Prisoners of war for breaking stalag rules were
sent to a confinement cell. Cells like this functioned in every fort. For
example, in fort 13, this cell was dreary and it had no windows, There was no
electricity. A slatted bed board jutted out from the wall. There was no toilet
just a lavatorial bucket. It was very cold inside because of the drained wall
which was placed deep in the outer wall and the prisoner was given only one
blanket to cover. Because sleeping in those conditions were almost impossible prisoners
of wall often left signs on the walls like: Love
to Mum, fish and chips or thinking of you always.
That was wonderful trip. During three days we saw couple of places connected with POW path of Jack Stansfield. Moreover thanks his son Michael we saw notes with memories of last days in Stalag XXA in Torun. In opposit to all facts which says that prisoners left camp in late december 1945 Jack wrote that they started to march on 21 january! That means that lasts groups of POW left camp in 10 days before Torun was liberated. Fortunatley Jack survived afeter he escaped from march. He met russians army and polish partizants. Below we presents you short memories about Jack and trip to Poland... My father was called Jack Stansfield, he was born in August 1918. He was brought up in the market town of Malton in North Yorkshire where his parents were publicans. He joined the Territorial Army in March 1939 and was mobilised on the declaration of war. Jack enlisted in his local regiment joining the 5th Battalion of the Green Howards. After a short time at the Regimental HQ in Richmond, North...
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