| Flt. Lt. Ian William Tweddell World War II P. O. W. Diary January 12, 1917 to June 19, 1975 |
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| Wednesday, May 2 Up 08:30 to light fire for brew. All kinds of explosions. Lovely, hazy morning. 10:00 S.S. Troops shambling past; cheesed off; Grenades in lake. Selling everything for cigs. One would part with ER but boys stopped him. Report British not taking prisoners. Sending them back to be collected later. Say Yanks will be here this afternoon. Report late last night 4 dead. Received pretty quietly. Also 18 miles from Lubeck. Clouding over 11:00. Heavy formation of 12 heading North. Everyone just sitting and waiting and listening to swing. Exceptionally healthy looking crowd if a bit threadbare. Helmet thrown off truck. S.S. with amphibian jeep pull in. Decide to pack it up. 12:00 report Cheshires in other camp after goons say forces in 7 trees. 13:00 Recco' car Joan Ann, 21st Army Division. 17:15 First mail out. 14:00 Goons sign parole. 19:00 P. W. Colonel arrives. All signs in vain. Surrender office quite a good bag. Us arsenel. "Release stew" bash. Goon baker given flower, told to get cracking. Russians in best. G/C in charge of works. 18:00 food collected for foreign workers. 20:00 jets on road. Good work. All fighting moved to North and East. To bed 22:00. No lights. Thursday, May 3 Poor night so stayed in bed till 11:00. Fixed trousers. Up 11:00 after repairing trousers. Fish and chip lunch. Went for a walk to battery of 5.5s. Boys pretty tough on goons. Smasher and Ray collect pork and bread and honey from QM stores. Loaf of each now. Pork chop for supper. Quite a bit of booty and a good number of P.O.W.s. Place a quagmire. Russians very happy. Many boys have transport. Drunks. Friday, May 4 Kriegies all over after M.T. and souvenirs. Cold pork chop and brew in bed. Orders re. moving at 11:15. Two beautiful chops for lunch, then stroll across country. Ride in recco' car to Autobahn then rush back to leave. Collect and pack parcel then into truck. Left Trenthorst 17:50, Lubeck, Ratzbeck, Lauenberg, (fine bridge) (much devastation). Raining Luneberg 21:50. Round houses for hour then into fine barracks. Told to throw all surplus gear and food away. Complied. Registration card, tea and sandwich, deloused, collect 4 blankets, then to bed on boards. Some boys had venison today. Some missed convoy. Saturday, May 5 Waky Waky 05:45. Stiff as board. Breakfast cockup. Had cereal one of the boys kept. No breakfast; one hour wait then onto trucks. Organization not so good. 15:30; arrive Sulingen camp. Into tent after usual documentation. Thin peliasses; no ground sheet; 3 blankets. No bloody towel due to last night's cockup. Watery soup, 2 pieces of bread and tea for supper dished up at 17:30. Down to village for p.m. Met RCASC type who could hardly speak English and didn't recognise an officer's uniform. Back to tent thoroughly cheesed, to write diary. Saw some pretty smashed towns and bridges today, but most of country not too badly knocked about. Will ave bath tonight to get rid of louse powder. Wish to hell they would issue kit. This is just like M.P. only not so comfortable. |