourishment, clothing and footwear, and decent overnight accommodation along the way. But being realistic, with limited resources and being in my seventies, this venture would certainly be beyond me now.
A Good Cause
However, in the 75th anniversary year of the Long March, I wanted to do something, and I had the idea to undertake a long walk - but just for one day - and at the same time to try to raise some money for a good cause that I felt the POWs would have approved of. I chose Alzheimer's Research, because I, probably like many of you reading this, have someone close who suffers from this disease.
However, in the 75th anniversary year of the Long March, I wanted to do something, and I had the idea to undertake a long walk - but just for one day - and at the same time to try to raise some money for a good cause that I felt the POWs would have approved of. I chose Alzheimer's Research, because I, probably like many of you reading this, have someone close who suffers from this disease.
How Long?
To be a meaningful challenge the walk needed to be longer than I have walked in one day before. Perhaps the longest walk I have taken in the past was around 40 km - about 25 miles. I therefore decided to attempt 50 km - just over 30 miles. This was easy for me to set up, as the town where I live, Valence d'Agen in southern France, is beside the Canal des Deux Mers - the Canal of Two Seas - that runs from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean with a flat, 700 km cycle and foot path all the way. 50 km east of Valence d'Agen is the city of Montauban, which is actually about 11 km from the Canal des Deux Mers, but is connected to it by the Montech Canal, with its own footpath. Montauban then would be my starting point. For several weeks I undertook training walks of increasing lengths, the longest being 40 km.
To be a meaningful challenge the walk needed to be longer than I have walked in one day before. Perhaps the longest walk I have taken in the past was around 40 km - about 25 miles. I therefore decided to attempt 50 km - just over 30 miles. This was easy for me to set up, as the town where I live, Valence d'Agen in southern France, is beside the Canal des Deux Mers - the Canal of Two Seas - that runs from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean with a flat, 700 km cycle and foot path all the way. 50 km east of Valence d'Agen is the city of Montauban, which is actually about 11 km from the Canal des Deux Mers, but is connected to it by the Montech Canal, with its own footpath. Montauban then would be my starting point. For several weeks I undertook training walks of increasing lengths, the longest being 40 km.
Not the same
To highlight how different my walk was from the experiences of the POWs in 1945, I have included extracts from their writings about the march, taken from 'The Long March In Their Own Words'.
To highlight how different my walk was from the experiences of the POWs in 1945, I have included extracts from their writings about the march, taken from 'The Long March In Their Own Words'.
1945 - John Weeks, The Black Watch:
"At dawn, all 10,000 prisoners assembled during a snowy blizzard to begin the march. I shall never forget the sight of 10,000 men leaving the camp, many of them pulling a sleigh with all their belongings on. The column stretched for about 2 miles. After a few days we realised what we were in for, with the bitter weather, cold winds and blizzards, temperature down to well below 30 degrees F, and no food from the Germans for a couple of days. When we did get food it was a loaf of bread between seven men and a small piece of unpalatable cheese. We would be on these rations for 2 or 3 days and then have a day when we would receive nothing at all, all the while being marched between 12 and 18 miles. During the march we never got one hot meal or a hot drink. In fact some days we never even got water and had to melt handfuls of snow. I don't know how many men died on that march, but at times you would see a man drop down in the snow and you would just step over him. At first we would try to help, holding them up between two of us and dragging them along, but eventually we all became so weak, it was every man for himself. I don't know what happened to them, but we never saw them again and with the temperatures being what they were, they could not have lasted long."
