I just saw an interesting report on the “Sunday” current affairs programme, here on NZ’s TV1, about a wartime bomber pilot called Phil Lameson (sp?) who was shot down over France on his 45th mission. He evaded capture for six weeks thanks to the Resistance, but then his Resistance driver turned traitor and took him to the Gestapo.
He was treated as a spy and sent to the Buckenval (sp again?) concentration camp. He talked about the brutality he witnessed there. He was senior Air Force officer in charge of 160 airmen from all countries who’d been sent there. They too must have all been captured evaders.
In the end, he received word from an informant in the camp that Berlin had ordered all the airmen were to be exterminated. He somehow arranged for word to get to a nearby Luftwaffe base, and the luftwaffe came to their rescue and saved the airmen, confiscating them all from the Gestapo and transferring the mostly ill and emaciated airmen to a Luftwaffe prison.
Phil Lameson is now 87 and still farming near Dannevirke, NZ. He was so modest about his saving the men he never acknowledges it was actually him that did it, but they talked to fellow prisoners who said they know it was him and he’s a hero. A really interesting tale, I never knew airmen had gone the the concentration camps.
By: Dave Homewood - 24th April 2005 at 13:29
I’m up late tonight to watch the currently screening Grand Prix. That’ll finish at 2.00am our time, and I’m getting up at 5am to get ready for Anzac Day Dawn Parade this morning. So, not much sleep tonight.
I do agree with the Turks asking not to have a haka at the ceremony – it is a war challenge and is out of keeping with the peace commemorations I think. Especially when we invaded their country 90 years ago.
As for the porn, that’s rather worrying that 300 police were caught this week with porn on their work computers. What’s the world coming to?
By: allan125 - 24th April 2005 at 13:10
Hi Dave – Thanks for the link – Don’t you go to sleep at all !! I saw comments on the site about medals being stolen in Christchurch, and the Haka not being welcome in Gallipoli and, it would seem, that your other activities have been traced as it also headlines “Workplace porn is rife, say experts” !! 🙂 – cheers – Allan
By: Dave Homewood - 24th April 2005 at 12:40
Ah, good point about them being out of uniform, I’d forgotten that.
The film clip on that TVNZ page is 14.00mins so must be the whole item. I’ll have to watch again when I get a chance.
By: allan125 - 24th April 2005 at 12:36
PoW’s in Concentration Camps
Hi Dave – I think the Germans only respected the Geneva Convention when it suited them – and we breached it as well as we sent some of our own captives over to Canada and the USA, whereas I believe they should have been kept here in the UK. These PoW’s were not wearing uniform when recaptured, and probably not their service or PoW dogtags either – so the Germans could treat them as spies. Better to be sent to a Concentration Camp and survive than the treatment meted out to the 50 anyway. If you want to see how RAF PoW’s were treated by both the Germans and ourselves (with regard to Pay etc) can I suggest you see if your library in NZ has “Wire and Worse RAF PoW’s in Laufen, Biberach, Lubeck and Warburg 1940-42” by Charles Rollings ISBN 0-7110-3050-2 – he has also written “Wire and Walls” which covers the period 1939-1942 in Itzehow, Spangenberg and Thorn (one I have not read yet) – cheers – Allan
By: Dave Homewood - 24th April 2005 at 12:23
I just found a bit more on TVNZ’s site about the interview, including a clip of the video.
http://tvnz.co.nz/view/news_national_story_skin/518820%3fformat=html
I’m afraid i did spell the an’s name incorrectly, it is Lamason.
By: Dave Homewood - 24th April 2005 at 11:14
Yes, thanks for the spelling correction – I was in a rush before as a radio show I was waiting for was about to come on. So I didn’t have time to check the spelling.
That’s interesting that the Great Escapers were sent to a concentration camp. That is appaulling. It was every soldier’s duty to attempt to escape and this was recognised by the Germans. Under the Geneva Conventions this must have been considered a grosse breach and possibly a war crime.
By: allan125 - 24th April 2005 at 10:34
PoW’s in Concentration Camps
Hi Dave – A very brave man – some of the aircrew recaptured after the Great Escape were sent to Sachsenhausen concentration camp and later escaped from their to safety:- http://www.elsham.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/gt_esc/ – I presume you mean Buchenwald from Buckenval ? So that is at least two concentration camps that Allied PoW’s were sent to. cheers – Allan
Sign In
April 24, 2005 at 9:05 am