Forum users may know that i spend part of the year in Spain and make 3 or 4 round trips by car.This time I visited my dad’s old pow camp in Poland.Great trip via NL, D, PL, CZ, A, I, and F. Then I returned eventually to the UK.My God,what a difference.Appalling roads,bad mannered and angry drivers and nose to tail traffic for large parts of the day. Why do us Brits think that our driving is so superior to some other countries? I’ll concede that Italians and some Spanish have their idiosyncracies but they are not as studiously offensive as a lot of Brits.What is it with BMW and Audi drivers?
Another thing.I retired 9 years ago and just received a text from an agency for regular container work.No thanks.
Just out of interest how much is left of your Dad’s old POW camp?
Is it preserved like some sort of living museum, or all flattened,.what Stalag no was it?
And where is it in Poland?
My dad’s camp was Stalag VIIIB at Lambinowice (formerly) Lamsdorf.Nearest large town is Opole.The site is quite big and has a long history back to the Franco Prussian Wars and beyond as an artillery base.There are numerous trails that can be walked with different cemeteries for different nationalities’ graves.There is a museum there showing pictures and videos covering the years the camp existed.None of the prisoners’ accommodation remains but ,inside the museum,there is a model showing the disposition of the cabins.The museum has some staff members who are very helpful with enquiries and who speak English as well as i do.I would have liked to spend more time there.I hope to return one day.
Thanks for that mate, interesting…right up my strasse is that sort of stuff, cheers.
Gidders:
My dad’s camp was Stalag VIIIB at Lambinowice (formerly) Lamsdorf.Nearest large town is Opole.The site is quite big and has a long history back to the Franco Prussian Wars and beyond as an artillery base.There are numerous trails that can be walked with different cemeteries for different nationalities’ graves.There is a museum there showing pictures and videos covering the years the camp existed.None of the prisoners’ accommodation remains but ,inside the museum,there is a model showing the disposition of the cabins.The museum has some staff members who are very helpful with enquiries and who speak English as well as i do.I would have liked to spend more time there.I hope to return one day.
My uncle was held in Lamdsdorf after being captured during the Dieppe raid in 1942, off to Dieppe myself in a few weeks, hoping to get to Lambsdorf at some point in the future.
GORDON 50:
Gidders:
My dad’s camp was Stalag VIIIB at Lambinowice (formerly) Lamsdorf.Nearest large town is Opole.The site is quite big and has a long history back to the Franco Prussian Wars and beyond as an artillery base.There are numerous trails that can be walked with different cemeteries for different nationalities’ graves.There is a museum there showing pictures and videos covering the years the camp existed.None of the prisoners’ accommodation remains but ,inside the museum,there is a model showing the disposition of the cabins.The museum has some staff members who are very helpful with enquiries and who speak English as well as i do.I would have liked to spend more time there.I hope to return one day.
My uncle was held in Lamdsdorf after being captured during the Dieppe raid in 1942, off to Dieppe myself in a few weeks, hoping to get to Lambsdorf at some point in the future.
Our fathers may well have known each other.My dad was captured in Tobruk,shipped to Italy and trained up to Poland.An unpleasant journey.He was also on the long march westwards at the end of the war to reach the allied forces before the Russians overtook them.
Lamsdorf is very interesting and you can spend a long time there if you like walking,the camp is several square miles.You could spend a long time in the museum looking at exhibits and several videos.I hope you enjoy yourself.
Funny thing I guess, my dad was a big ‘Boy Scouter’ well into living off the land and whatever was to hand.
It was hard to get him to talk about his war experiences, but he did often say his biggest regret was that he didn’t get shot down over Germany and had the chance to try and make his way home.
He said they regularly flew in civvies under their flying jackets and carried basic survival & escape kit.
I guess the reality would have been quite different had he been captured and sent to one of those POW camps.