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Clinton News-Record, 1983-11-09, Page 20Blyth's Own 161st Battalion, 1916 fought for the Mother Country on European fronts. After World War I the Blyth Memorial Hall was built to honor the local boys who gave tnelr lives. ( photo courtesy of Russell Wilson) November 9, 1983 Second Section Bayfield man survived prison camp ordeal By Rod Hilts The conditions were unbelievable. Mouldy bread and turnip soup was the basic diet. At one point, the prisoners each survived on less than one-sixth of a loaf of bread a day. Crowded conditions in the barracks were made worse by the infestation of bed bugs. Life in a German prisoner of war camp for Eric Earl of Bayfield and thousands of other Commonwealth servicemen was living hell. For a period of two years and nine mon- ths, Mr. Earl was a prisoner of war m Germany. Forty-three years ago, Mr. Earl enlisted in the Air Force at the age of 24. After taking his wireless training in Calgary and his gunnery training m Fingal, Ont., he was shipped overseas to Lincolnshire, England for further training. It was in Scotland, while taking an operational training unit course, that Mr. Earl decided to change from training to be a wireless operator to a bomb Ulmer. "There was 12 Canadians in my class and we all wanted to get on a squadron. There were no openings in wireless but bomb aimers were needed. We weren't trained to drop bombs so we had to take a two-week course," he said. In early 1942, Mr. Earl was flying with the 156 squadron that was based out of Alcon- bury, England. His squadron flew Wellingtons, a plane he describes as "a big two -engine job". They made 18 trips over Germany bombing various cities. On July 27, 1942, their 18th flight attack turned into a nightmare when the plane crashed. "It was a daylight raid on the cities Emden and Bremen. We crashed in the sea off the Frisian Islands, 30 miles from the Eric Earl of Bayfield spent two years and located in Poland. Before he was released, 700 miles in freezing winter conditions Eric Earl of Bayfield (left) receiving nine months he and other in a German prison of war camp prisoners were forced to march prison camp. Pictured is Hilts photo) his to another wings in German 1941. Rod coast of Germany. The plane sank in seconds and a small dinghy popped up. There was an anti-aircraft ship near us and they began firing at us," he said. The crew of five men was captured by the Germans and were shipped by train down the Rhine and ended up in a camp near Frankfurt. Mr. Earl said they were questioned day and night and they spent tWo weeks in cubicals. From Frankfurt they were shipped by cattle car to Stalag V111B, a prisoner of war camp located m Poland. "It was a grueling trip. They wouldn't stop for anything," Mr. Earl recalled. For the next two years and nine months he would spend much of his time at this POW camp. He said 30,000 prisoners were taken to this camp, which he described as "pretty primitive". He said the food supplies were low and the sleeping quarters were crowded. The mattress' were made of straw and the in- festation of bed bugs "was awful". He said a few fellows tried to escape from the camp, which was protected by two fences 20 feet high and five feet apart but "they were shot". Prisoners also dug tunnels to "keep from going crazy" said Mr. Earl. The tunnels were discovered by guards after 15 men had escaped. Mr. Earl was involved in "show biz" while in the camp. He said to keep busy he and some of the others put on stage productions. He was also a member of a 50 -man choir. These activities "were the only way to keep from going nuts," he said. The raid on Dieppe on August 19, 1942 by 5,000 Canadians, 50 Americans and British Commandos, resulted in the rough treat- ment of the Stalag V111B prisoners. Following the Dieppe raid, the prisoners were tied and manacled for 11 months. The food supply grew smaller and smaller as the days went on. Sometimes the Canadian prisoners would receive Red Cross packages. Most of the time prisoners were fed turnip soup and moldy bread as a main source of food. Mr. Earl said if the bread got so moldy that it couldn't be eaten "it would be mixed up and served as a soup." On January, 22, 1945 the Germans an- nounced they were going to move the 5,000 prisoners of war from Stalag V111B to Ziegenhain, some 700 miles away. The prisoners were to march the distance. Mr. Earl said the 300 prisoners made it when the march ended two months later. Each day the prisoners would march bet- ween 20 and 30 kilometres. Starvation and frostbite killed hundreds a day. The prisoners went days without food and Mr. Forces Base Dept radar secrets by Shelley McPhee The name of Clinton is synonymous with the history of radar, the secret weapon which gave allies an