Diaries and documents of John Dominic Palandri - Part 11

July 

10

No anaesthetics - only one thing of interest - the

Chefarzt warned me to be ready to-morrow to go to

an English camp of Stalag ⅲD as M.O.

July 11

Early Confession, Mass & Communion, later asked

for details of departure at office, but could get none.

Time apparently quite indefinite.

Wiltshire & I played bridge in evening against

Lanchon & Crapon.

 

Sunday 

July 

12

Mass at 10.30, had dinner at night with

French officers.

July 

13

Have handed cases over to Wiltshire but gave two

anaesthetics, then asked the Hauptfeldwabel to phone

Stalag office, where he was told that there is a job teed

up for me in a fortnight's time, and that in the

meantime I may be asked to work by the day ^in or

actually shift to a British compound, where

there are other M.O's.

Lady path. worker, who is on Station Ť, is

young & attractive and is upsetting the Lab. personnel

no end.

Kuntze came in this evening with a couple of

"plonk" to celebrate or lessen the sorrow of my

impending departure.  Quite amusing, half-

squiffy anyway.

5

July 

14

Cases transferred to Kokima from

Polytech. Long air-raid this night

14-15, 2hrs, Good show.

1942 - No anaesthetics, no news of any sort.

Learned in afternoon that tomorrow I am to go

for 10-14 days to English Kommando at Staaken,

just west of Spandau, then back to Lamsdorf.

Wrote letters to Glad, Mum & Dad (Mum's birthday)

cards to in-laws & Ines, and one to Geneva notifying

impending change of address.

July 

15

Mass and Communion, said good-bye and set off in

mid-morning in fine drizzle with guard & two English

orderlies to help with my gear.  Passed my replacement at

the gate, a Captain from Lansdorf whose name I forget.

[*Capt. Barker*]

Kommando, ⅲD/714, turns out to cover about seven

acres, and to hold 370 British, mostly from Crete, with

three Australians, N.S.W., all medical, though one is not

recognised, two of them in the M.I. room, one, Smith, a

rather capable lad, all from 2/1 Fd. Amb..  They tell

me that they think 6^th Division is back home. Chaps all

go out in parties to various jobs of hard labour, and

place contains Strafe Co. where men sentenced for

various misdemeanours do solid pack-drill for from

2-5 weeks.  Place seems pretty well run, and my grub

is good.  Review of two rooms in my barrack, but

equipment is very poor, very hard to get drugs, work

mainly with Red+ stuff.  I have a good batman,

and have had my issue boots resoled with English

leather.  One other Aussie here, 2/1 Bn. near us in

Crete.  Barracks locked at 9 p.m. - I have a good

room, and mess on my own.  Gerry Sanitater speaks

fair English & better French - Protestant minister.

Sick parade at 7p.m., 20-odd came on, tentative

try-out of new doc.

Alongside us are an Italian labour-compound and a

Polish, and a Gerry military training-school.  We're right

alongside the Paris railway-line.

 

July 

16

Two men escaped from Con. Camp.

1942 - Checked through about 15 bad-cases and

pulled my first tooth, upper l. lat. incisor on

orderly Smith, not a roaring success, but not bad.

Busy most of morning.

Better day to-day.

Sick parade of over 40 to-night, definite try-out,

but I don't  think I was too soft.

Tomorrow must see Commandant about two men

from Strafe Co. who were kept on pack drill at double

against my recommendation, and about check-up on

lice which appear to be present in the place.

Finished work at about 10.30 p.m.

July 

17

Kamsim blowing, dust everywhere

1942 Nothing much to write about - ordinary sort

of day.  Had occasion to see Kommandant re

my position regarding men in Strafe Co. when they

report sick, and he, misunderstanding my questions,

flew off the handle a bit. Irascible old bugger,

Gerry troops loathe the sight of him.

Smaller sick parade to-night.

 

July 

18

This evening 13 officers & 12 men

escaped from Con. Camp.

Nothing to report. Quiet.  Had the German

Sanitater - interpreter in for a cup of tea, very nice

chap.  The 2/1 Bn lad has escaped.

July 

19

Slept in, saw my sick, then camp received a

visit from 20 men, including Capt. Annan, who had

come across to play the men here at football.  While

I had lunch Annan had a cup of tea, all in

the presence of the English-speaking guard, who

brought me here from Neukolln, and who then

took us across the road to the match which was

being played on the local ground - very good.

Drawn games 5-5.  Met a N.C.O. from the

Welch, S.M. Owen who is quite a breezy chap,

and whose company officer was Major Ford.

Entertained visitors to tea (men did) and a 

very short concert afterwards.