"At dawn, all 10,000 prisoners assembled during a snowy blizzard to begin the march. I shall never forget the sight of 10,000 men leaving the camp, many of them pulling a sleigh with all their belongings on. The column stretched for about 2 miles. After a few days we realised what we were in for, with the bitter weather, cold winds and blizzards, temperature down to well below 30 degrees F, and no food from the Germans for a couple of days. When we did get food it was a loaf of bread between seven men and a small piece of unpalatable cheese. We would be on these rations for 2 or 3 days and then have a day when we would receive nothing at all, all the while being marched between 12 and 18 miles. During the march we never got one hot meal or a hot drink. In fact some days we never even got water and had to melt handfuls of snow. I don't know how many men died on that march, but at times you would see a man drop down in the snow and you would just step over him. At first we would try to help, holding them up between two of us and dragging them along, but eventually we all became so weak, it was every man for himself. I don't know what happened to them, but we never saw them again and with the temperatures being what they were, they could not have lasted long."
Montauban
06.03 train from Valence d'Agen to Montauban, arriving at 06.36. A 15 minute walk in the dark and the rain to the Canal Port where the walk proper was to begin. I had a hat light as I didn't want to accidentally walk into the canal in the dark! I had brought a plastic poncho in case of rain, which was in an outside pocket of my small rucksack. It had disappeared - perhaps it fell out on the train. It was just as well that I had brought an umbrella too. For the first hour I saw nobody, except a cyclist who went past me in the opposite direction. I had a brief stop for a drink of water and a snack - I had brought some sandwiches (peanut butter and banana), a nuts/raisins/chocolate mix, some bananas, apple pieces and some little cakes, and I snacked regularly during the walk.
06.03 train from Valence d'Agen to Montauban, arriving at 06.36. A 15 minute walk in the dark and the rain to the Canal Port where the walk proper was to begin. I had a hat light as I didn't want to accidentally walk into the canal in the dark! I had brought a plastic poncho in case of rain, which was in an outside pocket of my small rucksack. It had disappeared - perhaps it fell out on the train. It was just as well that I had brought an umbrella too. For the first hour I saw nobody, except a cyclist who went past me in the opposite direction. I had a brief stop for a drink of water and a snack - I had brought some sandwiches (peanut butter and banana), a nuts/raisins/chocolate mix, some bananas, apple pieces and some little cakes, and I snacked regularly during the walk.
1945 - James Peters, the Border Regiment:
"No food to start with. Marched 15 km to Gleichstadt. We are feeling tired and hungry. We got 2/3rds of a German loaf and a mug of soup. We are very tired and wet. Men are getting sick and dying."
"No food to start with. Marched 15 km to Gleichstadt. We are feeling tired and hungry. We got 2/3rds of a German loaf and a mug of soup. We are very tired and wet. Men are getting sick and dying."
Montech
The Montech Canal does actually work its way gently up hill with the help of locks, and there are 10 locks in 11 km. The path is mostly flat though, with a small incline next to each lock. Getting nearer to Montech there were more cyclists, joggers and dog walkers on the path, as it got lighter. I wasn't feeling tired and had no problems with my feet. The rain gradually stopped. Where the Montech Canal meets the Canal des Deux Mers, I had to go over a bridge to get to the other side of that Canal to take the westward direction. 09.30 - some more sandwiches and a drink. 11 km done, 39 km to go.
The Montech Canal does actually work its way gently up hill with the help of locks, and there are 10 locks in 11 km. The path is mostly flat though, with a small incline next to each lock. Getting nearer to Montech there were more cyclists, joggers and dog walkers on the path, as it got lighter. I wasn't feeling tired and had no problems with my feet. The rain gradually stopped. Where the Montech Canal meets the Canal des Deux Mers, I had to go over a bridge to get to the other side of that Canal to take the westward direction. 09.30 - some more sandwiches and a drink. 11 km done, 39 km to go.