important edge over the Nazis and their allies during the Second World War. In the spring of 1941, Canadian govern- ment officials purchased farmland south of Clinton from area farmers. Within 48 hours the land was surveyed and a contract was let for a Canada Forces Base radio training school. The location of the school had been arrived at only after a team of experts searched for a suitable site for what was to become the cradle of radar on this continent and the largest and most important station in the Canadian services. Remote loeadon In the quest for a place remote from the actual battlefield, in which thousands of men could be safely trained in the new science (radio direction finding, or radar) it was discovered that the Lake Huron cliffs closely resembled the White Cliffs of Dover, an area in southeast England where aerial armadas fought. The location was also seen to be relatively isolated, and secrecy was a priority of No. 31 Radio School (RAF). It was not until six years later, when the war was well over, that Clinton area residents actually knew what had been happening at the Clinton "air base," an air base without any planes or runway? Albert G. James of London was a member of the first graduating class at the Royal Air Force Station, Clinton in 1941. In a recent letter to the News -Record he recalled, "We were aware of the importance of the work with which we were involved, but there was such an aura of secrecy about it that we did not understand the full significance of it until after the war was over." Radar secrets Radar secrets were revealed to the public at the conclusion of World War II and an article in London England's Daily Mail newspaper, Aug. 15, 1945 described the significant role that radar played during the war years. It reported that radar made a bi.;_; er contribution to final victory over Germany than any other scientific factor and possessed far more immediate potentialities for the service of the human race than even the splitting of the atom. In its wartime use, radar completely revolutionised the tactical and strategic planning in the army, air force and navy. It started life as a defensive weapon and became a tremendous agency in attack. The newspaper article stated, "Without it Tura to page 2A e Earl said he was down to about 100 pounds. "The conditions were awful. We slept in barns and in fields. It got to the point I was so hungry I'd eat anything," he said. Mr. Earl described times where he and a friend would sit and fantasize about what they would eat for a day. Roast beef, roast duck, spareribs and pork chops were some of the things that they imagined for supper one evening. His hunger was so great that he ate a raw rabbit once and on another occassion ate dandelions. Once during the march he found three green apples in a ditch in what he described as "a big day." On March 29, 1945, the hunger and the pain was over when the prisoners were informed that allied forces were in the area and that they were free. Mr. Earl was flown back to England on April 9 and landed in Montreal on May 24. In describing the highs and low during his two-year and nine-month ordeal, Mr. Earl said that the airplane crashing in the sea was the most frightening experience. The highs he said, "was the association with the people that were involved in show business in the prison camp." Red Cross poem honored vets In July, 1941 Melda McElroy of Blyth wrote a poem in honor of the local boys and men who went to fight in the Second World War. The poem was first presented at the Red Cross Carnival and later printed in The Blyth Standard. Here's to the Blyth boys, who've gon off to fight for us, Here's to the fellows, who're absent tonight. Here's to the Blyth boys, who need all the help from us, They've answered the call and done what is right. And her all together, let's take off our hats to them, They'd like to be here to have a good time. But they're drilling and training, every last one of them. To not pay them tribute would be a great crime. Let's go back several years, and think about some of them, While we're safe at home, enjoying the free. But they know the Red Cross are behind every one of them, To their wants and their needs, they thoughtfully see. Here's to Cliff Taman and Sergeant Hugh Cuming, Who played as small boys on the streets of this town, They'll be right in there, amid the big bombing, The Nazis and Hitler will ne'er get them down. We boast of two fliers so daring and clever, Ernie Robinson and young Layton Bray. When they get to England, the Germans will never Get past their machines, for they'll chase them away! There's Wes Taman and Phillips and Elliott and Kechnie And Fawcett and Fowler and soldier Bun Hall. Thuell, Morrison, -Johnston, Walt Bentley and Moffitt I've named quite a few, yes, but