Library Reference Number: 101
Extracts from a POW Diary
During his time as a prisoner-of-war, Laurie Benson managed to record some of those events in a diary. Many years later and just before he died, he asked a friend to record his words on audio-tape, and it is from this tape that his fellow branch member Gilbert Gray was able to contribute the following extracts from that diary.
Laurie Benson trained as a Flight Engineer at St.Athan before eventually joining Bomber Command's 8 Group and No.635 Pathfinder Squadron at Downham Market in Norfolk. On June 15th, 1944, nine days after the DDay landings, he took off at 22 minutes to midnight in Lancaster JB 728(F2-B) bound for railway yards at Lens in northern France - a short trip and one of the so-called 'easy targets' with skipper F/O Caterer. 224 aircraft were out that night - 184 Lancasters, 30 Stirlings and 10 Mosquitoes attacking railway yards at Lens and Valenciennes - attacks designed to starve the Germans of reinforcements as the Allied troops attempted to break out of the Normandy beachhead.
The attack at Lens, on a clear night, was declared accurate but Laurie and crew were not to know because they were shot down at about 1 a.m., the aircraft crashing at Beaurains, on the south-eastern outskirts of Arras, one of the six Lancasters which were lost on the Lens attack. Laurie, with the Bomb-aimer and Navigator, escaped by parachute. The remaining crew members were killed. The Pilot is interred in the Beaurains cemetery, the only airman there beside 20 soldiers killed in May 1940. The Bomb-aimer and Navigator were successful in evading capture, but the remains of the wireless operator and gunners were never found and they are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. Extracts from Laurie's Diary are highlighted in blue:
"Landed in France by parachute in the region of Arras about 1 in the morning. My parachute descent was not very pleasant and I was violently sick. I landed in a field about 100 yards from a village. In the distance, our target was burning fiercely and not many minutes elapsed before the last of our planes were on their way home.
Lucky fellows! I proceeded to look about and take stock of surroundings after which I hid my gear amongst the wheat or oats. About this time the "All Clear" sounded and it was then I felt so completely alone. I walked a little nearer the village and waited in the rain for the dawn."
On the following day, June 16th 1944, Laurie carefully observed various individuals and groups of French civilians before approaching them, and was successful in obtaining food and clothes, and equally important, the opportunity to have 12 hours sleep. There appeared to be room for optimism, as Laurie felt he was on the way to an escape route, when he was asked to wait for a week until French identity cards were obtained. Following instructions, he was on his way to a rendezvous with a Canadian called Ted, when he was approached by another person.
"On the way someone spoke to us.Little did we know how much he held our fate in his hands.We walked a little further and decided to rest in a disused windmill. After about quarter of an hour we heard a rustle in the grass and the next moment a German sten gun was pointed at us.When we got outside, there was the man who had spoken to us earlier, probably a German official the way he was acting."
They were piled into a Jeep and placed in a barn until about 7pm when they were introduced to the Gestapo who took them to Amiens where they were interrogated for the second time.
"Received a couple of slaps on my face. Finally slept, single confinement cell, prison, a filthy hole with a stinking metal can as a toilet. Received no food all day. June 27th taken to Paris. It was not a bad trip although we were handcuffed. So it was in this condition that I had my first glimpse of Paris. The stories we had heard about the food shortage in occupied countries were undoubtedly true for Paris. We saw queues at all the shops and the people looked haggard and starved. We were taken to the Gestapo Headquarters where we waited for some time for a `Black Maria' to take us to Fresnes prison.This was to be my home for the next five weeks. It was a period which I'd hate to go through again but which I would not have missed for anything. Little things which I had always taken for granted such as soap, change of underclothing, sufficiency of food, toothpaste and brush, a mirror - all these things were lacking and made life miserable."
After five days in prison crawling with vermin, with four to a room filled with all nationalities, indications were that they were on the move again. This time by rail and handcuffed in pairs. At every change of platform in German railway stations they were exposed to the wrath of German civilians. At Wiesbaden near Mainz, they were marched through the town to another prison.
"By the time we arrived we were looking and feeling in a bad state, dirty, scruffy, unshaven, hungry, thirsty and very tired. We had not slept for two nights as it was impossible when we were handcuffed together. We were also completely downhearted, as, on leaving Paris, we thought we were on our way to Dulagluft and were being recognised as prisoners-of-war. Conditions at this prison were pretty awful. Gestapo interrogations were faced on 8th and 9th August, then on 12th August, one of the happiest days of my life! We were, at last, handed over to the Luftwaffe and taken to Oberstel where I stayed for one day only.The talk with the interrogator was very interesting.He was related to one of the group who had attempted to kill Hitler and expected to be arrested himself. To crown a very fine day, I left the Mess Hall FULL for the very first time for many a week."
"The evening of 19th August saw the beginning of a three-day train journey to our final destination in southern Poland. There were eight of us in the compartment, five of whom were to be my fellow room-mates from then on.They were `Pop' Jones from Burton, Harry Yorke from Hornsea, Peter `Red' Dralton, Johnny Perkins, both from London, and Bill Swinton from New Zealand. The journey on the whole was not unpleasant.The guard was quite decent.We had plenty of food, one Red Cross parcel between two. Sleeping was very difficult and the adjacent toilet was not very pleasant. Managed to get a shower under an engine cooler on the way. After spending a night at Breslau, we arrived at Bankau at about 5pm on 22nd August, to be greeted by a crowd of semi-nudists - all clamouring at the fence to see if they knew anyone. We were not very happy about the camp on first inspection as we were sleeping on the floor in something like over-sized hen coops. After a few days, we found it was like a camping holiday with plenty of sun-bathing and sport. Toilet facilities were crude - pole squatting over a big hole."
