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16th September 2015, 06:24 AM
#11
Re: The Great Escape.
If you want to see what a prisoner of war camp was really like go to Thailand and up to Canchenbury. Thee is a living museum of what it was like along side the war cemetery, one of the most disturbing and horrifying places I have ever visited. Not ar from Hell fire pass where the Burma railway was bulit.
Happy daze John in Oz.
Life is too short to blend in.
John Strange R737787
World Traveller
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16th September 2015, 06:33 AM
#12
Re: The Great Escape.
Originally Posted by
happy daze john in oz
If you want to see what a prisoner of war camp was really like go to Thailand and up to Canchenbury. Thee is a living museum of what it was like along side the war cemetery, one of the most disturbing and horrifying places I have ever visited.
Whilst Eden Camp was interesting, the prisoners conditions were far from hell, in fact from what was depicted of their conditions they lived better than myself and my family did after we were bombed out three times. They had a better cooking range, carpets, electric light and running water, we had no gas, electric, or water in our 300 year old condemned cottage not far from an Italian P O W Camp
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17th September 2015, 05:35 AM
#13
Re: The Great Escape.
Hi All.
I'm reading an official account of one of the longest serving prisoners of war from the second world war, Hess. On the 27/28 May the Bismark was sunk. On the Home front something extraordinary was happening. Unknown until 1979, when one in the know went public, an unspecified number of German commandos were parachuted down near Luton during an air raid. The official record is silent on this, but the speculation is that these parachutists were assassins looking for Hess before he did to much damage by talking to the enemy. In civilian clothes and with forged documents, the parachutists were caught and shot, miles away from Mychet place where Hess was kept, and in the wrong county. There has never been an explanation for why Hess was kept in prison all his life and not shot like the rest of them.
Cheers Des
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17th September 2015, 07:13 PM
#14
Re: The Great Escape.
Des,
Somebody knows but I bet we never will.
JOhn
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17th September 2015, 07:30 PM
#15
Re: The Great Escape.
John, not sure if its true, I rad once that he was imprisoned because the Russians (guards) wanted a toe hold in the west.
The expense of keeping in solitary was expensive and the allies wanted to free him, the Russians objected, kept locked up.
Vic
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17th September 2015, 08:04 PM
#16
Re: The Great Escape.
My son lived in Berlin (when the wall was still up ) we visited a couple of times and the nearest town was Spandau where we went daily.From what I was told the UK,USA,France and Russia did a month about guarding Hess at Spandau this gave the Russians access to come to the west from the east this is why they,the Russians wanted him kept in prison.He was the only prisoner in Spandau prison and when he died it was demolished.
Regards.
Jim.B.
CLARITATE DEXTRA
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18th September 2015, 01:12 AM
#17
Re: The Great Escape.
On May 10, 1941, Rudolf Hess landed on Eaglesham moor. He was heading for Strathaven but mistook Eaglesham Castle [since demolished] for Dungavel House, home of the Duke of Hamilton. Unable to locate the landing strip at Dungavel, he bailed out of his aircraft and parachuted into a field at Floors Farm, Eaglesham. Alerted by the crashing aircraft, Mr Mclean the farmer, saw a parachutist floating down into the fields of Floors Farm from his kitchen window. Hess had injured his ankle and was quickly taken prisoner by Mr McLean who had ran to the area where the crashed and burning Messerschmitt had landed the injured German officer identified himself in English as Hauptmann (Captain) Albert Horn, "I have an important message for the Duke of Hamilton". Using his pitchfork, Mr McLean took the officer prisoner, holding him in the farmhouse, where he was offered tea, but accepted only water from Mr McLean's mother. Both described the officer as a gentleman, even if he was a "Gerry", and noted that he did not sit down (despite his injured leg) until invited. He remained at the farmhouse pending arrival of the Home Guard.
Flying time between Eaglesham and Strathaven can take around 0 hours 2 minutes, he almost made it!
Eaglesham is 12miles south of Glasgow
Last edited by gray_marian; 18th September 2015 at 01:42 AM.
Reason: spelling
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18th September 2015, 01:37 AM
#18
Re: The Great Escape.
#17... There has always been doubt as to why he made the journey which was kept under wraps by the British government and is still in doubt today. The general story that went the rounds was as Hitlers Deputy he was sent on a mission to see what sort of sympathy and help Germany could expect from the British people. As there was quite a large amount of Hitler followers in the UK regardless of all the propaganda put out, this is quite feasible, otherwise why keep the man incommudicado for the term of his life. In politics there is always something falls out when you open the wardrobe. The Human rights brigade were very silent on this one the same as many more that there hasn't been a squeak from. Every day we have to listen to their spouting knowing half the time they are speaking out the back of their neck. JS
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18th September 2015, 03:09 AM
#19
Re: The Great Escape.
After being bombed out for the third time my family were moved to Huyton 35 Belton Rd at the top of the road was a prisoner of war camp,it held both German and Italian prisoners,from the back of our house one could see the camp it was only about 2 or 3 hundred feet away.My brother John the eldest of us lads was home from the navy on invalaid leave having been in action at sea.One night we were all in our bed my brother shouted my dad that there was some one in the yard, both of them went out the back kitchen door were they found our dog Prince with a big piece of ka-ke cloth in his mouth,no sign of the Gerry though.well gone.Think i may have put this on once before.Not to worry.
Last edited by Charlie Hannah; 18th September 2015 at 03:11 AM.
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18th September 2015, 04:54 AM
#20
Re: The Great Escape.
One of the posts mentions Hess being a war criminal. Find this hard to believe as in 1941 very little was made public re-war crimes committed by the likes of Hess. The concentration camps and the Final Solution was not broadcast and doubt in 1941 had really started then. Today there are just as many war crimes being committed on a daily basis as there was then. Some countries have every intention of carrying on where Hitler left off and have said as much, even today we see 100s of thousands of these same people from a like thinking background trying and succeeding to enter Europe. Most ooooh and aaaah about the familiar sights of children and women as it hurts their sensabilities, what these same people are going to do when the going gets tough remains to be seen, I would imagine they will just collapse like a house of cards. Lets hope it may be many years yet so will not have to suffer the indignities of watching western nations collapsing under the trauma. Coming it surely is, politicians have made certain of that. Cheers JS
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