those aren't them all. Our Dr. Kilpatrick is curing the ills of them Making them steady and healthy and strong. Our Dr. C. Toll will be fixing the teeth of them, Their teeth they may ache, but it won't be for long. There's ex -reeve McNall who last year was so cheery, Announcing each number in tones loud and clear. Fighting Herr Hitler he'll never grow weary, George will fight him still harder than when he was here. Three cheers for Fred Chapple, Bowes, Cole and Nels Naylor, Young lads like these think that a Jerry's a sap! There isn't among them a sign of a wailer, When our boys start fighting, they'll put Blyth on the map. McNall's are a family, who've given a few of them There's Wally McNall and Sandy and Jack. Augustine Hardisty, Young, Kelly and more of them. Blyth hopes that these boys will some day be back. Here's for a prayer they'll return safely home to us, 'Mid the waving flags and the beat of the drum, Bringing all honor and pride and renown to us, Marching victorious our Blyth boys will come. WWI vet was ready to protect Canada Russell Wilson By Wendy Somerville One of Blyth's well known and loved citizens is 88 -year-old Russell Wilson. Russ, as everyone calls him, is a veteran of the First World War and a long standing member of the Blyth Legion. With Remem- brance Day just around the corner many veterans are thinking back to the days when they travelled to strange lands to fight for familiar soil. Although Russ never actually did any fighting in the First World War, he did have two cousins and a step grandson who were killed in action. Russ was never out of Canada. He was at the 1st Depot of Western Ontario in London in 1918 where he was in the infantry and for the most part they mar- ched the streets of London. Russ has some very definite opinions about his draft in 1918, "I never liked the idea of killing people, you know, but still you've got to protect your country. I don't think I'd have been cut out for a soldier although they trained me." The Blyth veteran said that in those days many boys lied about their age because they thought it was their duty to go to war. Many were just 16 and the minimum age for enlisting was 18. Although he was never actually in battle, Russ says he got the news from the newspapers. "We saw what was going on. Germany was trying to take the world. Kaiser Bill was the First World War man," he said. Russ feels it is a shame how some people think that there shouldn't be a Remem- brance Day because the memories from was are too painful. He thinks having a special day for people to give thanks to brave soldiers is important because, "You see a lot of people who have no idea of it (Remembrance Day) today. If it hadn't been for those fellows, we'd have been under German rule. At the time we wouldn't have it as good as we do today. There's a lot of people, I suppose, don't understand what Remembrance Day is all about." "I think they (people) should be reminded of these things. When I went to school we were taught the history of the wars. A lot of people today — they practically don't know anything about the war. I don't believe in fighting myself as far as that goes, but if you have to protect your country ..." Russ in the only First World War veteran in Blyth who belongs to the Blyth branch of the Canadian Legion. Every year the 161st Battalion of the Huron Regiment holds a day to get the First World War veterans together and as Russ says they are getting scarcer every year. The veteran feels that on November 11 everyone should stop whatever they're do- ing and remember. He thinks Remem- brance Day is definitely a day everyone should appreciate. "I don't think there's anything bad about it, because all through life you've got pain and sorrow. Things hap- pen that you can't help." Or can't forget. Clinton war honor roll In both World War I and World War II Clinton area men and women volunteered to defend their country at war. During the First World War 102 men enlisted and 204 men and women served with the Canadian military in World War II. Most came home, but some laid down their lives. Honor rolls 1914-1918 Bert Blacker, S.H. Brown, D.A. Cantelon MM, Homer Cantelon, Ray Cantelon, Newman Cluff, Murray Draper MM, Frank Fair, A.L. Fisher, Frank Forrester, A.B. Furness, F.C. Grealis, A.A. Grant, W.S. Grant, John Hall, Wm. Hall, H.O. Hannent, E.B. Hill, J.C. Lockwood, W.B. McTaggart DSO, C.K. MacPherson, J.K. Mair, Harry B. Miner, VC CG, William Manning, W.E. Morgan, Austin Nediger, E. Pattison G.B. Sewell, William Seward, H. Twyford, J. Usher, William Walker, Richard Walton Jr., George Wicks. 1939-1945 Benjamin Churchill, Owen Combe, Alvin Corless, Murray Cudmore, James Fraser, John Hawkins, Robert Hopson, Elwin Hunking, Keith Jenks, Douglas McKenzie, Ernest Mittell and Charles Mutch.