"By November 1944, Jerry's rations have been reduced slightly. Rumours around that Joe has made a big push and that we were going to move (`Joe' meaning the Russians, after Joseph Stalin, the Russian Leader). The Germans are getting nervous and food regulations are getting stricter - that is, no stocks of food, four bars of chocolate, 100 cigarettes and the returning of empty tins and returning of empty cartons."
With Christmas and New Year 'celebrations' over, the weeks and months leading into 1945 became an even more nervous time for the Germans, as rumour and counter-rumour of the Russian's progress triggered off plans to move POWs to a more secure location. Moments of high tension are recorded in Laurie's diary.
"January 15th: Rumours wholesale regarding moving."
"January 17th: A day of great panic. At about 10.30 given one hour to pack. From then on rumour after rumour. However did not move."
"January 18th: Another day of rumour, panic and uncertainty. Paraded repeatedly, then sent back."
"January 19th: Eventually evacuated and started walking between 6 and 7pm to before dawn. That first day, we marched 29 kilometres."
Laurie's Diary then describes a series of daily long marches (also marching long distances during the night). Winter conditions were horrendous with frozen slippery roads and carrying full heavy kit. 30 degrees Fahrenheit of frost were experienced, and sometimes sleep was taken in stinking stables recently vacated by farm animals. Advances by the Russians had motivated the Germans to be ruthless in covering long distances. On one occasion, marching 46 kilometres in 27 hours. Harrassment and verbal abuse came from civilians on the way.
"We heard that as soon as we crossed the Oder the bridge would be blown up . January 22nd: We were wakened at 1.30 in the morning. Panic! Joe (Russians) had crossed the river Oder north of us. After dogs and shots, Jerry finally got us out, we walked 21 kilometres that day arriving in Schianfeld at 2pm. Our rations were biscuits, margarine and soup. The boys were going down in large numbers, some with frostbite and dysentery."
After a long series of forced marches, the group staggered in to a camp at Goldsberg on February 8th. After a few weeks in a desperately overcrowded camp, fragmentary information was heard of Russian advances, which made the Germans even more nervous, guard duties were now being left to old men of Volksturm.
'"One Friday morning we found Jerry had left us to look after ourselves. Two boys had been shot in earlier attempted escapes. With the news of Jerrys' departure, there was great rejoicing. Flags of all nations appeared. Things quietened down very quickly, however, when we received an ultimatum from the SS Unit in the neighbouring forest. A Russian unit was in the vicinity and there was great excitement when it arrived - guns, tanks, lorries, horse-drawn carts and women. This was a great moment for us, and especially for the Russian prisoners who had been so terribly treated. April 29th: Principal happening was the arrival of food."
"May 3rd: The past few days had been very strange. Obtained my Dulagluft and Luff 7 official record documents complete with photographs. Still no news of means of getting home. Some of our boys have been looting. Armchairs, clocks, wirelesses, cigars, swords, bikes - even horses have appeared in the barracks. An official German Document later reported the case of a commando who had associated with a German prostitute. He was imprisoned because the price was irregular - one bar chocolate. Another commando was caught and admitted association with twelve women, all of whom denied the affair. He was accused of boasting and released."
"On May 5th, the news that the Americans were in the area caused much excitement. Release now imminent, and following day an American convoy of trucks arrived to take us to the British base, but the Russians refused to release us since they had no instructions from Moscow. However, the Americans indicated that the trucks would be nearby if we could get out. May 7th: Discussed with my colleagues the chances of getting out. No one was prepared to risk it, so I decided to go on my own. I walked casually to one of the side entrances complete with rucksack, nodded and smiled at the single Russian guard. He smiled back and I was out! I wondered then what was in store for me."
"After about a mile was a glorious sight - a big American truck with a multi-coloured crew. I was aboard in a moment and feeling safe. I was taken back later to their depot, a village-type hall. I was impressed by the American organisation, right on the front line there was coffee, pineapple juice, and white bread, which, after black bread was like cake. May 8th: I was taken by road to Brussels, where I was given some fresh clothing by the British authorities. As I was staying there overnight, I could not resist the claim of the dance floor, and set off that evening for the local Forces Dance. May 9th: Flown back to England!"
Forever a life-long dancing enthusiast, as shown by one of his first thoughts on being released, Laurie had also taught dancing to fellow-prisoners as a morale-booster. During latter years, he fell into very poor health. It was quite a twist of fate therefore, when dancing with his wife, he collapsed and died at her feet in November 2001.
Postscript:Saltire Branch member GeorgeThomson, also a prisoner-of-war in Stalag Luft 7 (see Web Library Story No.78) recalls a fellow POW named 'Benson.' George was informed at that time, that his fellow POW was a brother of Ivy Benson, Leader of the all-girl band so popular with radio listeners and dance-goers in post-war Europe. This could perhaps explain Laurie Benson's great interest in dancing, although not mentioned in his diary. - Editor.