WARTIME GUIDES

During the operation of the German prisoner-of-war camp Stalag XXA in Toruń, there was an official channel of communication between the prisoners and their families. It consisted of letters and postcards sent under the supervision of the German administration. Every message was censored, and its content strictly controlled. Nevertheless, there were cases where prisoners embedded coded information about their own situation or the fate of their fellow soldiers in such correspondence – but that is a story of its own. However, it is hard to imagine that during the occupation, with thousands of prisoners located so close to civilian areas, no unofficial network of communication would have developed – and its organization is remarkably interesting. This communication had a completely different character – it was part of the activities of the Polish resistance and the involvement of Allied soldiers. Thanks to these efforts, intelligence reports were smuggled out of Stalag XXA, while informati...

Raymond was captured during the events connected to the Dunkirk operation. As a prisoner of war, he was held in the military forts of Toruń, part of the German POW camp  Stalag XXA (Stalag 20A) . Like many British POWs in Toruń, he was also sent to work in rural areas of the region. Surviving documents reveal that he spent time near Bydgoszcz, Chełmno, and Grudziądz. One particularly fascinating detail is a German record of his escape and a gap of over six months in official reports on Raymond whereabouts. Even more intriguingly, relatives recognized his handwriting in Fort XI from photographs in the Imperial War Museum. His time in the camp’s prison cell may have been connected to sabotage he reportedly carried out while working on a farm near Grudziądz — at least according to German reports. This was one of the rare families who were able to visit every confirmed location where their relative had been held. We are honored to have taken part in preserving and sharing Raymond sto...