Bedlington Man's Memories Of Prison Camp Horrors

Witnessed atrocities against the Jews.
Crowded into dirty buildings.
Thrilling attempts at escape.
Chained from 6.30 am to 8.00 p.m., as reprisal.

These are some of the experiences which befell a Bedlington Station man who returned home after being a prisoner of war in Germany. He was Private George Purdy, [above] of Burnside, Bedlington Station, who served with the Black Watch. George was taken prisoner at Crete on May 28th, 1941, and while a prisoner learned the German language so well that he became a interpreter. In addition he was awarded the Y.M.C.A. medal for helping to maintain the high morale of prisoners of war, and was producer of several plays in the camp.
It was thanks to God that his prayers and those of 24,000 other prisoners of war were answered on April 16th, 1945, at 8.30 p.m., when the tanks of the 7th Armoured Desert Rats arrived at the outside perimeter of the barbed wire of Stalag XI B, Fallingbostel Thousands of prisoners crowded the wire, unable to realise that this meant liberation, food, clothing and the chance to take their place once more in a free life. 
The tank commander, Captain of the 8th Hussars, patiently tried to answer as many questions that were thrown at him from behind the barbed wire. During this time a German guard stood outside his sentry box. The commander ignored him. After 30 minutes he decided it was time the Hun was disarmed, and alighted from his tank, walked to the German, relieved him of his rifle and smashed it against a post. This was the signal for the thousands of P.O.W.s to give vent to their feelings and cheers were sent up from the depths of their throats.
The men stormed the perimeter wire, taking the barbed wire in their stride and surrounded the tank. The crew showed they were as happy to see the prisoners as they were to see them. After hearing brief descriptions of the prisoners past regarding shortages of food, the boys of the 8th Hussars produced their rations of white bread and gave them to the prisoners.
Twelve prisoners fainted when they saw real English white bread. After a diet of almost grass on the 800 kilometre march these men found difficulty in realising such wholesome food really existed. Thank God their prayers wee answered.
George went on to disclose the horrors of Buchenwald, for it was his misfortune to witness hundreds of atrocities against Jews, and to see men who once had been foremost in the world of medicine, art, music and science being quickly reduced to a state of animals. He was speaking of Auschwitz in Poland. This camp of horror was only 300 yards from Buchenwald.
George had spoken countless times to these men for it was his job as interpreter which took him to their Fabric, where approximately 30,000 of these Jews, known as half-lingers stayed. The Jews worked alongside the other prisoners on constructional work; they were marched to work winter and summer alike in their flimsy clothes, dirty and verminous, with foot rags on their feet. Their daily ration of food, after they had worked, consisted of 250 grams of black bread and a bowl of half a litre of soup, which was made of rotten vegetables and other refuse not fit for dogs to consume.
These half-lingers worked in batches from 30 to 100, and their boss was known as a Campo. The Campo was not a Jew, and he had the authority of the S.S, and Gestapo, to take the life of any Jew for insubornation. On one occasion George saw two of these half-lingers kicked to death. They were afraid to report sick or say they suffered from an abrasion or cut.
For a week George worked alongside a Polish Jew and he told him he had been batman to an S.S. officer, a privileged job because he could speak fluent German. He described how thousands of Jews had been exterminated and burned, and how they had been told to get undressed and disinfected, change their uniforms as they were to be sent to the land to work. Instead, they were taken into a chamber which they thought was a dressing chamber with showers, and instead, gas was showered upon them and afterwards their hair was cut from their heads, gold was extracted from their teeth and gold rings from fingers, then they were finally burned.
Public executions were carried out daily. George and the other prisoners appealed to the Germans that something should be done for these poor defenceless people.