50-odd on sick parade to-night.

 

July 

20

Lt Bill Struthers NZ digital officer

who was with us at Bourg El Arab,

received first letter from home.

1942  Nothing much doing to-day.  New General

in charge of Stalag inspected the place,

came into my room, asked if I wanted

anything, and went out again.

July 

21

Food more scarce inside and

outside hospital escapes slackening

off markedly, probably as direct

effect.

Rumours of German repat. of

incapacitated and Geneva-protected

on a non-numerical basis.  Rumours

that hospital units are to stay at
[[?]] was anything [[?]]

[[Nkolln?]], rest to go off

1942 Nothing to report.

 

July 

22

22^nd-26^th first escapes from the hospital

News generally encouraging, Russia

still holding on. English officers &

men received month-old mail from

home.

1942  Much as usual, extremely difficult to

obtain medical supplies from the

authorities, anything asked for is either struck

off the lists or supplied in greatly reduced

quantities.

July 

23

Heavy rain to-day.  Some of working-parties

came in early, others later, were soaked to

the skin.  Recommended that they be allowed to

remain in to-morrow to get clothes thoroughly

dried.

 

July 

24

Another officer from Stalag visited place

to-day, genial-looking cove, conversation 

consisted of my regretting inability to speak

German and his regretting his lack of Italian

and French.

Hear that the Oberleutenant has written to

Stalag complaining of size of sick-parades,

number of men off-work, and my sabotaging

of working parties by keeping men in camp.

It will be interesting to see what happens.

July 

25

Nothing to report.  Rained like hell.

 

3  

Sunday

July 

26

Slept in, very little to do.

Padre Bill Hurst gave C. of E. service this

afternoon, and, though he could not come to my

room for tea, I saw him in the Recreation Hall.

He told me that the N.Z. M.Op. captured in the desert

and taken to Italy had been repatriated, including

Trevor de Clive Lowe.

Early sick-parade to allow the lads to turn on

a Concert.

Wrote letters to Glad and to Mum & Dad,

and two cards, one to Stalag asking them to forward

the other to Lt. Rānā, my predecessor here. In it I

asked him if he would care to sell me one of his

uniforms - maybe a bit cheeky, but I hope he does

not mind.

July 

27

Ellis took my letter for Stalag and Rana across to

the office this morning and Gerry Sanintater came back

soon afterwards saying that Kommandant was very

annoyed that I had written direct, and not sent it

through him. Touchy old bugger! He's probably

within his rights to kick, so I asked the Sanintater to

tell him that I had done so merely through

ignorance of the drill. No further comments.

It appears that the old boy did write to Stalag

about the number off duty through sickness, because

to-day a German M.O. came up and checked them 

all, but did not reverse a single one of my decisions.

One in the eye for the old boy.

Wrote a note for Ward this evening to the effect

that I knew him to have been a member of the

2/1 Australian Field Amb. in Lybia, Greece, & Crete.

Officer from Stalag addressed the boys and said

that letters from German Ps.O.W. were coming in badly

and that, in future, British Ps.O.W. would be allowed 

to write their usual number, but that only as many

would be sent as came in from the Germans. We would

be allowed to receive twice as many as we wrote.

Read John Buchan's biography of Julius Caesar,

very interesting.

11

July 

28

New commandant arrived to-day to take over

while the old one has his leave.

Received a card from "Mission catholique Suisse en

faveur des prisonniers de guerre, Fribourg (Suisse)" forwarding

message "All well. Hope receiving letters. Love Glad". Jolly good,

but some hopes!

Name appears in "Camp", too, in the unclaimed 

parcels list. Address is Major John D Palandri WX 3328

which argues one sent from home before they had learned

my P.O.W. number. Wrote card applying for it.

Found some lice on one of the lads on sick-parade,

so am arranging for inspection of everyone on Sunday.

Met a lad, "Tich" Fowler, from Swindon. Knows some

of the streets which I remember and thinks he knows

Aunty's business.

Rained all last night and very heavily this 

morning.

July 

29

Appears that the Commandant has not gone on leave

and that yesterday's visitor was an officer from Stalag!

Nothing much doing to-day. Spent most of it reading

and got through two or three books.

S.M. McPhillips, man of confidence, was summoned to

Stalag for an interview and did not return, Stalag

sending for his kit which had been searched in

his absence. Men annoyed by this, threatening to

stay in if an explanation be not forthcoming.

Tried for a walk to-day but the Sanitater

preferred to-morrow because of pressure of work.  I

was for to-day since it was reasonably fine, and

now, as I'm ready for bed, the rain is coming

down outside. Seems I'm out of luck.