Once again, guests from Great Britain visited us. Among them was the daughter of a British prisoner of war and the son of a soldier who fought at Monte Cassino. Gunner Charles James George Davis of the 140th (Army) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, was mobilized on 1 September 1939 and sent to France with the British Expeditionary Force. He was captured by the Germans on May 29, 1940. He spent the rest of the war in the Stalag XXA prisoner of war camp in Toruń and in work commandos in the region. In Toruń, he was held in a sub-camp of Fort XII in Podgórze, where there is a band and he plays the trumpet. What was it like for his presence among our exhibits, a trumpet mouthpiece found in the area of Fort XII. The guests were guided around the museum exhibition by: Toruń guide Paweł Bukowski and two MHW volunteers, Weronika and Zofia. In a fascinating way, it introduces visitors to the history of Poland, the city and the fate of its inhabitants during World War II.
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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