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By: - 24th December 2014 at 09:51 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Hello All,
I have hit the 'motherload' of information regarding my grandfather and his time as POW. A Charles Frederick Hall did some art work in my grandfathers POW Wartime log book and put his name and addess in the book. I did some digging regarding him, he was an AG on 207 Sqn Manchesters. His bomber L7380 EM-W was shot down the same night as my grandfather 7/8th September 1941 on route to Berlin on the dutch island of Ameland.
I contacted the Sqn association and they put me in touch with someone that did an orration at his funeral in 2006. Then I was put in touch with the son of Charles and this was the response I received, along with a photo of a poem my grandfather wrote by Omar Khyyam entitled Madness and a picture of them in summer 1945 on their rehab in Scarborough!! I am blown away. Please see email:
Thank you for your email. My Dad did talk about his war time experiences and wrote them down in so far as his time as a POW was concerned, for the benefit of his children (me and my brother and sister) and grandchildren. My Dad was shot down on 7th Sept 1941 on the Dutch island of Ameland on his 25th birthday. I visited Ameland with my wife and brother in 2007 on that same date in September and met up with a local who takes an interest in WW2 and who showed us the crash site. As in your grandfather's case, it was a miracle that they survived the crash. The story of how this guy contacted my Dad is another episode in itself. My dad died in 2006.
Leslie Davenport is mentioned twice in his account; early on after being shot down they met up in a transit camp Dalagluft, Frankfurt, and in his first camp at Stalag Luft V111 B, Lamsdorf. He talks about how they had trained together and how they agreed to "combine" as a two in sharing Red Cross food parcels and how this arrangement lasted during the war. Leslie is also mentioned towards the end of his time in captivity when the two of them made an escape from the forced march from Stalag 357 Fallingbostel which started on April 6th 1945. They escaped from the column on 13th April 1945 and were eventually reached British forces on April 18th 1945 at Vendishaven. (I have checked and this is incorrect as it is not a place in Germany) There are no drawings by Leslie in his log book, but plenty from my Dad and some from other POWs, as well as a number of poems, reflections and introspection. I looked at them again yesterday and the whole log is extremely moving. I do remember asking him whether he'd tried to contact Leslie after the war, because my Dad was a member of the RAF Aircrew Association and went on some reunions of POWs. I think he said that Leslie wanted to forget about the war and was not very interested in meeting up, but my recollection may not be 100%. There's a photo of the two of them plus a Bill Jones prior to demobilisation dated summer 1945 which I attach. My Dad is on the left. I also attach Leslie's entry in the log, a poem by Omar Khyam called 'Madness' dated 26/7/1944 Thorn, Poland. I attach this although the ink is faint. Like you, I'd appreciate it if you would have these for personal use only, and I will do the same for the items you have sent me. My Dad's log has the photo of sports day at Sagan in it as well, but I can't see him- he may be the chap with the cigarette in his mouth but it's not easy to make it out.
We live in Taunton, Somerset. Although we're some distance from each other, it would be good to meet up some time if that were possible.
What an early Xmas present I am so pleased that I have closed a chapter in my reseach, to know that he 'combined' with Charles Hall through the war and made their escape together, before the Gresse incident even happened. When they escaped on the 13th April 45 I know from a diary kept by another airman on the internet I found this was a rest day. The next day they marched 10-15 kilometers to Sudergellersen South East of Lunenburg heath area. So they were on the run for 5 days, how much ground could they have covered?
I would like to know more regarding this 'Bill Jones' perhaps William Jones, in the picture he is wearing pilot wings, can someone check Footprints in the sands of time for me for that name?
Also Vendishaven they met British forces on the 18th April. This is not a place in Germany and obviously Charles account was written in the 90s so he may have got the place wrong. Where were the british forces on the 18th April 45? Lunenburg heath area?
Any help would be appreciated.
Posts: 42
By: Davenport82 - 4th December 2014 at 14:47
All,
My grandfather Les Davenport was one of the first blocks of 500 RAF prisoners to be marched out of Fallingbostel 357 POW camp on the 6th April 1945 to be held by the Germans at Lubeck as a potential bargaining chip with the allies at wars end.
On the 19th April 1945 RAF Typhoons mistook the column of POWs moving along a small road for German troop movement. They attacked the column with rockets and cannon fire and killed close to 60 airman and wounded another 30 and killing some German gaurds. They did come in for a second run but for some of the brave prisoners actually ran in the field waving their arms to stop the attack, which the Typhoons did, realising their mistake. Sadly some of these airman killed had been POW s for near on 5 years and a couple of weeks before the end of hostilities in Europe were killed by the very own RAF they were part of.
My grandfather did not speak much about it only to say he jumped in a ditch for cover and hid until the column moved off and he along with others made a run for it and a couple of days later met the allied advance and was re-patuated back to England around the 24th April 1945. I think he witnessed some bad things on that march not only the attack but earlier in that march they were marched close to Bergen Belsen Concentration Camp. So I can understand why he wanted to just get on with his life post ww2.
There is a bit on this incident in 'Footprints in the sands of Time' Oliver clutton-Brock and Not all glory by vic f gammon but not any information on RAF Typhoon squadron that dealt the devistating blow. Is this something that the RAF have locked away never for the records to be made available?
Does anyone know if I can obtain more information, documents, pictures, stories. I have only looked at these books and a quick online search and found the above out.
Plus was anyone elses family members a part of this also?
Any information will be greatly received.
Ian Davenport