* Letter dated 6 Aug 1941 from RASC Hastings To POW's mother that her son was at the British POW Camp Corinthia, Greece (Old news by the time it arrived).

*Pre-printed postcard from Jack to his mother, received Sept 41 saying I am a POW and in good health

* Letter dated 14 Sept 1941 from Jack (Stalag XVIII-D) to home

"..Had 4 parcels"... (2 British and 2 Canadian RC Parcels)
This is the arrival of those parcels, as described by Douglas Arthur in his book, shown below

The British Weekly Red Cross Food Parcels, which were vital to the POW's health, perhaps even survival, varied depending on availability but contained all or some of the following

 1/4lb packet of tea, tin of cocoa powder, bar of milk or plain chocolate, tinned pudding, tin of meat roll, tin of processed cheese, tin of condensed milk, tin of dried eggs, tin of sardines or herrings, tin of , tin of margarine, tin of sugar, tin of vegetables, tin of biscuits, bar of soap, tin of 50 cigarettes or tobacco (sent separately)



For more on general conditions in the POW camps in Germany, Austria, Slovenia etc, and the vitally important Red Cross Parcels, CLICK HERE

 "...none from home yet... We are allowed to send 2 letters and 4 postcards per month by Airmail..."

 *From Jack (Stalag XVIII-D) to home dated 14th December 1941 "I must tell you of my luck last week. I drew for some Red Cross Clothes and I was lucky enough to get a woollen shirt, Pyjamas and socks. They came in very handy."

This is Jack and buddies in Verria Greece March 1941 ...see next photo which was taken on the same day

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The inscription on the back

Verria, Greece March 1941

Pat and I with the Boys

 Following the mainland Battle of Greece Jack was evacuated to Crete,
where he was captured, along with about 10,000 Brits, Aussies and
Kiwis, effectively abandoned, to cease heavy Royal Navy losses in carrying out further evacuation) As you will read in the letters Jack's Ambulance Orderly
did evacuate from Crete. "I fell straight to sleep, when I awoke, he was gone
and so was the Ambulance. I wasn't alone, the boys in Blue Grey had come out of the sky"
Presumably the Orderly headed for the evacuation point. It is believed that he must have been one of
the last to leave the Island. Jack believed that it was 27th April 1941 but I think he is a month out because the paratrooper ("the boys in Blue Grey") invasion of Crete did not take place in April..it was between 20th May and Ist June

2nd CHRISTMAS Away 1941

*From Jack (Stalag XVIII-D) to home March 1942 "Getting your letter every week but still haven't received a parcel yet..expecting it anytime......"

* From Jack (Stalag XVIII-D) to home 5th April 1942 "...I'm enclosing photo- that's a French jacket I'm wearing but since then I've been issued with a new Battledress and Overcoat, Cap and Boots and I am quite a smart soldier again... ...We still get Red Cross Food Parcels every week so things aren't so bad.

I keep picturing it in my mind and just laying to get stuck into it. I have turned quite a good cook what with making cakes custards and so forth. I will be quite handy to you Ma when I get back We have 3 days holiday for Easter. Jock (Bill Campbell) and I have just finished our washing and now for the cooking..." (Most men split into pairs to share the parcels, cooking etc)

* From Jack (Stalag XVIII-D) to home dated 19th July 1942 "...Getting my Food Parcels each week so am as happy as can be expected considering the circumstances"

3rd CHRISTMAS Away 1942

Note that every one of the hundreds of letters and cards that Jack sent are written in pencil. Most of the letters to him are also in pencil but some are written in dippy or fountain pen ink. Ladislo Biro created the first ballpoint pen in the late 1930s and licensed the manufacture to an English firm. It gained its fame among allied pilots during the war, who relied upon the ability of the Biro to write in unpressurized cockpits at high altitude. But it was well after the war that the average person had one

WORK IN PROGRESS

* From Jack to sister Nellie dated 6th May 1943 "...Fancy you getting married. You know I can't believe my own eyes when I read some of the letters I get. Every body and everything is changing so much. I will be like a stranger when I get back...."

*From Jack to home dated 13th June 1943 "...I will be leaving this Camp ( Work Camp GW67) shortly but just carry on sending to the same address until I notify you. I have been turned down twice for farmwork but it seems pretty sure this time. All my pals think I am mad for wanting to change my home here, but I must have a change. This is Whit Monday today and we have had three days holiday.

