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Bedfordshire Courier
17th April 1945 600 MILES ON FOOT TO FREEDOM Biggleswade Man's Five Years in German Prison Camps After five years in German prison camps, Pte. John Dale Chew, R.A.S.C., second son of Mr. and "Mrs. H. E. Chew, of 165 London Road; Biggleswade, arrived home last week; having been liberated by the Americans and flown to this country. His story, related to a representative of this newspaper, begins in France in the dark days of May, 1940, when the Petrol Supply Corp. to which Pte. Chew was attached, was ordered to retreat, and after blowing up their dumps on 20th May, they headed for Doullens. Unbeknown to them, however, the town had meanwhile fallen to a German spearhead heading for Calais and they were caught in a trap. Pte.Chew escaped with his life and became a prisoner. Forced March of 300 Miles
The German troops at that time were in high spirits, and told Chew that they would soon be in England. From Doullens, Pte.Chew, and others of his company, were forced to march about 300 miles to Trier, just inside Germany.
There they were herded into railway trucks, 50 men to a truck—and after a journey lasting four days they arrived at Stalag 21B, near Bromberg, in the Polish Corridor. For the first two months Pte. Chew assisted with the sick and wounded until the arrival of medical personnel. During that summer 10 men died. As time went on things began to get organized, and concerts, which consisted mainly of community singing, were arranged. In the absence of a padre, Pte.Chew and others took Sunday services, which, helped to keep up .the moral of the men considerably. Their boots were taken away by the Germans, who, in return, gave them clumsy clogs requisitioned in Holland - to prevent them moving very fast if they attempted to escape. It was here that Pte. Chew spent his first Christmas in "captivity. Organised Sports Days
During the early part of 1941 they were able to' organize sports days, and these helped the prisoners to remain fit.
In September Stalag 21B was closed down, and the prisoners were transferred to a Roman Catholic training college in Schiltberg, near Breslau. Here conditions were better, and Pte.Chew's second Christmas in captivity was much happier, for among other things, there was a camp orchestra, with instruments supplied by the Red Cross. He was attached in January 1942, to a' working .party that was sent to Lodz, south of Warsaw, their work being to decorate German billets and offices. In Lodz they obtained permission, through promising to build a tennis court in their spare time, to use a factory's football field and swimming pool. Constructed Wireless Set in Barrel
The following year they were able to arrange performances of several plays, using costumes they themselves had made.
By means of bribery, in April, 1944, they succeeded in securing wireless parts, from which they constructed, in secret, a set inside a barrel, with the result that B.B.C. news was circulated throughout the camp. Seeds sent by the Red Cross enabled them to start a successful garden. In July they were again moved, this time to South Poland, where. Pte.Chew, was given a job on electrical maintenance in a Polish mine. But in October he developed jaundice, and was sent to hospital in Bethuen, Germany. Towards the end of 1944'they.were transferred to the German town of Cosel, whence, because of the nearness of the Red Army, they were hurriedly evacuated to Sagan. Here Pte. Chew arid his fellow, prisoners met paratroopers captured at Arnhem. "The Pitiful Procession"
John Chew had been at Sagan only a week when, the Germans, on 25th January, 1945, owing to the danger of the camp being overrun by the Russians, ordered the British to be evacuated.
The pitiful procession travelled on foot for 600 miles to Bad Orb, near Frankfurt. They had been moved right across Germany to a position facing the Americans. It was on Easter Monday morning .this year that two American: tanks, followed, by jeeps, pushed down the prison gates and liberated the prisoners. Pte.Chew was then, flown to England by a Dakota troop plane, and arrived home at 9.30 p.m. on Monday of last week. A Tribute to the Red Cross
At his home, Pte.Chew, who was a grocer before the war, said he owes a great debt to the Red Cross for all they have done for him and his fellow-prisoners.
A correspondent describes the journey to Bad Orb as a "horror march", gives details of men falling by the roadside and dying, and others arriving at their destination little more than skeletons. The internees had been at their new camp only for a week when they were liberated. The noise of battle could be heard distinctly when they arrived and they had hopes that it would not be long before they were released. It was on Easter Monday morning that Sherman tanks drove into the town and the prison guards discreetly disappeared. There was wild excitement and prisoners and the American soldiers exchanged autographs on this momentous occasion. Thereafter things moved quickly, Pte. Chew and his colleagues were taken to a front-line airfield and were given an excellent meal of American food. They were fitted up with American uniforms and were, to all Intents and purposes, "Yanks." The last part of the journey was made in a Dakota aircraft. Pte.Chew said it was a marvellous experience to be freed from his captors after five years and to fly straight from the Continent to England again. From the air he saw the Siefried and Maginot defences and the old earthworks of the 1914-18 defences, still, distinguishable. The devastation wrought by the Nazis was in evidence, but there were signs that France was licking her wounds and setting about the task of reconstruction for here and there new roofs are appearing. Rats in Berlin
The tremendous struggle on D-Day and for some time after could be visualised by the destruction near the coast and for miles inland "but," added Pte. Chew, "it cannot be compared with the destruction which must be in evidence in! Berlin.
