Lieutenant Peter Charles Winton
National Archives catalogue reference - WO 208/3328
Name: 105341 Lieut. Peter Charles Winton.
Unit: 1st Battalion The Gordon Highlanders, 51st Division.
Captured: St. Valery, 10th June 1940.
Liberated: Obermassfeld, 2nd April 1945.
Left: Rheims, 13th April 1945.
Arrived: U.K., 13th April 1945.
Date of Birth: 5th June 1915.
Date of Enlistment: 1st September 1939.
Peacetime Profession: Insurance Official.
Private Address: 39 Carlton Ave., Hast, Wembley Park, Middx.
1. CAPTURE.
I was captured with the survivors of my Battalion at ST. VALERY (N.W. EUROPE, 1:250,000, Sheet 4, L 9665) about 10 Jun 40. I had sustained a head wound.
2. CAMPS IN WHICH IMPRISONED.
OFLAG VII C (SALZBURG) - Jul 40 - Mar 41.
STALAG XXI B (POSEN) - Mar - Jun 41.
GESTAPO PRISON (WARSAW) - Oct 42 - Feb 43.
OFLAG IV C (COLDITZ) - Feb 43 - Feb 45.
HOSPITAL, OBERMASSFELD - Feb - 2 April 43.
3. ATTEMPTED ESCAPES.
(a) I was engaged on the construction of a tunnel at OFLAG VII C (SALZBURG) about Sep 40. Capt. HOWE, Tank Corps, Lieut. Peter ALLEN, Cameron Highlanders, Capt. LAWTON (unit unknown), and another officer (name unknown) escaped through this tunnel. All were recaptured within a few days. The tunnel was discovered just after these four officers had escaped, and no-one else could get away.
(b) In Jan 41 Capt. MORRISON, Gordon Highlanders, and I attempted to cut a hole through the wall of a cellar at OFLAG VII C (SALZBURG). It was discovered before our work was completed.
(c) In Mar 41 I organised the construction of a living chamber with a concealed entrance in Fort 8, STALAG XXI B (POSEN). I had learned that P/W were to be evacuated from the camp a few months later. It was decided that three other men and I would go into this chamber just before the evacuation should take place and remain there for some days until the guards should leave the camp and we could escape.
The evacuation of the camp took place about 9 Jun 41. On the previous evening Lieut. CRAWFORD, Cameron Highlanders, Lieut. SILVERWOOD-COPE, R.A., Lieut. SUTHERLAND, Black Watch, and I went into the living chamber which we had constructed. It was sealed from the outside by one of our helpers (name unknown). We remained there until the night of about 11 Jun, when we left the chamber and got into the moat surrounding the camp, through a steel door covering a gun aperture in the wall of the Fort. We discovered by reconnaissance that the outer wall was unguarded. We climbed out of the moat by means of a sectional ladder which had been constructed in the camp and hidden in our hideout. On reaching the top of the moat we walked to a cemetery on the outskirts of POSEN and remained there until about 0800 hrs on 12 Jun. We were wearing civilian clothes made in the camp.
We went to POSEN and then to WARSAW, where we were in contact with the Underground movement. During our stay in WARSAW our activities were confined to keeping under cover and maintaining contact with the organisation which had promised to help us to get to a neutral country.
On 1 Oct I called at a house in WARSAW in order to take Pte. NICHOLAS, Welsh Guards, to another address. On arrival at the house I was arrested by four members of the Gestapo. I learned that the house had been raised a short time previously and Pte. NICHOLAS and the family who were sheltering him were captured. I was interrogated immediately after arrest. I gave evasive answers for a time and then admitted that I was an escaped P/W, and gave my number, rank, and name. During the interrogation I attempted to dash out of the room, but was caught and beaten on the face by two of the interrogators while two others held me. I was then taken to PAWIAK Prison, WARSAW, where I was again interrogated about where I had been living, etc. When I refused to answer questions I was beaten on the face. I continued to refuse to answer questions and I was put into a cell.
