TRANSLATION BY THE LONDON DELEGATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS COMMITTEE (Germany)

LABOUR DETACHMENT No. 730 (Stalag III D)

Visited by Drs. Thudicum and Ruggli on the 27th August 1943

Camp Leader  Reginald MORRIS Corporal, No.11957

Strength  82 British, of whom

                         34 are English

                           1 is a New Zealander

               about 30 are Cypriots

                (The exact numbers were not available at the time of our visit).

        This Labour Detachment is considered a model one, and with good reason. The German authorities or some Committee visits this Detachment every day.

        The men are housed in a spacious wooden hut, which is sub-divided into light rooms, each containing 16 individual beds furnished, in winter, with three blankets apiece. The whole compound gives an impression of great cleanliness. The sanitary installations are faultless; the prisoners can taken hot shower-baths every day. Each room contains a stove, which consumes wood. The prisoners can burn as much of this as they wish. On the day of our visit, the rooms used by the Cypriots were already being heated.

        The ordinary food, as well as the prisoners' individual dishes, is prepared in a very well arranged kitchen, where three prisoners are employed. The food rations issued as the regulation ones; there are no complaints in regard to nourishment.

        All the men are well-clad; they have working outfits. 38 of these prisoners have, however, only one pair of trousers each. Shoes, moreover, are in bad condition. There is a regrettable lack of repair material for both clothing and footgear. Exchange of these things with the Stalag is difficult. The laundry is done outside the confines of the Camp in a satisfactory way, and the charges for it are normal.

        Medical attention is provided by a Sergeant medical orderly, with the assistance of two other medical orderlies. A British doctor visits the Detachment once a week. The doctor as the local Hospital takes care, betweenwhiles, of urgent cases. His work is quite satisfactory. Serious cases are sent away to Reservelazarett 119 or to a hospital in a neighbouring town. This latter contains, at the present time, one man from the Detachment, who is under observation, suspected of tuberculosis, and one man suffering from dementia.

        Collective parcels are received regularly and arrive in good condition. There are stored in a room adjacent to the Camp-Leader's room, and the only door into the storeroom opens out of the Camp Leader's room. He has control of all the collective parcels and distributes them as he thinks fit. For the past few weeks, each box or parcel is marked with a label bearing a number and the prisoner to whom the articles of food belong receives a duplicate label bearing the same number. When a prisoner wishes to receive any particular item he has to produce his label. This new system is rather complicated, and the prisoners are afraid of losing their tickets, which can easily be done. The prisoners would be very grateful if they could be supplied with more cigarettes. They have only once received the monthly allotment of 200 cigarettes per man which the Australian Branch of the British Red Cross at London stated they would be getting. These parcels are intended for Australian prisoners only.

        All that the canteen provides is beer; this is sold at a normal price and in unlimited quantities. The Camp Leader goes once a month to the Stalag to buy articles of the kinds most usually in request.

        A Church of England clergyman comes to the Detachment once a fortnight.

        Books in English are regularly exchanged, but the Cypriots have hardly anything to read; a large number of books written in their own language, is, however, awaiting censorship at the Stalag.

        All the prisoners are engaged in light work for a Company who manufactures wooden huts, as most of them have spent more or less time under treatment in lazarets. The working day is 10½ hours long; the prisoners work under the same conditions as workmen of other nationalities employed by the Company. The prisoners complain, however, that the working hours are too long and that they do not correspond to the description of "light" work, to which they are supposed to be allocated. The German authorities reply that the work assigned to them is of the lightest possible kind. Originally the prisoners made no complaints on this subject, but following the increase in the charges made for board (1.10 RM per day for board and lodging) which most of the men were unable to pay having a salary inadequate to meet such a demand, their hours of work were lengthened.

        The barbed wire surround, which is at some distance from the Camp, leaves enough open space to render it possible for the prisoners to take some exercise there; they have installed two basket ball grounds.

        The anti-air-raid shelter is well adapted to the needs of the prisoners.

        The carriage and behaviour of the authorities towards the prisoners is as it should be.

CONCLUSION

        This is an excellent Detachment

LABOUR DETACHMENT No. 427

(STALAG III D)

visited by Dr. P. Ruggli and Mr. E. Mayer on the 28th August 1943

Camp Leader  Michael Andrew John Molony, Private, No. 11738

Senior Officer  Camp Sergeant Major McSaggart No/ 12047

Medical staff  1 Australian medical orderly

Strength  159 British (some of whom are Australians).

Site

        This Detachment is housed in a healthy district. The prisoners are lodged in 4 wooden huts built in two storeys. They occupy 10 rooms of 18 beds each. These are adequately ventilated and the heating is satisfactory. The space around the huts is very restricted and the prisoners regret the cramped arrangement.

Food

        The food is good. It is prepared by two British soldier cooks under the direction of a German head cook. The kitchen is well arranged.

Clothing

        Half these prisoners have two pairs of trousers each. All of them have working outfits. The only defective point is that of footgear.

Hygiene

        The whole camp is infested with bugs. The prisoners can take one shower bath per month. The latrines consist of trenches which are emptied once every three months. These have been dug some metres distant from the huts. The washplaces are adequate.

Medical Attention

        The small Infirmary can take in three patients. At present there is one present. An Australian soldier medical orderly cares for the patients. A German doctor makes a medical visit every evening. He behaves very suitably. The nearest British doctor is located at a distance of about 2 hours away by train, and he only very rarely visits this Camp.

