Description
Object description
British NCO served with 76 Sqdn, No 4 Group, Bomber Command, RAF in GB and North Africa, 5/1941-9/1942; prisoner of war in Greece, Dulag Luft Interrogation Centre, Oberursel and Stalag VIII-B, Lamsdorf in Germany and Arbeitscommando E543, Dombrawa, Poland, 10/1942-2/1943; served with Polish Home Army (Armja Krawjowa) in Kraków and Przemysl, Poland, 2/1943-4/1943; prisoner of war in Stalag VIII-B, Lamsdorf and Stalag III-A, Luckenwalde, Germany, 4/1943-7/1944; served with Battalion Parasol, Polish Home Army (Armja Krawjowa) during Warsaw Uprising in Warsaw, Poland, 8/1944; prisoner of war in Stalag XI-A, Altengrabow, Germany, 9/1944-4/1945; officer served with Field Intelligence in Germany, 1945
Content description
REEL 1 Background in London, GB and Cork, Ireland, 1916-1939: education; employment; desire to join armed forces. Aspects of enlistment and training with Royal Air Force in GB, 1/1939-4/1941: reason for delay in joining Royal Air Force, 1939; allocation to role as wireless operator/air gunner; reaction to outbreak of Second World War, 3/9/1939; wireless and gunnery training. Aspects of operations as NCO with 76 Sqdn, No 4 Group, Bomber Command, RAF in GB, 5/1941-6/1942: posting to RAF Middleton St George; desire for active service; night bombing operations; accuracy of bombing; navigational systems used; opposition faced; attitude to day and night-time operations; attack on German battleship Scharnhorst at La Pallice, France, 24/7/1941; raid on oil refinery at Leuna, Germany; participation in 1000 Bomber Raid on Cologne, Germany, 30/5/1942-31/5/1942; squadron morale; opinion of Wing Commander Geoffrey Jarman; reaction to sight of German fighter aircraft; crash on return from raid on Düsseldorf, Germany; hospitalisation; return to operations; news of overseas posting. Aspects of operations as NCO with 76 Sqdn, Western Desert Air Force, RAF in North Africa, 6/1942-9/1942: flight from GB to Gibraltar; operations in North Africa; joining Flight Lieutenant Jeffrey Bryan's crew; briefing from Air Chief Marshal Arthur Coningham for raid on Heraklion, Crete, Greece; description of shooting down of aircraft over Crete, Greece, 5/9/1942; parachute landing on Crete, Greece; discovery by civilian and surrender. Aspects of period as prisoner of war on Crete and Athens, Greece, 9/1942: treatment by Italian captors and interrogation.
REEL 2 Continues: conditions in cell and decision to give false information during interrogation; recieving beating for giving false information; arrival of German Air Force officer; interview with German Air Force at Heraklion, Crete; flight to Athens; hospitalisation; first escape attempt; attitude of civilians in Athens towards British; train journey to Germany. Aspects of period as prisoner of war in Dulag Luft Interrogation Centre, Oberursel, Germany, 10/1942: arrival at Dulag Luft; interrogations including punishment; morale of some prisoners of war; under interrogation; permanent staff in camp; work towards escape; question of chances of escape; decision to make escape during dental treatment in Frankfurt am Main; German discovery of escape plan and recieving dental treatment under guard. Recollections of period as prisoner of war in Stalag VIII-B, Lamsdorf, Germany and Arbeitscommando E543, Dombrowa, Poland, 10/1942-2/1943: arrival at Stalag VIII-B, Lamsdorf, 10/1942; description of camp; reason for keeping Royal Air Force prisoners of war separate from other prisoners of war; chaining of prisoners of war in retaliation to Dieppe Raid; rations; health problems and treatment including reunion with Royal Army Medical Corps Lieutenant Gordon McRae.
REEL 3 Continues: advice from Lieutenant Gordon McRae about escaping from a work party; accommodation; plans to join working party Arbeitscommando E543 at coal mine in Dombrowa, Poland; question of possible destinations following an escape; switching identity with recuperating prisoner of war allocated to working party; relations with guard 'Ukranian Joe'; leaving camp; description of Dobrowa; work in coal mine including rations; relations with Polish mine workers; aid received from mine worker. Aspects of escape from Arbeitscommando E543 at Dobrowa, Poland, 2/1943: plans and preparations for escape; reaction to information received from Sergeant-Major James; German searches on day of escape; escape from working party; story of Soviet female workers; march to goods station; boarding of coal truck and journey east.