On the morning of 2 Oct a guard opened the cell door and beat me on the face. I learned from another prisoner, a Pole, that I had been beaten on this occasion because I had not reported myself present to the guard. At 0900 hrs. that day I was taken to an office and interrogated by three men in civilian clothes. I was again asked where I had been living and what I had been doing. This interrogation was not pressed when I refused to answer, and I was returned to my cell.
During the next seven days no incident of note took place. On about 9 Oct I was moved to a cell on the first floor of the prison. Later that day I was passing along the corridor when I noticed "Englander" on two cell doors. I displayed some interest and was beaten on the face by a Volksdeutsche in the S.S. named STEIGER.
Between 9 Oct and 4 Nov I learned that two other Britishers - Lieuts. SILVERWOOD-COPE and CRAWFORD, were in cells on the same floor as myself. During this time I received two letters from Lieut. SILVERWOOD-COPE through a Polish orderly. These letters informed me about the form of interrogation which he had had and the answers he had given.
On 4 Nov I was taken by car to the Gestapo Headquarters in WARSAW. I was not given time to dress before leaving my cell. While waiting in the office of the prison I tried to complete my dressing. I was beaten on the face by an S.S. guard (name unknown) from DUSSELDORF.
On arrival at the Gestapo Headquarters I was taken into an office and interrogated by one of my former interrogators who now wore a green uniform with S.S. badges. This man was Sturmbahnfuhrer SCHMIDT. He again asked me about my activities and where I had been living in WARSAW, also what I was doing at the house where I had been captured, as it was known to be a Communist meeting place. I told him that I had gone there to see Pte. NICHOLAS and that I had no connection with the Communists. He informed me that if I did not give full details about my activities and whereabouts whilst in WARSAW I would be shot, and that Lieuts. SILVERWOOD-COPE and CRAWFORD and Pte. NICHOLAS would share the same fate.
I was then returned to the prison and on 6 and 9 Nov again interrogated by SCHMIDT, who appeared only to be interested in Communist activity.
On 28 Dec I was handed up to the Wehrmacht section who attempted to interrogate me on my previous history and what contact I had had with the Polish organisation, if any. I merely confirmed what I knew they had already been told by SILVERWOOD-COPE, but gave away nothing further.
On 12 Jan 43 a further attempt at interrogation was made. I then asked when I was going to be moved to an Oflag, and they replied, "Not till we have finished with you."
On 2 Feb three Wehrmacht personnel arrived at the prison and took me and Pte. NICHOLAS to Oflag IV C (COLDITZ).
Whilst at COLDITZ I made four further attempts to escape, but did not succeed in getting out of the camp at any of these attempts. The following methods were tried.
(a) Sawing the bars of the cell window. I was caught whilst sawing.
(b) Changing with an orderly who was being transferred to another camp. I was recognised and stopped.
(c) Constructing a tunnel from underneath the floor of my room. Other participants in this scheme were Lieuts. ELMS-NEALE, R.A., J. GENMAN, Argylls, J. LOCHRANE, Seaforths. The tunnel was discovered after we had succeeded in driving it as far as the guard room.
(d) A very long tunnel which had been started by the Poles. This was nearly completed when it was discovered through a noise of sumping under one of the manacles.
In Feb 45 I was taken to hospital at OBERMASSFELD (GERMANY, 1:250,000, Sheet M.51, H 9118), on account of my head wound, which had never really healed since 1940. I was there when we were liberated by the advancing Americans on 2 Apr.
NOTE- An incident occurred when I was being taken to a hospital for treatment about 15 Jan 45. On the way from COLDITZ to LEIPZIG an interpreter called SCHUMANN suddenly asked me if Mr. MILLER was still in camp and stated that he knew he was.
This referred to a Lieut. MILLER, R.E., Canadian Army, who had been captured at DIEPPE and who escaped early in 1944 from COLDITZ. I suspected the Germans knew MILLER's whereabouts and were merely trying to "sound" me.