Behind The Barbed Wire
The story of the Second World War as experienced by
E.J.Lees
| In the early part of the second World War,
Ted Lees, my father in Law, was injured and captured by the Germans in
northern France. He kept a journal of his years of captivity in many camps
including Stalag 8B and then his eventual release and walk through enemy
lines from Vienna to Budapest.
The journal re emerged a couple of years ago when my
step daughter, Suzi, asked if she could take it to school as part of a
history project.
Subsequently, we typed it all up and had it
published, in a small way to family and friends. Now it is time to give it
a wider readership. You can download it by clicking on the links below.
Part
One
Part
Two
Part
Three
It is in Adobe Acrobat Form (pdf files)
If you haven't got Adobe Acrobat it is available free from:
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| May 2009 saw the BBC magazine 'Who do you think
you are?' include an article about this web site and about Ted's
contribution to the knowledge of camp life in those cold, dark days of
Stalag 8B. Alongside is a portion of that
article. Ted would be so proud to know that part of his legacy was a
small journal that he kept throughout those closing years of World War
II. |
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| Below are a few comments by e-mail |
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Mike; I am most interested in reading your
book . Currently I am having trouble picking it up. I'm no whiz on
computer, but will get some help. I'm Ex RCAF POW Stalag Luft3 & 3a.
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Wilkie |
Dear Mike,
I think your father-in-law's account
of his time at Stalag VIIIB is the best I have come across. I was very
moved to visit the site of the camp recently in the company of some
former inmates and relatives of others. During the war there were up to
40,000 British and Commonwealth prisoners there, and many more Russians,
Poles and other nationalities. The Polish authorities maintain an
excellent prisoner-of-war museum on the site, but little remains of the
British experiences as much was destroyed when the Russians invaded in
1945.
I am proposing to make a documentary
DVD about the British prisoners at Stalag VIIIb to preserve and honour
the memory of our servicemen who endured so much. I am being helped with
this by the media studies department of a local school, and their
6th-form students. This will be passed on to the museum to be kept for
future generations to see, and also made available to anyone else who
would like a copy. I have filmed interviews with 4 former prisoners, as
well as a lot of other material. Would it be ok to quote from your
father-in-law's journal?
Lots of people have sent me information, souvenirs etc and I
have so much now that I have set up a new website to store it all and
make it accessible to all. The address is
www.freewebs.co./lamsdorf. I've only just started, so there is a
lot to do.
I hope to be arranging another two
trips to Lamsdorf this year as
several people have requested the opportunity to go.
Very best wishes
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Philip Baker |
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I have just read part 1 of your father-in-law's moving account of his
war experiences. My late father was a Royal Naval gunlayer on SS Arawa
when it docked in Odessa in June 1945 to take on board POWs. He
remembered celebrating VE day on board ship in Odessa when some vodka
was cracked open - a drink he had never tasted before! He had by then
served five years in the Navy and had been torpedoed twice. I am trying
to piece together his war record with help from the Admiralty and the
internet. Your father-in-law's journal has helped add another dimension
to this.
With thanks and best wishes
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Tony Murphy |
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Dear Mike.
My niece sent me a link to your photo site, which I
enjoyed tremendously. Then I read your father-in-law's story of his
World War II experiences, and was very touched. Thank you so much for
sharing it.
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Bobbi Convery
Modeseto, California USA |
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Andrew Sheriff, grandson of R.S.M. Sidney
Sheriff (seen here) contacted me by e-mail. He had read Ted's book and has
spoken to him. |
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Sadly, Ted died in April 2005 at the age of
85. His story lives on, for all to see, a testament to a humble and
remarkable man.
One of the hugely positive aspects of
the Web is that his story will be shared by many.
'When one is thrust into loneliness,
sharing takes on a complete new meaning.'
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