We were at the Pictures yesterday and if we keep our noses clean until next week we are going to a Circus. The weather here is glorious which makes life a lot happier. We held a dance in the Camp last night and it went off OK even without women..."

Note Douglas Arthur's letters and cards were not kept..pity, they're worth 6 quid each on Ebay
*From Jack to home dated 27th Sept 1943 "..I received a Clothing Parcel from you last week. I was very pleased with it. It was posted in May. Thanks for the kit bag, also the chocolate...The weather here is very hot and we are all looking like ni****s again. You will notice my new GW number. (new number GW 65 previously GW 67 but not the farmwork he so much wanted) I am on a new firm and I am working in the town, the people are very sociable to us. We have to walk 6 kilos every day but it will be alright when the cooler weather comes. The padre came from the Stalag and we had a lovely service this morning, he told us the history of St Martin's in the Field and Dick Shepherd the pacifist vicar, it was very nice. I am working in a trench just outside of a house and there is a little ( there follows a big chunk of material censored... the only bit of censoring in all the hundreds of letters and postcards)...."

* From Jack to home dated 22nd Nov 1943 "..We had our first fall of snow last week and what a fall..in fact it hasn't knocked off yet. We have good warm clothes and two pairs of boots so we shouldn't take so bad. I still have my job in town and finish everyday at dinnertime...I haven't had any mail from Ellen since August, I think she must have tired. I really can't blame her can I ?..."

* From Jack to home dated 2nd December 1943 " I was very pleased to receive your letter of 25th Oct which I receved yesterday. Thanks for the photos they brought back lovely memories to me...We are hoping to have 10 days holiday at Xmas... I hope to be home for Xmas 1944. Oh boy when I think of it I get all excited..."

* From Jack to home dated 19th Dec 1943 "...We are all set for Xmas again. We will have some good food and perhaps a little beer to help us all forget where we are for a few hours. All the boys here are certain that this will be the last Xmas we spend away from home. Let's hope so...(Sorry guys you've still got Xmas 1944 to endure)

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4th CHRISTMAS  Away 1943

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*From Jack to home dated 2nd Jan 1944 "Here we go to give you all a rough idea of how I spent my fourth Xmas away from home. On Xmas Eve we had a Nativity Play and Xmas night was a grand Concert. There was plenty of 'beer' and it went down well. I'm afraid it didn't stay down in me as I was gloriously sick, in fact I couldn't stop. I even had the bowl in bed with me. I will never forget it as long as I live. The boys told me I went white at first and slowly went green. I can laugh now when I think of myself lying there with two of the boys holding my hands..I hope you all had a good time at home and that the men folk managed to get leave...My love and kisses to darling Sylvia"

Douglas Arthur in his book says of the boozy Christmas "This came about because it was the general opinion in the camp that 1943 would be the last Christmas in captivity...half a dozen illicit stills had been set up....I don't remember any thing else, except waking next morning with a cracking headache and then retching and vomiting all day without leaving my bunk...British medical staff imposed a ban on all plonk distilleries and ordered their destruction. Plonk was never brewed again in Stalag XVIIIA"

*From Jack to home dated 20th Feb 1944

*From Jack to home 30th April 1944 " ...Tomorrow is May day and we have a holiday and it will be well spent in the bed most of the time. We all look forward to weekends so we can have a tongue wag and a rest. It is surprising how many miles I walk in a week around the fields. We have done all our plowing & setting and now we are waiting for a drop of rain...I am not getting much mail and I keep wondering whether or not you are getting all my letters & photos.... Give my love to Sylvia...

* From Jack to home dated Ist Sept 1944..."I can't find words to tell you how proud I am of Edie (Edie is Jack sister and had just given birth to her first child..a boy)

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5th CHRISTMAS Away 1944

Jack ceases to be a POW on 21st May 1945 and returns to Ol' Blighty in the Summer of 1945

In no time at all he meets this 21 year old Low Fell lass ...Eva Loxley

And then at last it's all officially over...he's discharged and within a fortnight of that he marries his sweetheart


Total Service 5 years 301 days or to put it another way 2,127 days!!
of which 1,461 days were spent as a Prisoner of War


Military Conduct: Exemplary
(fit to be imitated; outstandingly good)

                                  THE END



If you wish to see how Jack's life pans out Click here