Herbie Mills photo book transcription

Richard Rimmer, son-in-law of Herbie Mills of the Manx Regiment, Royal Artillery, has transcribed a photo book kept by Mills during his time at Stalag VIIIB/344 Lamsdorf.

The book contains the names and addresses of a number of fellow prisoners, as well as his notes from the Long March between 18 January and 29 April 1945, when he was liberated by the American 3rd Army.

Long March transcript

[Unsure if the following is Richard’s note or transcribed from the book:]

ROUTE OF MARCH FROM POLAND 18 JAN 1945
TO DATE OF RECAPTURE BY AMERICAN 3RD ARMY
ON 29TH APRIL 1945

19-Jan	Left JAWORZNO 1/2 parcel, 2kilo bread, meat, sugar, marge to MILARWITZ	22 km
20-Jan	BEUTHEN mine bath house	27 km
21-Jan	near GLEINWITZ 1/4pkt biscuits	22 km
22-Jan	KEIFERSTUOTL barn	24 km
23-Jan	GREGORSDORF 1 ½pkt biscuits  barn	38 km
24-Jan	GROSS NEUKIRK rations (20 men 1 loaf) barn	22 km
25-Jan	BARWITZ – KRUGKOL barn	12 km
27-Jan	GANKA – GRATZ potatoes barn	26 km
28-Jan	day off, first shave & wash rations ½ sausage 4 pkt biscuits, coffee sugar, all for 4 days
29-Jan	YAKOWITZ barn	15 km
30-Jan	SIDENDORF barn	17 km
31-Jan	FREUDENHALL barn	19 km
01-Feb	rest day rations dripping, dry meat, soup powder,coffee sugar biscuits
02-Feb	OTOORK barn  ¼ loaf	28 km
03-Feb	DEUTCHES- LEIBAU barn	38 km
04-Feb	BOHUTIN	28 km
05-Feb	rest day rations sausage, bread, sugar, coffee
06-Feb	HERMANITZ barn	18 km
07-Feb	MICHELSDORF barn	19 km
08-Feb	OBER – LISHWE barn	22 km
09-Feb	rest day rations ½ loaf
10-Feb	rest day rations bread, sausage, dried veg, sugar, coffee, (killed horse)
11-Feb	LAMELSDORF (protectorate) barn, rations ½ loaf	15 km
12-Feb	VISSOKAU HOLICE barn	25 km
13-Feb	rest day rations bread, marge, meat, coffee, dry veg
14-Feb	BEJSCHT barn	15 km
15-Feb	BORCHEBATESCHKA barn	16 km
16-Feb	rest day rations ½ loaf
17-Feb	SWEIT tobacco issue (20 grammes) state form rations marge, honey, cheese	14 km
18-Feb	BASCHNITZ barn	16 km
19-Feb	rest day rations ½ loaf, dry veg, meat
20-Feb	DREWEINWITZ rations marge, honey, cheese	24 km
21-Feb	OSEK barn	26 km
22-Feb	rest day (birthday) rations ¼ loaf, marge, honey, cheese, saur kraut for 6 days
23-Feb	JEMNICK barn	23 km
24-Feb	HRIWNO barn	20 km
25-Feb	rest day
26-Feb	BRIVOR good barn	20 km
27-Feb	JEDIBAB barn	27 km
28-Feb	rest day rations kil bread, marge, honey sausage, cheese, dried veg, saur kraut
01-Mar	LUNKAU barn	23 km
02-Mar	RISUK barn	19 km
03-Mar	rest day rations 1 kilo bread, marge, cheese, sausage, honey, dried veg, 40 cigs
04-Mar	GERAUPEN barn	23 km
05-Mar	DEUTCHE HORSCHOWITZ left protectorate barn	17 km
06-Mar	rest day rations 1 kilo bread, honey, marge, sausage
07-Mar	LIEBKOWITZ barn	20 km
08-Mar	UDRITSCH barn	14 km
09-Mar	rest day rations 100gramm bread (2 days) ½ slice bread all day
10-Mar	rest day no food all day
11-Mar	LIEMGRUBEN thank god red cross in touch with us & received 1 American parcel	17 km
12-Mar	rest day no rations
13-Mar	ROYAU	27 km
14-Mar	UNTER GAMLING barn	13 km
15-Mar	rest day 500gramm bread, Yank RC parcel
16-Mar	OSTRAU barn 600 gramm bread	22 km
17-Mar	MILLES barn	14 km
18-Mar	rest day
19-Mar	LOHMA barn 200 gramm bread	26 km
20-Mar	ROMMEL BERG barn	15 km
21-Mar	rest day
22-Mar	ROTHENSTADT barn 250gr bread	17 km
23-Mar	rest day ½ RC parcel (Canadian)
24-Mar	rest day 400gr bread for 3 days
25-Mar	NURNBURG STATION 70 men in oen waggons, spent 2 days on this, no food or water
26-Mar	near REGENSBOURG barn
27-Mar	rest day MARCH FINISHED
28-Mar	100gram bread for 5 days
28-Mar	awaiting events no food from Germans
30-Mar	awaiting events no food from Germans
31-Mar	awaiting events no food from Germans
01-Apr	awaiting events no food from Germans
02-Apr	2 slices bread
03-Apr	2 slices bread
04-Apr	start work 4 potatoes for breakfast, walk 8km to work and 150gramm bread	8 km
05-Apr	work again 4 potatoes breakfast, 150gm bread	[8 km assumed]
06-Apr	work same food, Dick & I very nearly up for looting	[8 km assumed]
07-Apr	day off
08-Apr	saved again, R-X parcel
09-Apr	work	[8 km assumed]
10-Apr	work	[8 km assumed]
11-Apr	work	[8 km assumed]
12-Apr	work	[8 km assumed]
13-Apr	work	[8 km assumed]
14-Apr	work	[8 km assumed]
15-Apr	march at dawn to GRASLANG RAF bombed 2′ Coy killed & wounded 100 barn
16-Apr	day off rations potatoes only from now on
17-Apr	R-X parcel
18-Apr	work finished
19-Apr	R-X parcel again RAF straffed us killing and wounding many
20-Apr	still here
21-Apr	still here
22-Apr	still here
23-Apr	still here
24-Apr	Yanks getting closer, march all night to HOGSDORF	44 km
25-Apr	rations Leek, 1 only
26-Apr	living like lords, R-X can’t reach other chaps at Regensburg we get 2 parcels each
27-Apr	rumours of further march
28-Apr	Yanks too close, gerry can’t move us, leaves 6 old guards rest B.O.
29-Apr	YANKS ARRIVE Little fighting, FREE AT LAST Hands shaking all round
30 Apr – 11 May	ate and killed all we could lay hands on
11-May	left UNTERNUEHAUSEN for airfield at STRAUBLING
12-May	flew to Brussels
13-May	ARRIVED ENGLAND THANK GOD

