234457 Christopher Preston British Army A 'Prison of Make Believe' - A story taken from a newspaper cutting of my cousins POW memories. "There were times when he looked through the barbed wire of the German prison camp and wondered if he would end his days there.... Moments during an incredible 800 mile forced walk through the terrible months of a Polish winter when starvation made him want to lie down and die - and stay there in the snow. Yet Christopher Preston always found the will to go on. But behind that smile, he used to have before his death, is a tale of courage and fortitude, of a man incarcerated in Stalag 20. He was captured on the beaches of Dunkirk. However his love of music and acting kept him sane. He as his fellow POW's put on shows in Bromberg and Graudenz, and his greatest wish was to once again meet up with his fellow POW's, such as Stan Ibbotson, a church organist from Leeds, Londoner's Lesley 'Monty' Banks, John Savage, Harry Stafford, Sid Steer from Kent and Eric goble. A key figure in the prison theatre group, Harry Stafford, a Saville Row tailor, made many of costumes. Many of the POW's stayed sane by playing at make believe. Many tried to escape but Chris never did. As the Russia's advanced so the POW's were forced to march from Stalag 20, 800 miles, through a Polish winter, sleeping in the open and eating pig swill to survive. Over 700 men set out, some 400 dying on route to Germany. in Triere, Germany, Chris and his friends were liberated by the Americans - Their War was Over." Please contact me if you have any info on Chris or his fellow POW's mentioned in this story.
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