Work

        All the prisoners work on the metalled way of the German State Railway system. They leave their compound at 7.30 am and return at 10.30. The railway takes them to their place of employment. When their work is done the prisoners may, theoretically return to the compound and enjoy their leisure, but - in practice - this is impossible as the place where they are employed being so far away from their compound, they are obliged to wait until a train comes along to fetch them. This time of waiting may continue for two hours, or even longer sometimes. The Camp authorities admit that the prisoners situation is a difficult one; in order partially to compensate them for the waste of their free time entailed the Commandant has made an order discontinuing Saturday work for the prisoners: they thus, at present, get two full free days in the week. The prisoners, however, are not satisfied with this solution of the difficulty and would prefer to be transferred to another camp. In regard to this, the Commandant told us that he will transfer prisoners whose conduct is exemplary, replacing them by prisoners from other detachments who are less deserving of consideration.

Canteen

        The prisoners have as yet no canteen; although one has been promised to them for 7 months.

Leisure and Religious and Intellectual Needs

        Once a fortnight a catholic priest comes to celebrate Mass. The clergyman who used to be with this Detachment was transferred elsewhere 6 weeks ago.

        The Camp has no library. But the prisoners have organised a small theatre and a small orchestra. They have no facilities for sport - but they can play ping-pong. They are not able to go out for walks.

Correspondence

        The contact between the Stalag and this Detachment in regard to mail is good; but since last May parcels have only been arriving at irregular intervals. The Camp Leader wishes, above all things, to receive a larger number of cigarettes.

Discipline

        The prisoners do not complain of their working conditions.

        Recently, since an attempt was made at escape, the discipline has been tightened up.

        Some sailors who are at this Camp would like to be transferred to Marlag, and some Australians would like to be sent to a Camp where there are other Australians (If possible to Stalag XVIII A).

CONCLUSION

        This detachment cannot be regarded as altogether satisfactory. The working conditions do not render it possible for the prisoners to enjoy daily regular hours of rest. The German authorities state that they have already made several approaches to the men's employers to obtain an improvement in this state of affairs, but up to now their attempts were not met with success.

0103/3977 (P.W.2.a.) 23.9.43.

From: International Red Cross Committee, Geneva.

To: Delegate, London.

Sent: 15.9.43.

Received: 16.9.43.

Elt Intercross London

        Camp for Civilian Internees at Dangelberg visited 20 August Camp Leader Mrs. E. Ball maiden name Wooden. Strength 64. British women, one of whom Canadian, one of whom Australian. Accommodation satisfactory. Food good, prepared by internees. Quantity sufficient. Rations checked by Camp Leader. Lack of canteen but internees can buy various things in neighbouring villages. Clothing adequate. Sanitary installations excellent. Hot shower baths at will. No vermin. Weekly medical visits. Health good. Dental attention giving by civilian German dentist. No deaths since opening Camp. Religious services regularly celebrated. Library contains about 600 books. Lack of light reading. Courses in French, English and German given in Camp. Games in sufficient numbers. Walks in magnificent park. Visits relatives allowed. Permission to pass three days with parents in Brussels. Discipline, correspondence, collective parcels in order. Excellent Camp.

        Detachment 427 Stalag III D visited 28 August. Camp Leader John Andrew Michael Molony 11738 private. Senior Camp officer Sergt.-Major McSaggart 12045. Strength 160 British, of whom one an Australian orderly. Healthy district. Prisoners housed in 4 wooden huts of two-storeys each. Ventilation, heating adequate. Food well prepared by three British under orders of German cook. Medical attention excellent. Health good. At present on sick person - not severe case. Many bugs. One hot shower-bath a week. Latrines, wash places satisfactory. Clothing sufficient, but shoes in bad condition. Work for railway. Lack rest on account distance work from compound. Lack of library. Prisoners can neither practice sports nor take walks. Correspondence regular. Discipline good, but working conditions rather unsatisfactory.

        Detachment 730 Stalag III D visited 27 August Camp Leader Corporal Reginald Morris 11957. Strength 82 British, of whom 34 English, 1 New Zealander, about 30 Cypriots. Spacious wooden huts. Beds simple structures not tiered bunks. 3 blankets in winter. Sanitary installations excellent. Daily hot shower baths. Heating excellent. Food good. Rations regulation. Working clothes adequate but shoes in bad condition. Medical care excellent, 2 patients at present, one tubercular and one dementia. Collective parcels in adequate numbers arrive regularly. Lack of cigarettes. Library lacks books for Cypriots. Leisures well organised. Regular religious services. Sports, work, no serious complaints. Good Detachment.

        INTERCROIXROUGE 7965.

[Handwritten entry]

        F4(P.W.)

        Nov. 1943.

        Dear Sir Harold,

        Would you please forward through the offices of the protecting Power, the enclosed memo concerning the payment of British prisoners of war employed at Labour Detachment 730, Stalag III D.

        Yrs. sincerely,

        Sir Harold Satow, K.C.M.G.,

        The Foreign Office,

        Devonshire House,

        Piccadilly, W.1.

Memorandum

        With ref. to the report on a visit by the International Red Cross Committee Representatives, to Labour Detachment No:730, Stalag III D, on the 27th August 1943, H.M. Govt. would be glad if the protecting Power would investigate the position concerning the conditions of payment for board and lodging, which are imposed on British Other Rank prisoners of war employed in this detachment, and make strong representation to the German Govt. on their behalf.

        [The following paragraph is crossed out] The German Govt. should also be, in lengthening the hours of work to meet the cost of lodgings, reminded that such action is not considered to be in accordance with the terms of the Articles 30, 32 and 33 of the Prisoners of War Convention of 1929.