WARTIME GUIDES

        This time we had a great opportunity to host a son of Corporal Tom MacGrath from 51st Highland Division, Mr Tom MacGrath When Tom jr wrote to us, we were more than curiuos to learn about his father stay in Stalag XXA. It turned out that after spending two years in dreadful conditions of Stalag XXA, corp. MacGrath decided to escape from the camp. It took him some time to prepare the operation. But with help of local Home Army he managed to do so. The route was difficult and exhausting but fortunatelly through Barlin, Paris and finally Spain he got home safe and sound. Thanks to British Army reports, his son and grandson recently retraced Tom's footsteps, crossing the Pyrenees into Spain. It was a next thriving visit in which we actively took part! Hope for more!

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...

We have managed to reproduce Stalag XXA area in google maps. Until today, what has been left from the Stalag is the fort 13, the Headquarter, restaurant and some other building. Huts no longer exists. Here is the map: