263315 L/Cpl. Harold William Frederick Johnson British Army Black Watch from:Northampton Harold Johnson, my wife's grandfather) was captured at St Valery with the Black Watch as part of 51st Highland Division.
He told us how they were marched to Poland and imprisoned in Marienburg XXB.
He was working with pigs while there and used to steal thin slices of bacon and hide them down his trousers so that his friends could eat better.
He made two escape attempts and both ended in failure and his friends suffered as a result, so he stopped.
He told us how angry they were that the French surrendered. He also expressed anger that Welsh speaking prisoners refused to share their food with the English speaking ones, this was poor form in his view.
He was forced into a Death March when Soviet forces approached and forced to sign letters that were attempts to absolve guards of any crimes.
He was rescued by British troops somewhere in France (we think) and flown home in a Lancaster.
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