1945 - Henry Silk, Royal Tank Regiment:
"We were greeted with a drizzle of rain in the morning. It was quite refreshing. It soon dried up and the sun came out. We were making slow progress, the Germans didn't seem to be in any great hurry, and we halted in a village and thought it was our rest house, but we moved out and it started to rain. It was some of the worst rain I have ever experienced, it was wicked. We marched 2 hours in it and at the end we were all like drowned rats, it even penetrated our heavy overcoats. We arrived at a lovely farmhouse and were pushed into the barns without any coffee or soup. I took all of my clothes off, rang them out, put them on again and tried to sleep, but only for a short while, I believe it was the most uncomfortable night I had experienced on the march, in fact, ever in my life. I believed I called the Germans everything but angels, I couldn't find words for them bad enough. It was still raining in the morning when we moved out and as we were already wet, it never mattered much. It cleared up about midday and about 3pm we arrived at a village called Wilkodity and for a change, we had plenty of room, we needed it. Hot coffee was soon made, and soup, that made us feel a bit better. We took our wet clothes off and slept naked amongst the straw but I don't advise anybody to try it, most uncomfortable."
"We were greeted with a drizzle of rain in the morning. It was quite refreshing. It soon dried up and the sun came out. We were making slow progress, the Germans didn't seem to be in any great hurry, and we halted in a village and thought it was our rest house, but we moved out and it started to rain. It was some of the worst rain I have ever experienced, it was wicked. We marched 2 hours in it and at the end we were all like drowned rats, it even penetrated our heavy overcoats. We arrived at a lovely farmhouse and were pushed into the barns without any coffee or soup. I took all of my clothes off, rang them out, put them on again and tried to sleep, but only for a short while, I believe it was the most uncomfortable night I had experienced on the march, in fact, ever in my life. I believed I called the Germans everything but angels, I couldn't find words for them bad enough. It was still raining in the morning when we moved out and as we were already wet, it never mattered much. It cleared up about midday and about 3pm we arrived at a village called Wilkodity and for a change, we had plenty of room, we needed it. Hot coffee was soon made, and soup, that made us feel a bit better. We took our wet clothes off and slept naked amongst the straw but I don't advise anybody to try it, most uncomfortable."
A wet walk to Castelsarrasin
The first part of the 15 km walk from Montech to Castelsarrasin is quite interesting because it goes alongside something called the 'Canal Slope'. This was a system for bypassing a number of locks along a parallel canal and by means of an uphill, concrete slope where boats were pushed up by an engine on a wedge of water. It has been out of action for some years, but is now being restored as a tourist attraction. Unfortunately as I walked further away from Montech, the rain started again and began to get more persistent. My shorts were getting very wet - luckily it was not a cold day, so it could have been worse - but eventually I decided to stop under a bridge for shelter. This also gave me the chance to have a look at my left foot, that was beginning to feel a bit sore underneath. A blister was starting, so I cushioned it with a plaster and that was better. It seemed that the rain was never going to stop, and I regretted losing my poncho. When it eased a little bit, I decided to start walking again, with the umbrella, as I didn't want to be late for my lunch with Pierre in Castelsarrasin.
The first part of the 15 km walk from Montech to Castelsarrasin is quite interesting because it goes alongside something called the 'Canal Slope'. This was a system for bypassing a number of locks along a parallel canal and by means of an uphill, concrete slope where boats were pushed up by an engine on a wedge of water. It has been out of action for some years, but is now being restored as a tourist attraction. Unfortunately as I walked further away from Montech, the rain started again and began to get more persistent. My shorts were getting very wet - luckily it was not a cold day, so it could have been worse - but eventually I decided to stop under a bridge for shelter. This also gave me the chance to have a look at my left foot, that was beginning to feel a bit sore underneath. A blister was starting, so I cushioned it with a plaster and that was better. It seemed that the rain was never going to stop, and I regretted losing my poncho. When it eased a little bit, I decided to start walking again, with the umbrella, as I didn't want to be late for my lunch with Pierre in Castelsarrasin.
1945 - Maurice Jones, King’s Shropshire Light Infantry:
"One night we had been herded into a building where the only place I could find to lie down was on a pile of building sand. I was stupid enough to remove my boots before trying to sleep or suffering the coldest night I spent undercover. Next morning I discovered just how stupid I had been for my boots were frozen solid and my feet, already swollen, just would not go into my boots. For many minutes I struggled, without success and was becoming extremely worried about the consequences of not being able to get them on. At long last I was so gratefully relieved to finally get into my boots, which remained like iron for the best part of an hour afterwards. I had learned a lesson and never removed my boots again."