I was there a year after our heavy bombing had started and conditions were terrible even then. The city was plagued with vermin and poison was being put down to kill the rats which swarmed the places where shelters and other buildings were blasted, forming great tombs for hundreds of Germans," Pte.Chew is now enjoying six weeks well deserved leave. |
Biggleswade Chronicle
13th April 1945 AFTER FIVE YEARS Local P.o.W Home from Germany After almost five years as a prisoner of war, in German hands, Pte. John Dale Chew R.A.S.C., second son of Mr. and Mrs. H.E.Chew, of 165 London Road, Biggleswade, arrived home on Monday night after being liberated by the Americans and flown Home to this country. Looking very well after his long years in captivity and still possessed of the fund of humour so well-known to his many friends, Pte. Chew expressed himself pleasantly surprised to find his home town looking much the same as when he last saw it five years ago. Indeed he feels that it will not be very long before he is able to settle down once again with his experiences of captivity seemingly far behind him. No news had been heard of Pte. Chew since shortly before Christmas, when his parents received a letter from him until Sunday night when he telephoned saying that he would be home the "following day. The news, coming so unexpectedly, seemed too good to be true after five weary years of waiting and his parents, relatives, and friends gave him a hearty welcome when he reached home. Pte. Chew said he was over-whelmed by all their kindness and cordiality and described the experience as "like a wonderful birthday party" All this week friends have been to visit him and to renew old acquaintanceships. CAPTURED IN 1940
Pte. Chew was taken prisoner near Arras (in the Pas de Calais area) in May 1940 while serving with the R.A.S.C. His parents received a letter from him on May 15th and some time after he was reported missing. News was received in August that he was a prisoner of war.
He told our representative that on the morning of his capture "he and his comrades had been fuelling R.A.F. machines but later that day they found themselves surrounded by the enemy. They were marched to Trier, near the Luxemburg border, a Distance of more than 80 miles, and there taken to a station yard which bristled with machine guns. They wondered what was going to happen to them until they .were told that they were being taken to a prisoner of war camp. They were herded into cattle trucks—50 to a truck —and travelled across Germany to the Polish frontier. The trucks were evil-smelling and indescribably dirty and many of the men fell sick with dysentery. Thereafter Pte. Chew was a prisoner of wav in camps in Poland until his return to Germany when the Russians advanced. For two and a half years he was at Lodz" and latterly at Tost, where he was in hospital, and Cosel. HIS ADAPTABILITY
Life in a prisoner of war camp is not everything to be desired, but Pte. Chew seems to have adapted himself to the prevailing conditions in a remarkable manner.
No doubt his pre-war association with the 9th Beds (Biggleswade) Troop of Boy Scouts, of which he was Scoutmaster, and with the Biggleswade Toch H. stood him in good stead and he seems to made use of every opportunity for improving his own lot and that of his fellow prisoners. He often assisted in the production of amateur theatricals, the conduct of church services, entertainments, and handicrafts, and freely exercised his ability to organise, if on a limited scale. He had a watch and clock repair outfit sent to him and made full use of it, repairing his guards' watches on occasions. He was also responsible for some efforts at decoration in the camps and helped to bring secret news to the internees. RADIO IN-BEER BARREL
Pte.Chew gave our representative one interesting account of how this latter was accomplished.
The Commandant of one of the camps decided to introduce a Camp newspaper and gave the prisoners to understand that the reports would not only be from the German side, but would reflect the news contained in neutral newspapers. The British prisoners did not give much credence to his announcement and the Paper, when it appeared, confirmed their opinions regarding it. Very often they felt the Germans had added a few noughts when retailing our losses in men and material and 10 they decided to introduce news of their own. By various methods, including a little bribing of the guards who were amenable, they fixed up their own wireless set. It was a work of art for it had to be kept from the notice of the German authorities. It had various hiding places but perhaps the most unique was a barrel which was supposed to contain beer. A small receptacle was fitted inside the barrel near the tap to hold beer and the rest was empty (with the exception of the wireless set). The small receptacle was kept replenished so that when a German officer came in and turned on the tap he always got beer! Methodist Recorder
Pte. John Dale Chew, R.A.S.C., second son of Mr. and Mrs. H. E. Chew, 'has reached home after being a prisoner of war in German hands for five years. He was liberated by the Americans on Easter Monday morning after a march of 600 kilometres from Poland. Pte.Chew was taken prisoner in France in May, 1940. Before the war he was a prominent member of Trinity Methodist Church, Biggleswade, and was actively associated with the Wesley Guild, the Boy Scouts, and Toch H.
26th April 1945 |