I’ve recently been reading through my grandfather’s POW camp journals from Stalag Luft III in Poland during WWII.
He was an Australian navigator, flying in Lancaster bombers from the 7th Squadron of the RAF’s elite pathfinder group. They would fly at the front of the bomber squadron and drop flare-types of incendury bombs on German targets to light up the targets for the main bombing squad. He was shot down early in the war and placed in the fore-mentioned POW camp until the end of the war. You may have known Stalag Luft III (pictured right) since it was the POW camp where Tom, Dick and Harry were built – the Great Escape.
I thought I’d like to share just a few things from these journals which are simply amazing.
Here’s an anonymous poem, recorded amongst many poems in one of the journals.
Kreigie’s Lament
Here we are at Stalag Three,
drinking in the bar.
With lovely girls to buy us beer,
like “Bloody Hell” we are.
We travelled here in luxury,
the whole trip for a quid.
A sleeping berth for each of us,
like “Bloody Hell” we did.
Our feather beds are two feet deep,
the carpet’s almost new.
In easy chairs we sit all day,
like “Bloody Hell” we do.
The “Goons” are bloody wizard chaps,
their hopes of victory good.
We’d change our places any day,
like “Bloody Hell” we would.
When winter comes & snow’s around,
the temperature at nil.
We’ll find hot bottles in our beds,
like “Bloody Hell” we will.
It’s heaven on earth in Stalag Three,
a life we’d hate to miss.
It’s everything we’ve always wished,
like “Bloody Hell” it is.
And when this war is over,
And jerry gets his bill.
We’ll remember all that’s happened here,
MY BLOODY OATH WE WILL.
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4 comments
Natalie Wozniak says:
May 9, 2008 at 5:13 am (UTC 10 )
What a wonderful poem, I imagine it must be hard reading those journals. My grandfather won’t discuss the war much but when he does it makes me cry.
mark says:
May 9, 2008 at 7:37 am (UTC 10 )
it’s an interesting thing nat – he passed away when I was one year old and so reading them is a mix of sadness, and getting to know him. honestly though, the more i read, the i feel the pain of what he went through.
hearing your grandfather recount these things – that must be a tough thing indeed.
mat mcmiles says:
May 18, 2008 at 5:48 am (UTC 10 )
this is awesome mark. a testament to the mettle of men of the time-able to harness such poise in prose, and lace black humour from their plight…something i don’t know many of us could do in this day and age.
mark says:
May 18, 2008 at 1:13 pm (UTC 10 )
hey mat, great to hear from you. yes, a real depth of feeling and reality there. balanced with the gritty feeling of hard times. i’m with you – it’s something not many of us could write because our reality is so different.