"One night we had been herded into a building where the only place I could find to lie down was on a pile of building sand. I was stupid enough to remove my boots before trying to sleep or suffering the coldest night I spent undercover. Next morning I discovered just how stupid I had been for my boots were frozen solid and my feet, already swollen, just would not go into my boots. For many minutes I struggled, without success and was becoming extremely worried about the consequences of not being able to get them on. At long last I was so gratefully relieved to finally get into my boots, which remained like iron for the best part of an hour afterwards. I had learned a lesson and never removed my boots again."
Lunch on a boat
By the time I was half-way from Montech to Castelsarrasin my legs were beginning to ache. Luckily the rain stopped and there was a little sunshine. A few weeks ago I did a training walk from Montauban to Castelsarrasin and by the time I arrived there, I was completely exhausted and my feet felt desperately sore. When I took off my boots and socks I found that my feet were completely sore and red all over. I was glad to take the train back to Valence d'Agen. This time though I felt much better. The training had helped, and also I found that I could stop my feet from getting so sore by putting Vaseline on them and then using some good-quality under-socks. What was also important was to have a better preparatory diet in the days before the walk, and during the walk itself. I aimed to have a mix of 70% carbohydrates, 20% protein, and 10% fat. This really worked, which was just as well as I would still have 24 km to walk. My French friend Pierre, who lives on a boat in Castelsarrasin, had promised to have some lunch ready for me when I arrived. He had a table prepared on the path next to the boat - sausages and salad, and extremely welcome. Unfortunately the rain started again and we had to eat inside the boat, but it was nice to sit down for a while, and also I was able to change my socks and renew the Vaseline. Pierre had a poncho to lend me in case I needed it. I stayed longer than I had intended in Castelsarrasin, but it was an enjoyably break, and many thanks to Pierre! He walked with me for a few kilometres when I finally re-started. 26 km completed, 24 km to go.
1945 - James Peters, the Border Regiment:
"Nothing to eat in the morning. Marched 25 km to Neiderstein in a snowstorm. Billeted in a barn. Received ½ mug of burgu. We are very cold and hungry and weak. Men have frostbite. Men are sick. Men are dying from exhaustion. No food."
"Nothing to eat in the morning. Marched 25 km to Neiderstein in a snowstorm. Billeted in a barn. Received ½ mug of burgu. We are very cold and hungry and weak. Men have frostbite. Men are sick. Men are dying from exhaustion. No food."
Busy Moissac
It was only about 8 km to the town of Moissac, and the weather was better with some nice sunshine, but luckily not too hot, perhaps 20-22 degrees. During my training walks the temperature was usually around 30 degrees, and under cloudless skies. This was surely a contributory factor to my previous exhaustion at Castelsarrasin. The path towards Moissac was much busier as I went along. Lots of people walking and cycling, and "Bonjour, bonjour" every few minutes. Quite a few boats too on the canal. Moissac itself was bustling with a lot of activity on and beside the canal. I was definitely feeling tired by this time, with 34 km completed and 16 km to go.
It was only about 8 km to the town of Moissac, and the weather was better with some nice sunshine, but luckily not too hot, perhaps 20-22 degrees. During my training walks the temperature was usually around 30 degrees, and under cloudless skies. This was surely a contributory factor to my previous exhaustion at Castelsarrasin. The path towards Moissac was much busier as I went along. Lots of people walking and cycling, and "Bonjour, bonjour" every few minutes. Quite a few boats too on the canal. Moissac itself was bustling with a lot of activity on and beside the canal. I was definitely feeling tired by this time, with 34 km completed and 16 km to go.
1945 - Thomas Dirkin of the Royal Army Service Corps:
"We spent many mights out in the open in the snow, and after the first fortnight many of the men were very weak and died in the night frozen to death. We marched on endlessly day after day, in snow and sleet, until we had marched over a thousand kilometres."
