POW Art.

[NickFenton]

A couple of pictures drawn by my Father, Ken Fenton, as a POW in his YMCA (I know, it does produce a different picture now) log book, l believe from memory of his upbrining in Drax, Yorkshire.

Regards,

Nick

[KriegsmarineFreak]

Your father was a very great artist! Very talented! I love the pictures! Which POW camp was he in if you don't mind me asking?

[NickFenton]

Thanks. He died when l was 17 so typically, l asked him nothing and he told me less.

Now l am searching to find out about his experiances.

He crashed on 1st July 1941 and after a few days went to Dulag Luft.

Bad Sulza (Stalag IXc) from 10th July 1941 where he escaped with McCairns (one of the thirty)

Sagan (Stalag Luft III) East Compound 1st May 1942

Hyderkrug (Stalag Luft VI) 20th June 1943

Thorn (Stalag 357) 19th July 1944

Fallingbostal (Stalag 357 re-named) 8th August 1944 until April 1945

From then l have no info.

I have spoken with another Blenheim pilot (Mike Roberts) who remembers him on the march North up to Gresse when the column was attacked on the 19th April but cannot put anything more to the story.

I will keep looking.

Regards,

Nick

[Andy in West Oz]

A very clever man.

[KriegsmarineFreak]

Wow, your father was in quite a few POW camps! That's sad your father died just a little less than a month before the war ended. I'm really sorry. Any ideal what sort of attack happened to his column on April 19th? Air raid? I looked up the city Gresse, Germany and its located in the western part of Germany. Haven't found any interesting historical information yet about what happened there during WW2.

[NickFenton]

Sorry Mate, lead you off the track there.

He died in 1976 from cancer, linked to TB from the camps, smoking and acorn coffee. I was seventeen at the time so was not interested and he did not want to tell me anything so now l have to find out for myself.

The RAF POW's were marched North out of Fallingbostal and near the town of Gresse, whilst the various columns were spread around, one of the columns running parallel to another was attacked by 6 British Typhoons with rockets. They only stopped the attack by lying on the ground spelling POW.

About 60 POW's were killed and many other injured. This was about mid April 1945, the POW's were liberated at Fallingbostal about 2 days beforehand and the columns, spread over the next few weeks.

Some of the dead would have been POW's for about 4 years and were killed in the last few days of the war. Poor fellows. Roberts buried many of the dead under instruction from Dixie Dean.

The number of camps was not unusual. RAF were put into Sagan when it was first opened as an all RAF camp and NCO's were later taken to Hyderkrug to seperate them from the officers, from then on the movement was to keep them away from repatriation or the Russians depending on your view point. It was thought that they were to be used as a bartering tool as the war ended but this never happened. Many POW's either died or were shot on these so called 'Death Marches' across Germany.

Regards,

Nick

[David Layne]

This is taken from my father's "Wartime Log." It is dated 5 September 1944. That would have put him at Fallingbostel in Stalag Luft 357.

The artist appears to be "Peter H. Griffith," he is not listed as a Bomber Command P.O.W. Can anyone enlighten me about him?

[Owen]

Great artwork, missed this thread.
That church is spot on.
Here's the real thing.


The Churches of Britain and Ireland

or

GENUKI: Drax Church


Peter H. Griffith and the baseball cartoon, could be an American flyer?
As you'll know David, Americans use the middle intial slightly more than we Brits do.

[David Layne]

Peter H. Griffith and the baseball cartoon, could be an American flyer?
As you'll know David, Americans use the middle intial slightly more than we Brits do.

I doubt it was an American. To my knowledge he was never directly imprisoned with Americans. Canadian would be my bet.

[NickFenton]

David,

Let me check out Kew when next there. They have a list of the POW's at Fallenbostal with their hut numbers. This may give a lead.

This is one of my favorites taken from my Father's log.

Note the politician hidding behind the admiral. Familiar story!!!!

Regards,

Nick.