Page 30 - Once a copper 10 03 2020

shy or trying to make a run for it, fired more warning shots into the air. Back to
solitary.

However, Dads most compelling reason for staying silent about his stay at
Colditz, wasn’t due to the treatment by the German Goons.

No, he explained, the cruellest treatment of all was at the hands of those he
and we, would have least expected – the British Officer ranks. As dad was
sitting in the exercise yard or passing officers around the prison, they would
insult and even assault him. As a lowly private, the officers considered him an
intruder in their Officers only camp. It was as if their survival revolved around
them believing the exaggerated hype surrounding their reputation as the
intrepid escaping Officers.

Undoubtedly, these officers were
heroes of the second world war,
having risked their lives in battle
and then in their brave attempts
to escape. Each of them is
totally deserving of all the
respect and admiration they
received.

However, it was abundantly
clear from dad’s account to my
brother Peter, that he felt
degraded and humiliated by his
experiences at Colditz and he
didn’t want to re-live those
unpleasant memories. In any Figure 11 Colditz Castle
event he said, “These blokes
were officers and war heroes, who would believe me that they would treat
one of their own so badly?”.
Military and red cross records go so far in confirming his whereabouts and
injuries, but it was the General Questionnaire for British/American ex- prisoners
of war form, Dad was required to complete on his repatriation that serves as
the evidence of his incarceration. The form specifically says that he was at
Colditz, Oflag IVG, between 26th March 1945 and 3rd April 1945, carrying out
“Work in general” N.B. - An Oflag (Offizierslager) was a camp for officers
only.

Colditz was not well known at the end of the war when Dad completed his
form, so it is highly unlikely that he would have known about Colditz and its Page30
gardens etc, unless he had actually been there. Public awareness of the