"We spent many mights out in the open in the snow, and after the first fortnight many of the men were very weak and died in the night frozen to death. We marched on endlessly day after day, in snow and sleet, until we had marched over a thousand kilometres."
The never-ending path
With 10 km still to go, my legs were aching and the blister under my left foot beginning to be a nuisance. I much prefer the path when it goes around bends, but of course being a canal path it is mostly straight, and the sight of that long, long path disappearing over the horizon as if it was never-ending, certainly made me feel more weary.
With 10 km still to go, my legs were aching and the blister under my left foot beginning to be a nuisance. I much prefer the path when it goes around bends, but of course being a canal path it is mostly straight, and the sight of that long, long path disappearing over the horizon as if it was never-ending, certainly made me feel more weary.
1945 - John Shanks, Royal Air Force:
"On and on we went passing through Görlitz, Kunnerwitz, Friedersdorp, to arrive at Reichenbach at 8.30 in pitch dark and rain. It was absolutely terrible. It was worse than my first night; weary, exhausted, almost sick staggering all over the road. And then we were crammed 8,000 into one camp. No sleep at all. Our guards are the old Volksturm (Home Guard) and were as fatigued as we were."
"On and on we went passing through Görlitz, Kunnerwitz, Friedersdorp, to arrive at Reichenbach at 8.30 in pitch dark and rain. It was absolutely terrible. It was worse than my first night; weary, exhausted, almost sick staggering all over the road. And then we were crammed 8,000 into one camp. No sleep at all. Our guards are the old Volksturm (Home Guard) and were as fatigued as we were."
Sunset
With 2½ km to go, the light was disappearing and I was definitely beginning to hobble. I seemed to have slowed down a lot. I was trying to avoid putting any weight on the ball of my left foot because of the increasingly painful blister there.
With 2½ km to go, the light was disappearing and I was definitely beginning to hobble. I seemed to have slowed down a lot. I was trying to avoid putting any weight on the ball of my left foot because of the increasingly painful blister there.
"1945 - Ernest Spooner - King's Royal Rifle Corps:
The happiest day of my life – Liberation day. At 2 minutes to twelve this morning the Yank armour rolled past us heading up the road to the village of Weimickl and on to Landshut, gee did us lads give them a big hand. We all ran down the road and the doughboys were handing out cigs and tucker. Everything happened that day, the boys with their new found freedom just went to town and the goods they brought back was enough to stock a warehouse, more cigs and cigars than I’ve seen in a long time."
The happiest day of my life – Liberation day. At 2 minutes to twelve this morning the Yank armour rolled past us heading up the road to the village of Weimickl and on to Landshut, gee did us lads give them a big hand. We all ran down the road and the doughboys were handing out cigs and tucker. Everything happened that day, the boys with their new found freedom just went to town and the goods they brought back was enough to stock a warehouse, more cigs and cigars than I’ve seen in a long time."
Ice Cold in Alex
(maybe you saw the film?)
8.20 pm - finally made it to Valence d'Agen and was very glad to see the familiar covered market place as I got into the town. 50 km, 13 hours 20 minutes (12 hours walking) - £2,073 for Alzheimer's Research. It was a wonderful experience to reach the Café Le Paris just before they closed and to be able to order a cold beer! Many thanks indeed to everyone who contributed to this worthy cause.
You can still contribute to my Alzheimer's Research UK appeal,
perhaps in memory of a former prisoner of war, by clicking here: Contribute to Philip's Appeal for
Alzheimer's Research UK
(maybe you saw the film?)
8.20 pm - finally made it to Valence d'Agen and was very glad to see the familiar covered market place as I got into the town. 50 km, 13 hours 20 minutes (12 hours walking) - £2,073 for Alzheimer's Research. It was a wonderful experience to reach the Café Le Paris just before they closed and to be able to order a cold beer! Many thanks indeed to everyone who contributed to this worthy cause.
