Memoirs of a WWII POW - my Grandad

[JohnStitch]

Not entirely sure which forum this belongs in, but inspired by the positive response to my post in the 'coolest things you own' thread, I thought I'd share a link to an online transcription of a book that my late grandad wrote from his memoirs of 5 years as a POW in WWII. He kept diaries throughout his time as a POW, sometimes having to hide them by sewing them Into the seams of his clothing, and shortly before he passed away, having never really spoken about his experiences, he decided to write them down.

It is a truly sobering, inspiring, sad yet sometimes humorous read, and never fails to amaze me what he and his close friends went through...and the amazing comradery throughout.

This book was never published, however my family felt that his story should be heard so this online version was made, along with some extra pictures/maps etc from research of the places he mentions.

It can be read here: http://lost6years.hunnisett.me.uk/index.php

Hope you enjoy it

[JohnStitch]

Glad people are interested and finding it a good read. I read it again last night for about the millionth time. The thing that always gets me is that I sometimes have a good old moan about all kinds of things, but nothing comes even close to what he went through and I find it very grounding.

I can't even begin to imagine what it must have been like the day he was captured, with all of his mates being blown up around him, or being made to march halfway across Poland with any stragglers being shot immediately. Plus the sheer elation of being liberated and flown home.

[JohnStitch]

Just remembered that this was also put on a site called wwiimemories.co.uk

http://www.wwiimemories.co.uk/Hunnisett.htm
Scroll to the bottom, and someone has seen this and said their father may have been in one of the same camps at the same time as him...amazing really, the power of the internet eh?

Lots of other stuff on that site, not had much time to have a look around but may have a bit of a read later..

[JohnStitch]

King Herald said:

A book I read recently, The Railway Man, a guy spent years as a POW in Singapore and Burma, tortured, starved, isolated, he was simply treated as an enlisted man once he recovered his weight, then discharged and forgotten about. It took four decades before there was any understanding of the psychological trauma these guys go through and he received some sort of treatment.

In those days it was 'stiff upper lip' at all times, and even amongst fellow prisoners it was loathsome to discuss any sort of suffering or mental issues. Just a brisk 'yes, I'm doing okay' was all that was allowed.

Which may well be why the Derrick Hunnisett kept so quiet about his experience all those years.

I've never really asked my family why he didn't speak about it much, but I guess there could be any number of reasons, maybe it was such a harrowing experience that he wanted to suppress the memories, maybe it was the 'stiff upper lip' like you say. I suppose that everyone of his age had their experiences and stories from the world wars, and maybe it was just not something that people talked about in those days. Obviously the world is a very different place now and I think people are a lot more open about these things although I'd imagine that the horrors seen by our soldiers are rarely talked about due to the trauma of the experience and not wanting to think about it too much.

I can't imagine what it would be like to live through a world war, where it is not in some far off foreign country, but on your doorstep.

[JohnStitch]

David87 said:

Awesome, OP. I'll get a chance to read it tomorrow.

I sat down with my Great Granddad (Bill) a few years ago and typed out all his WWII memoirs, chapter by chapter, until they were all done. I wrote over 40,000 words in the end and it's one hell of a story! He'd been writing it for a few years and, knowing he was getting quite old, asked me to 'type it up on my machine' as he didn't get on well with computers. He died in 2009; a year or so after we'd finished with the typing. No-one outside the family has read it so far, but your post has inspired me to do something similar as these stories need to be heard

You should, it's great to have something lasting that still to this day stirs such emotion in people. Reading some of the comments on here has really touched me, and I'm immensely proud of what he did.

I must admit there was a part of me wondering whether to post if up here, as I thought that there was something quite private about what he wrote and would he have really wanted it posted on an Internet forum for all and sundry. But these things shouldn't be forgotten, and I think these first hand accounts, written by normal people, have a sense of realism that makes you think, wow, what if that happened to me....

[JohnStitch]

mikeveal said:

At this point, the Gendarme apparently produced a forrage cap and said "I would like you that 'ave this back" (or words to that effect.) My friend opens it, and sure enough, sewn to the inside was his name.

Love those kind of stories, there must be so many amazing things happened like that

[JohnStitch]

Off the back of this thread I've decided that next year I'm gonna go and re-trace the journey that my grandad did, visiting the place that he was captured, and follow the route of prison camps that he was held in, those buildings that still exist at least, along with the 'devils march' that he wrote about (although I'll be driving it). Should be quite an emotional trip but will bring me much closer to his story...will be taking my mum and brother along too...

[JohnStitch]

Yep, this link works for me: http://www.wwiimemories.co.uk/Hunnisett.htm

[JohnStitch]

Just tried the original link that I posted, and it works for me....strange