WARTIME GUIDES

We recently had the extraordinary pleasure of hosting a group of individuals from a far corner of the world - Australia. Their aim was to visit the places where their relative spent the period of captivity during World War II. It was an exceptional experience for us as they managed to see all the key locations, including the prison, which is almost inaccessible to those outside the realm of special services. It was there that the hero of this remarkable story resided. This visit left a profound impression on us. Not only did our guests provide us with fascinating insights into the fate of their relative, but they also brought along documentation that helped solve the mystery we've been working on since 2022. The Australian aspect of this story sheds new light on the fate of a Polish spy who escaped from Stalag XXA Thorn just before facing the death sentence. It's a tale full of emotions and dangers, which unfortunately we cannot elaborate on too much as it will soon find its co...

Sometimes we are wondering who more need guide during visit in Torun. Knowledge from each trip could become a book or movie script. Here Richard and Hamish, two brothers, after 70 years retraced footsteps of their father. A part of the sentymental side, this visit was very worthy when it comes to information about soldiers from New Zeland and medical service in Stalag XXA, Stalag XXC and Stalag 357.  Capt. "Dick" Spencer ( New Zeland ) was captured on Crete in 1941. After 11 days his transport arrived to Torun (Thron), then he was sent to Fort XV. As well as his vocation was he still helped POW's with toothache etc. in different camps, subcamps and villages. There are many fantastic stories about how he recreate tooth without special laboratory and equipement.  Well talented soldier had also other passion, he dreamed to learn playing on piano accordion, as it tourned out there weren't plenty safety places for begginer musician as near guards but this is subject ...

After one year of mailing and conversation on via Inernet we met in Torun. That was wonderful time. It gave us a lot of new knowledge not only about Stalag. Every single trip makes an new relationship, how worthy it it! My name is Sandra Butterfield and this story is about a trip I took to Torun, Poland with my father-in-law Ray Butterfield and my husband Mark. The trip was as a result of Ray’s love for his father Fredrick Butterfield, and the passion and dedication he had developed towards the 2/5Australian General Hospital in which Fred served. I never met Fred Butterfield, when I met my husband (Mark) Fred had passed away. But he still lived on in Mark’s memories. In the early days of our marriage on Anzac Day, Mark would go and retrieve a blue ice cream container which was full of military buttons and badges that his Pop (Fred) had brought back from the war and gave to him when he was young. Mark would place this container on the kitchen table and proceed to toast his Pop wi...

That was amazing trip. Phill with his wife visited Poland inspiring by book of his father who was PoW in Torun. Again we could travelled in time, sightseeing forts and old paths from WWII. Below we put some memories of Phill and pictures. My father, Ralph Johnson, was a member of the 2/5th Australian General Hospital. He was captured on his 21st birthday in Greece on the 28th April 1941. In December 1941 my father, along with many others, were loaded into cattle trucks for the nine day journey to Torun where he spent the next three and a half years in various POW camps with the majority of time spent in Fort 15, Torun. Dad did not speak about his experiences for 30 years after his return and is was only in the later years of his life that he shared his experiences in a book he wrote for his family. We are extremely grateful that he did this as without his recollections we would have little knowledge of his experiences. So it was with mixed feelings that my wife and I d...