[Believed to be a note from the transcriber:]

911km (+ 8x 8km more work days  = 945km ?)

[Although we make it: 1021km including 8x8km work days).]

Names and Addresses transcript

J. D.Allison (??? extremely feint pencil) [believed to be Edgar Burnie Allison]
17 Brentwood Avenue
Mount Eden
Auckland
New Zealand

(another on front cover impossible to read)

Abraham Greenbury
30 Lilydale Grove
Auburn E3
Victoria
Australia

Scorcher [unknown if nickname or reference to Operation Scorcher, codename of the defence of Crete where many of these prisoners were captured]
H.T. Sims

Walter Booth
60 Edna Street
Hyde
Cheshire

J. J. Gregory
105 18th Avenue
Blyth

E. Raynor
110 Southwell Road West
Mansfield
Notts

B. P. Martinson (Benjamin Peter)
3 Atkinson Avenue
Otahuhu
Auckland
New Zealand

W. Mansell
23 Onslow Crescent
Solihull
Birmingham

Douglas J. Small
13 Woodlands Place
Bedlinog
(Merthyr Tydfil)

Maurice Caspman [believed to be Maurice Cashman]
221 Grove Street
Dartford
London

Reginald Howlett
16 Westbury Road
Brentwood
Essex

Kenneth Ross
96 Castle Street
Inverness
Scotland

Samuel Mainwaring
Halsey Farm
The Grange
Cobham
Surrey

F. Holt
Coolgardie
West Australia

G. H. Charlton
Lilywhite Terrace
Easington Lane
Co. Durham

William Drummond
12 Bellevue Terrace
Gateshead

George Johnson
11 Farrant Street
Douglas
Isle of Man

Noel Register
Waikaiwa
Marlborough
N. Z.

A. J. Hallett
Underleigh
Butterleigh
Callompton
Devonshire

F. J. Reardon
64 Black a tree Road
Stockingford
Nuneaton
Warwickshire

John Branston
5 Mill Road
Carluke
Lanarkshire
Scotland

J. A. Fraser
Forest Grove
Busselton
West Australia

Sidney Collpacs ?
75 Brooke Road
Stoke Newington
London N

W. G. Green
180 Walesby Lane
New Ollerton
Notts

Harry Eastmond
4 Hillcliffe Terrace
Appledore
N. Devon

J. W. Porter
Anchor Inn
Oakerthorpe
Derbyshire

P. G. Adams
27 Alphington Street
St. Thomas
Exeter

Ted Goodhew P.O.W. 21823
P.O. Box 50
Ravenshoe
Queensland
Aussie

Richard Clyde
6 Cunriside Avenue
Dykehead
Staffs

Earnest Hart
34 Bentinel Street
Mansfield
Notts

John G. Robinson
99 Shortlands Road
Sittingbourne
Kent

T. H. Woodington
27 St. Johns Avenue
Harlesden
London NW10

G. Robson
27 Old Road
Huntly
Scotland

Les G. Pinkard
(Ilford MC&LCC)
132 Sedgwick St
Cambridge

C. K. Stone
243 Lessingham Avenue
Upper Tooting
London SW17

‘The Gaunt Men’
R. Chaney
28 Cocker Avenue
Cumbran
Mon
S. Wales

Trooper M. Shenley
5 Baxters Buildings
Edinburgh

E. H. Goss
6 Talbot Road
Wellingborough
Northamptonshire

J. C. Lewis
4 Greenfield Terrace
Yaysdalu
Mon

J. R. Thomas
22 Bayliss Road
Preston
Victoria
Australia

A. C. Richard
8a Marlboro Road
Swansea
S. Wales

Dave Bruce
Lower Cruicks
Inverkeithing
Fife
Scotland

H. A. Hunter
8 Fair——-
Bebington
Cheshire

J. Macfarlaine
Sylvester Street
Coolgardie
W. Australia

Albert Barton (Barnes ?)
8 Radcliffe Avenue
Cardiff
S. Wales

Jack Holland
17 Market Square
Warwick
England
(234 Battery)

Pte. J. Meredith
15 Adelaide Street
Burslem
Stoke on Trent

James Brancey
25 Habbiesauld Road
Kilmourns
Ayrshire
Scotland

M. Alder
5 Windrush Road
Cheltenham
Glostershire

Jim Warren
8 Tennor Road
Balham
London SW12

J. T. Clements
20 Bryan Street
Spennymoar
Durham

Fred Fletcher
87 High Street
Pittshill
Stoke on Trent

Leonard W. Longford
104c Albert Road
St. Thomas
Exeter
Devon

Photos