However, they were told they were political prisoners and they should mind their own business or risk being shot.
George remembered on one occasion, during an air raid by American bombers, workers, including British prisoners of war leaving the Fabric area to seek shelter in the outlying hills and forests, but when half-lingers attempted to go they were met by S.S. machine gun fire and mowed down. George was informed by an Unter official that it was the policy and intention of the S.S. Commandant to destroy all the inmates of the Kassel rather than see them free men. At times field guns were trained on them. The outside perimeter was electrified.
When the Russians approached in their drive from Krakow, like the P.O.W., the half-lingers were forced to march. During this march after a distance of 15 kilometres, George and other prisoners came across 200 dead Jews. 90 per cent of these men had died from bullet wounds in the head while others had died from exposure, extreme cold and lack of clothing. Also along the route George and the others encountered many Jewesses who had been killed in the same manner.
After being ordered to move, George was told by the German military authorities that they were moving because of the nearness of the Russian Army. George and the others knew they were near because they could hear their gunfire on the other side of the Carpathian Mountains.
The first day they covered 30 kilometres, and at night were crowded into a disused schoolroom. No rations were issued for that day. This march continued for weeks, with only occasional rations. The prisoners had to billet in any kind building, but they were all the same, dirty and verminous, also overcrowded. The Germans told the prisoners there was no destination. Daily George and the others left many of their men in the hands of the Burgomaster of villages as they were too sick to continue on the journey.
Georges column was attended by their own medical officer, Captain O. Harrison, of the South African Medical Corps. He marched every foot of the way with the prisoners and attended the sick in the most able manner he could in the circumstances, not having the necessary appliances with which to do the job. His brilliant medical skills were the means of saving many lives on that dreaded march.
>George was in charge of the column and periodically on the march went to the rear and asked the men if they felt all right. George received the same reply every time, "O.K. Sure we will make the grade." One day after a tiring march to prove the very high morale of the boys they gave the Hitler salute to a donkey standing by the roadside. They marched out of the hands of the Germans into the arms of the Seventh Armoured Division.
The roads from all directions were crowded with marching prisoners of war, of all nationalities, together with German refugees. George got the biggest shock of his life whilst on this march. For he met up with his brother, Tom, who was also a prisoner of war, and had been held in a separate camp from George. On one occasion, 20 of George's comrades who had been left behind sick at a farm, took charge of it because the owners had evacuated. They had a good time, having killed all the beasts and used all the vegetables, then the S.S. arrived and ordered them to move on. It was a common thing to see batches of British P.O.W.s with no Germans not knowing which way to go.
On George's journey he and the others saw crowds of Germans fighting to board trains to take them away from the advancing Russians. In some places George and his comrades passed through they were told that old German people unable to evacuate had been ruthlessly shot by the S.S or Gestapo, for the order from Hitler was that no German civilian had to fall into the hands of the Russians.
The German guards had plenty of food from the civilians and when they dropped out they were put into hospital, but the P.O.W., if he dropped out had to take his chance and hope for the best. At last George and the other prisoners arrived at Fallingbostel where they were again interned, and they stayed six weeks until the arrival of the Seventh Armoured Division, who liberated them.
In George's memoirs he remembers his attempts to escape. His first attempt was in 1942 when with another companion they were away three days, and on being recaptured were given seven days on bread and water. The next time he escaped was with the same companion and were at liberty for 22 days. This time they were put into a blacked out cell for 14 days.
On the third attempt there were three of them and were at large going from place to place dodging the Germans for five weeks.
Finally they were tracked down by the civilian police and put into a civilian jail. They had very good treatment there and were sad when they had to leave to go back to their camp. This time they had luck on their side for when they got back the commandant was so busy that he did not have time to try them. They looked for the opportunity to get on a working camp where their escape was overheard.
After the Dieppe raid, George and the others were put into chains as a reprisal, but this did not dampen their spirits in spite of the torture they had to undergo. At first they were tied with string and when a prisoner was caught with string off he had as a punishment to stand to attention in front of the barbed wire with his nose almost touching it for two hours. The usual length of time to be in chains was from 6.30 in the morning until eight o'clock in the evening.
On one occasion they were asked to join in the British Free Corps. They were given literature to read advising them to join and to fight against the Russians. They were given two weeks to consider this offer and be excused all duties. Many took the opportunity of the 14 days, but at the end of the time declined to accept. It was a good way of getting 14 days respite from work.

In conclusion George remembered his arrival back at Bedlington Station along with another local lad. The reception was fantastic and unexpected. He recalled the sight of happy and cheerful faces and proud to be back at home. He recalled it "a dream come true."