REEL 4 Continues: problem with boots; march through forest; taking refuge in farm; conversation with young Polish girl; food and advice recieved from farmer; leaving farm; reaction of woman he approached for help. Aspects of period as member of Polish Home Army (Armja Krajowa) in Poland, 2/1943-4/1943: interrogation recieved from Polish Home Army (Arjma Krajowa); escort to hut and treatment received; interview and reasons the Poles would not believe his story; verification of story; details of journey toward Kraków; meeting with Polish resistance leader; arrival at safe house; learning Polish language; meeting with Januscz 'Orzel' Pajaczkowski; discussions about escape plans; activities and organisation of resistance; decision to stay with group; visit to Kraków and papers received; organisation and plan to raid SS Headquarters at Przemyśl; organisation of plan; success of raid.
REEL 5 Continues: story of capture during escape; initial treatment; eating of documents and plan for interrogation; journey to and reputation of Gestapo's Montelupich Prison, Kraków; strip search and beating on arrival; interrogation; duration of imprisonment in Montelupich Prison, Kraków, 4/1943; test to confirm story and decision to release him, 23/4/1943; execution of Polish comrades; journey to Stalag VIII-B, Lamsdorf, Germany. Aspects of period as prisoner of war in Stalag VII-B, Lamsdorf, Germany, 4/1943-3/1944: treatment on return to camp; contact with senior NCOs; joining escape attempt; method of escape from camp. Aspects of period as escapee in Germany and Poland, 3/1944-4/1944: train journey to Stettin including clean-up in woods and items carried; delay to journey and problems on arrival in Stettin; talk with Danish civilians; time in French forced labourers camp; arrest.
REEL 6 Continues: Aspects of period as prisoner of war in Stalag III-A, Luckenwalde, Germany, 4/1944-7/1944: journey to camp; description of camp; story of earlier injury to eye and treatment received; discussion wih Doctor Bora Zdrakovic about escape; escape from camp, 7/1944. Aspects of period as member of Polish Home Army in Poland, 7/1944: boarding of train and journey to Poznań; introduction to Polish Home Army (Arjma Krajowa) in Poznań; reunion with Polish comrade 'Drem'; settling into group; accommodation hosts; codename and taking oath. Recollections of operations with Battalion Parasol, Polish Home Army (Armja Krajowa) during Warsaw Uprising, Poland, 8/1944: transfer to Warsaw; reunion with Januscz 'Orzel' Pajaczkowski from Kraków; situation in Warsaw including proximity of Soviet forces to city; call for Warsaw Uprising, 1/8/1944; German reinforcement of Warsaw; activities with Battalion Parasol; Soviet inactivity; German tactics to maintain control; German attacks on defences constructed by Home Army (Armja Krajowa).
REEL 7 Continues: activities of Hermann Göring Division; weapons used against German tanks; reaction to discovery of a massacre; German bombardment; position taken and counter-attacks; ammunition shortages; raid on Schutzstaffel (SS) store; details of Waffen-Brigadefuhrer Bronislav Kaminski and SS Sturmbrigade Rona; position and action on fifth day of uprising; role of stretcher bearers; becoming Polish company commander; attacks on German tanks; wounding from mortar fire; hospitalisation in Old Town; visit from General Tadeusz Bór-Komorowki; state of health; story of evacuation from Warsaw; hospitalisation in Czestochowa; return to and activities in Kraków; capture and interrogation by Gestapo, 26/8/1944. Aspects of period as prisoner of war in Stalag XI-A, Altengrabow, Germany, 9/1944-4/1945: treatment and conditions in camp; length of stay; allocation as 'special category' prisoner; processing on arrival; description of camp; group sorted into; rations; character of prisoner group; war situation and fear among staff.
REEL 8 Continues: help recieved from Volksdeutsche; approach of Soviet Army. Aspects of escape from Stalag XI-A, Altengrabow, Germany, 4/1945-5/1945: escape from camp, 4/1945; time spent in cavern; contact with Soviet Army patrol in Brandenburg area, 5/1945; contact with Mongolian troops and theft of possessions; complaint made to political commissar and result; journey west on bicycles; advice from political commissar; problems crossing River Elbe; reunion with former intelligence officer; rations received and physical state; hospitalisation in Brussels, Belgium; flight to GB including reaction to sight of White Cliffs of Dover and encounter with William Joyce.
REEL 9 Continues: reaction to getting home; debriefing from Special Operations Executive and Polish Intelligence Bureau. Aspects of period as officer with Field Intelligence, Intelligence Corps in Germany, 1945: recruitment into Field Intelligence; role and details of unit; opinion of Airey Neave; activities in Germany; visits to Displaced Person camps; capture of Heinrich Himmler, 23/5/1945; impressions of leading Nazis seen including Hermann Göring and attitude towards Rudolf Hess; efforts to help German prisoners; relations with Walter Mittelbach and his wife. Aspects of operations with Battalion Parasol, Polish Home Army (Armja Krajowa) during Warsaw Uprising, Poland, 8/1944: communications during Warsaw Uprising; presence of other British servicemen in Warsaw.
