Hoggard, John Wellesley (Oral history)

British officer served aboard armed merchant cruiser HMS Voltaire in Mediterranean and Atlantic, 1939-1941; POW in Stalag X B Sandbostel, Marlag Nord and Oflag IV C, Colditz in Germany, 1941-1945

REEL 1 Aspects of period as officer aboard armed merchant cruiser HMS Voltaire in Mediterranean and Atlantic, 1939-1941: memories of declaration of Second World War, 3/9/1939; appointment to ship, 1939; contraband control duties in Mediterranean; convoy escort duties in Atlantic, 1940-1941; sinking of ship by German auxiliary cruiser Thor off Cape Verde Islands, 4/4/1941; abandoning ship; rescue by crew of Thor. Recollections of period as POW at Stalag X B, Sandbostel in Germany, 1941-1942: arrival Cuxhaven and unfortunate propaganda photograph taken; naval POWs in camp, 5/1941; role in tunnel escape attempt from camp; escape from camp, 16/4/1942; attempts to get to Sweden via Lubeck and Travmunde; re-capture in Travmunde; time spent outside the camp; making maps. Aspects of period as Marlag Nord in Germany, 5/1942-7/1942: return to camp; transfer away from camp, 7/1942. REEL 2 Continues: Recollections of period as POW in Oflag IV C Colditz in Germany, 1942-1945: in transit at Stalag VIII B, Lamsdorf; naval POWs transferred to camp; prior recollections of interrogation by Germans at Wilhelmshaven, 1941; story of discovery of wreck of Thor in Yokohama, Japan, 1945; escape plan to get out of German orderly office; story of teaming up with Belgian officer; friendship amongst ex-POWs from Colditz; learning piano; story of court martial of David Hunter in aftermath of shooting of Mike Sinclair; opinion of German officers. REEL 3 Continues: tension when Germans wanted to move the POWs out of camp, 4/1945; memories of liberation of camp, 4/1945; visit to village on liberation; return to GB; leave on return to GB; joining HMS Newfoundland in Australia, 1945; leaving Royal Navy, 1947.