The memoirs of Sqn Ldr Rupert Parkhouse, recorded in 1995 – Part 19. First post in this series is #9775 on page 489 of this thread.
IN MARCH 1942 I was transferred to the new Stalag Luft III at Sagan. We started digging tunnels again of course and in September we were moved to a place called Schubin where we were under the German army. One or two tunnels were made but a couple of frightful incidents took place.
I remember one Battle pilot with whom I was quite friendly went quite round the bend and was shot in the stomach by a guard when he started to climb the wire. He fell down between the wire and the tripwire and we were desperate to go and get him but the German outside was shouting that he would shoot if we went beyond the tripwire. They allowed the doctor to attend to him but up to 200 prisoners had gathered in the most fearful mood and the Germans had to push us back with their machine pistols. It was a tense situation.
I was in a room with Tony Russell, a South African who was a very keen escaper who produced a plan for cutting through the wire. We were going to follow after him but one night I had a terrible nightmare that I was caught in the wire and was screaming, alerting the guards and causing Tony to be shot. After that I decided not to go and I think I became slightly tainted among my companions who were keen to escape and while I carried out sentry duties I was never directly asked to take part in tunnelling operations. In retrospect I feel ashamed of that, it shows I was developing into a very bad mental state.
We returned from Schubin in May 1943 and I stayed at Stalag Luft III for the rest of the war. When I got to Sagan I was recruited to the Cody [escape] organisation and after long conversations with other Regular officers we decided that our careers would be very much blighted, so about September 1943 I decided to leave the RAF at the end of the war and go to university. I started to study history, German and other subjects, I used to imagine myself at university and I lived for a time in a dream world.
I was jolted out of that in March 1944 when the 50 officers were shot and escaping activity ceased. We were in the east compound at that time and the escapers were in the north, so we were really on the side. I think we had one tunnel going very well but it was stopped after the news of the shootings was received.
The winter of 1944 became a bit grim because with the deteriorating communications in the Reich the parcels supply wasn't exactly drying up but we certainly had less food. I do remember that at Christmas 1944 various brands of hooch were made by fermenting tinned raisins and things from Canadian parcels. We mixed this almost pure alcohol with orange drinks for a three-day bender, we were all as drunk as lords.
NEXT POST: The prisoners march west through the snow towards liberation by the advancing Russians, and return home after their years of captivity. Then Rupert asks to return to flying despite his fears.