You can still contribute to my Alzheimer's Research UK appeal,
perhaps in memory of a former prisoner of war, by clicking here: Contribute to Philip's Appeal for
Alzheimer's Research UK
Never Forget
My long walk did not really compare in any meaningful way with the Long March of 1945. I was prepared, reasonably fit, with good weather, good clothing and footwear, good nutrition and good morale. I could stop when I wanted to and of course I could have opted out at any stage and taken a train back home. Those poor men 75 years ago. I would like to share with you an excerpt from the book 'The Barbed Wire University' by Midge Gillies:
'And as the Russians advanced so the POWs were ordered onto the road in a series of evacuations that became known as 'The Long March' or 'The Death March', but which might have been more appropriately named 'The Long Trudge'. The thrill of being on the other side of the barbed wire soon gave way to the despair of stuggling through blizzards ..... in Germany's worst winter for fifty years. They dragged makeshift sledges carrying supplies and what possessions they could not bear to part with, until they had no more strength to carry them. Every man wore as much clothing as he could pile on ..... but still the cold and wind found a way through. They slept in barns, factories or sometimes by the side of the road, not knowing whether they would wake up in the morning. There was very little food and rarely a chance to heat up rations or to boil water. Frostbite and other illnesses began to set in. Poor hygiene, cold and a weakened imune system led to jaundice, scurvey, dysentery, pneumonia, boils and ulcers. It was not uncommon for men to follow a trail of bloody faeces left by men suffering from dysentery. Under these conditions some POWs covered hundreds of miles.'
And yet the extreme sufferings of these men is largely unknown and often ignored in histories of the war, and the men themselves received little or no official recognition or recompense for what they had to endure - not just on the March but throughout their time as prisoners. Not even a medal (at least, for the British former prisoners - I don't know about former POWs of other nationalities). There has often been a very negative attitude towards former POWs, perhaps because of ignorance. Here is an incident that illustrates this. At the end of their Long March, a POW named Bill Balmer and a comrade were eventually liberated by American troops who took them to a British army base that had been set up at Lübeck in Germany, and where they had to wait for some time before being repatriated back to the UK. In his book 'My Service Life' Bill wrote:
'One night we made our way to the ENSA (an entertainment group) show being held in this former German army base.There was a young sergeant at the door and he asked us where we thought we were going. After we told he we wanted to see the show he informed us that the show was only for 'fighting men'. We stayed calm; after all, we had just spent five years behind the wire and did not want to spend another day in captivity for striking a stupid young sergeant. As we walked away, an ATS (Women's Army) sergeant stopped us and asked us what the problem was. We told her what had happened and she got between us and hooked her arms into ours and then steered us back to the sergeant. "Why did you refuse these two men permission to enter this building?" she asked. The sergeant tried to bluff his way, but she caught him by the shoulders and threw him out of the way. She then said, "I'm senior to you so you can report me if you want. But I do not believe that you ever heard a shot fired in anger and these boys have. You are only a signaller, well behind the lines."
The ATS sergeant took Bill and his friend to the front row of the show where the senior officers were sitting, and explained what had happened. The officers made room for them in the front row, asked them about their experiences and gave them cigarettes. The next day the offending young sergeant from the day before, and four of his friends, began taunting Bill and his friend, calling them cowards and said they were looking for the yellow stripes on their backs. Bill made a compaint and a formal hearing was held, at which the ATS sergeant gave evidence. As a result, the offending sergeant was demoted and his four friends would be given dishonourable discharges if they could be identified. Bill wrote: "Never in the future was I treated with the disrespect shown by that sergeant and his friends, but the psychological damage he inflicted on me has stayed with me since that 1945 incident."
We want to make sure that those prisoners of war are given the honour and respect that they deserved, the same as any other members of the armed forces who participated in that war. The purpose of 'The On-Line Museum of Prisoners of War', its websites, Facebook groups and other activities is, if possible, to help anyone who had a father, grandfather, or someone else important to them who was a prisoner of war, in their researches; to record what is known of the experiences of those prisoners of war and to maintain a permanent record of them. It is an ongoing project which might well take many years yet to complete.
