Ivan Douglas McPherson’s #34461 Long March notebook transcript

Ivan McPherson # 34461 kept brief notes of his long march in a notebook

January 22nd: Cosel Hafen left 4.30pm.

23rd: Reached Gros Naukirch now Polska Cerekiew, Poland at 5am, Left at 8pm.

24th: Reached Gros Nimsdorf, now Naczeslawice, Poland.

25th: Hohenschanz, now Laskowice, Poland.

26th: ? Swawsdorf ? (unable to find)

27th: Wackenau, now Wierzbiec, Poland.

28th: Weiswasser, now Bila Voda, Czech Republic.

29th: no entry

30th: Eiserdorf, now Zelazno, Poland.

31st: no entry

February 1st: no entry

2nd: no entry

3rd: Reichenau, now Niwa, Poland.

4th: Braunau, now Broumov, Czech Republic.

5th: no entry

6th: no entry

7th: no entry

8th: no entry

9th: Andersbach, now Adrspach, CR.

10th: Altenbuch, now Stare Buky, CR.

11th: no entry

12th: Gros Borowitz, now Borovnice, CR.

13th: Radim, CR.

14th: Ktova, CR.

15th: no entry

16th: ? Ober Nochau ? (unable to find)

17th: ? Bohumin ? (unable to find)

18th: no entry

19th: Barzdorf, now Pertoltice pod Ralskem, CR.

20th: Neistadtz ? Neustadtl, now Jezve, CR.

21st: no entry

22nd: Saubernitz, now Zubrnice, CR.

23rd: ? Herlitz ? (unable to find)

24th: Sorborten, now Sobedruhy, CR.

25th: no entry

26th: Lang Ugest, was Jenisuv Ujezd, CR. ( Now an abandoned village, just west of Bilina, CR.)

27th: Wurzmes, now Vrskman, CR.

28th: no entry

March 1st: Brunnersdorf, now Prunerov, CR.

2nd: Aubach, CR.

3rd: Edersgrun, now Oder, CR.

4th: no entry

5th: Rossmeisl, now Horni Rozmyst, CR.

6th: ? Theussna ? (unable to find)

7th: no entry

8th: Durnbach, now Potociste, CR.

9th: no entry

10th: Schirnding, Germany.

11th: no entry

12th: no entry

13th: Thiersheim, Germany.

14th: Roslau, Germany.

15th: no entry

16th: Kornbach, Germany.

17th: Stein, Germany. (now Warmensteinach ?)

18th: Rodersberg, Germany. ( close to Sankt Johannis)

Also recorded in notebook: Liberated on Monday 23 April1945 in Winklarn, Bavaria.

Left Winklarn on Friday 27/4/45 by truck for Stalag X1 C. (This cannot be correct as this Stalag X1 C is in northern Germany I believe.)

Saturday 28/4/45 arrived at Nuremburg airport.

Monday 30/4/45 left by plane (C.47) for England, stopped at airport Monday night.

Tuesday 1/5/45 left for Margate by train, entered hospital at night.

For some reason Rodersberg, Germany, March 18th is the last entry of the Long March in the notebook.

I was very pleased to see in http://www.lamsdorflongmarch.com/ the route from Sankt Johannis to Winklarn, as I’m sure it would have been the route my father took.

My father’s German place name entries are at times very hard to read, and some places I have been unable to find, also finding the Czech names for some of these places at times is difficult, hopefully they are correct. But for all that one can tell the general route that was taken.
The kilometers travelled also are suspect at times, but under the severe winter conditions, and the men’s general condition it is no wonder they might have been confused at times.

For the most part the places and dates of my father’s Long March route and Arthur Lovell’s match, though some place names are different, sometimes close to each other, but also other times not.

Ron McPherson, New Zealand