Description
Object description
Papers relating to his service as a Spitfire pilot with 19 Squadron RAF and his time as a prisoner of war in Germany in Lübeck (Oflag XC), Warburg (Oflag VIB), Schubin, Stalag Luft III (Sagan) and Luckenwalde consisting of a ts letter congratulating him on the award of his DFC from 19 Squadron, RAF Duxford (30 September 1940), a ts letter awarding him the Czechoslovak Air Force Pilot's Badge in gratitude for his work signed by Air Vice Marshal K Janousek (20 September 1941), and a newspaper cutting reporting him shot down; his POW wartime log which contains sketches, often humorous, depicting his life as a prisoner of war, photographs of his family and some of his fellow prisoners of war from the different camps, and various lists and engineering notes, accompanied by 6pp of ts captions for the sketches; his POW diary for 1944 in which he makes brief entries including his electrical engineering exams taken while a POW, but notably recording in some detail his forced march east from Stalag Luft III to Luckenwalde (27 January-6 February 1945) detailing the distances travelled, the harsh winter conditions, the food available, their stay in a glass bottle factory, bartering with civilians, allied air raids, a train journey in cattle trucks and the poor conditions at Luckenwalde, also accompanied by an edited 4pp ts transcription.
Content description
Papers relating to his service as a Spitfire pilot with 19 Squadron RAF and his time as a prisoner of war in Germany in Lübeck (Oflag XC), Warburg (Oflag VIB), Schubin, Stalag Luft III (Sagan) and Luckenwalde consisting of a ts letter congratulating him on the award of his DFC from 19 Squadron, RAF Duxford (30 September 1940), a ts letter awarding him the Czechoslovak Air Force Pilot's Badge in gratitude for his work signed by Air Vice Marshal K Janousek (20 September 1941), and a newspaper cutting reporting him shot down; his POW wartime log which contains sketches, often humorous, depicting his life as a prisoner of war, photographs of his family and some of his fellow prisoners of war from the different camps, and various lists and engineering notes, accompanied by 6pp of ts captions for the sketches; his POW diary for 1944 in which he makes brief entries including his electrical engineering exams taken while a POW, but notably recording in some detail his forced march east from Stalag Luft III to Luckenwalde (27 January-6 February 1945) detailing the distances travelled, the harsh winter conditions, the food available, their stay in a glass bottle factory, bartering with civilians, allied air raids, a train journey in cattle trucks and the poor conditions at Luckenwalde, also accompanied by an edited 4pp ts transcription.
History note
Cataloguer MLA