My long walk did not really compare in any meaningful way with the Long March of 1945. I was prepared, reasonably fit, with good weather, good clothing and footwear, good nutrition and good morale. I could stop when I wanted to and of course I could have opted out at any stage and taken a train back home. Those poor men 75 years ago. I would like to share with you an excerpt from the book 'The Barbed Wire University' by Midge Gillies:
'And as the Russians advanced so the POWs were ordered onto the road in a series of evacuations that became known as 'The Long March' or 'The Death March', but which might have been more appropriately named 'The Long Trudge'. The thrill of being on the other side of the barbed wire soon gave way to the despair of stuggling through blizzards ..... in Germany's worst winter for fifty years. They dragged makeshift sledges carrying supplies and what possessions they could not bear to part with, until they had no more strength to carry them. Every man wore as much clothing as he could pile on ..... but still the cold and wind found a way through. They slept in barns, factories or sometimes by the side of the road, not knowing whether they would wake up in the morning. There was very little food and rarely a chance to heat up rations or to boil water. Frostbite and other illnesses began to set in. Poor hygiene, cold and a weakened imune system led to jaundice, scurvey, dysentery, pneumonia, boils and ulcers. It was not uncommon for men to follow a trail of bloody faeces left by men suffering from dysentery. Under these conditions some POWs covered hundreds of miles.'
And yet the extreme sufferings of these men is largely unknown and often ignored in histories of the war, and the men themselves received little or no official recognition or recompense for what they had to endure - not just on the March but throughout their time as prisoners. Not even a medal (at least, for the British former prisoners - I don't know about former POWs of other nationalities). There has often been a very negative attitude towards former POWs, perhaps because of ignorance. Here is an incident that illustrates this. At the end of their Long March, a POW named Bill Balmer and a comrade were eventually liberated by American troops who took them to a British army base that had been set up at Lübeck in Germany, and where they had to wait for some time before being repatriated back to the UK. In his book 'My Service Life' Bill wrote:
'One night we made our way to the ENSA (an entertainment group) show being held in this former German army base.There was a young sergeant at the door and he asked us where we thought we were going. After we told he we wanted to see the show he informed us that the show was only for 'fighting men'. We stayed calm; after all, we had just spent five years behind the wire and did not want to spend another day in captivity for striking a stupid young sergeant. As we walked away, an ATS (Women's Army) sergeant stopped us and asked us what the problem was. We told her what had happened and she got between us and hooked her arms into ours and then steered us back to the sergeant. "Why did you refuse these two men permission to enter this building?" she asked. The sergeant tried to bluff his way, but she caught him by the shoulders and threw him out of the way. She then said, "I'm senior to you so you can report me if you want. But I do not believe that you ever heard a shot fired in anger and these boys have. You are only a signaller, well behind the lines."
The ATS sergeant took Bill and his friend to the front row of the show where the senior officers were sitting, and explained what had happened. The officers made room for them in the front row, asked them about their experiences and gave them cigarettes. The next day the offending young sergeant from the day before, and four of his friends, began taunting Bill and his friend, calling them cowards and said they were looking for the yellow stripes on their backs. Bill made a compaint and a formal hearing was held, at which the ATS sergeant gave evidence. As a result, the offending sergeant was demoted and his four friends would be given dishonourable discharges if they could be identified. Bill wrote: "Never in the future was I treated with the disrespect shown by that sergeant and his friends, but the psychological damage he inflicted on me has stayed with me since that 1945 incident."
We want to make sure that those prisoners of war are given the honour and respect that they deserved, the same as any other members of the armed forces who participated in that war. The purpose of 'The On-Line Museum of Prisoners of War', its websites, Facebook groups and other activities is, if possible, to help anyone who had a father, grandfather, or someone else important to them who was a prisoner of war, in their researches; to record what is known of the experiences of those prisoners of war and to maintain a permanent record of them. It is an ongoing project which might well take many years yet to complete.
