Arbeitskommando E608
Hirschfelde – Poland
D.G. Woodhead Sgt. James Cook Guy Lasnier
Bob Hall, Tailor Bill Walker Jack LaChappelle
C.V.Richardson, Shoe Maker Ernest Walker Joe Trudeau
Doug Bennet, Sanitator Bob Shanks Mark Pilot
John Chapman Frank Cleavely Henry Fontain
Jim Horne Rocky Moore Morriss Liberty
George Hailes Joe Humphries Buck Douroche
Charles Crawford Ken Caygill Louis Lamirande
Roy Dickie Curly Caygill Jock. Crawford
Frank Powells Ginger Rutter Jock. Brunton
Shadow Richards Lew. Colk Mac. McDonnald
Red Perry Bill Glanister Doug Spacey
Jack Poolton Jack Murdock Fred Booth
George Wright Wee McLeode Auctullonie (Auc)
Bob Laurie Jack Woodard George Morriss
Sotiriss Bell Sid Cox
Cyrill Hymas Fred Frederickson Ron Stibbs
Brawner (Browny)
18, 1943 to March 6, 1944
As a whole, life on an Arbeitskommando is much healthier than in the man camp. From the average working camp men come back to Stalag looking very clean, neat and tidy and fat.
Conditions are much better plenty of warm water and fuel to heat it with and to do your cooking. You lose the dull lazy atmosphere of the Stalag, long beards are not so prevalent and men show more activity in doing things for themselves.
E608 was a forest party. I went there on Jan 22/43. I will always regard it as the saving of my life. I was thin and very weak and pale from the chin up, very little work made me tired, but there I soon got strong and fat again. The logar was small but we never varied over 50 men. Beside Lamsdorf it was Paradise.
We did various types of work. The main being falling of the timber. Which took place in the winter months. This was pine and spruce, and used mostly for paper, though some of the biggest is used for lumber. Other went for pit props in the mines. You all have a special job. Maybe two saw the trees down and another helps them by trimming the branches from the fallen tree. The meister now comes and measures the tree as he wants it cut up. All the ends or sometimes all of the tree is cut into metre lengths. Rotten trees go for firewood the others for paper. All paper holtz must be sholed, that is the bark must be taken off the tree. This is a special job done by other workers. All pit props are also sholed. When the trees are all cut and sholed, the metre lengths must be stacked in nice square piles containing one square metre of wood of a special kind. i.e. firewood or paper wood. The Germans make all sorts of things form the forest, paper from wood. Cloth from the boughs, leather from the bark are some of the many uses.
A forester is in charge of all the workings of the forest. Nothing must be taken killed or done in it without his supervision. He is responsible to an “Over Forester” etc. Under the forester are the common over miesters and misters who boss the gangs that work in the forest. All is done neat and orderly and slowly. “Langsam unt gut” they say.
In the spring, we done re-forestation work. This consisted of planting young trees, on ready prepared ground. Girls and women planted most of the trees. All we done was to make the holes into which the young seedlings were planted. In fall and spring this ground is prepared. All the dead branches left from cutting are cleared away. Then with hackers you turn the top soil back in long rows one metre apart, then grub the underlying earth up until you reach sand. It is a very hard back breaking job. They used to make us do 150 metres of this work per day. Other times in the forest was merely maintenance work done. This consisted of cleaning old drainage ditches, repairing roads and clearing away trees blown down by the wind. We spent about six weeks once cleaning and working along a small stream.
I spent fourteen months on this commando. It was at a place called Hirschfelde. The last three months I worked as camp shoemaker. One week I stayed in and repaired shoes the other I worked in the forest while the tailor stayed in.
My average day went something like this.
Six o’clock I got up, made my bed and had a wash. Then as a few of the later risers were getting out I would enter the mess hall filled with the odours of burning toast, coffee and smoking pine would. Some of the earlier birds were already through, the fire had been lit since five a.m. While my coffee was boiling I would make some toast and warm up my breakfast, cooked from the preceding evening. It was either porridge or a stalag pudding made from biscuits and dried fruit. I generally finished just in time to get on the seven o’clock roll call. Here we were counted by the under officer and then divided into our working groups under one posten each. We each picked our tools up from the tool shed outside the compound, either an axe, saw or sholer etc. From here each colony made its own separate way to the forest, depending where you were working. Sometimes you would walk for one and one half hours to your work. These were very enjoyable walks. All was piece and quietness in the forest. I nearly always said to myself, “Into the deep dark woods we go.” We generally saw deer browsing or leaping through the woods. There were few birds in the bush. In fact I noticed a definite shortage of birds in Germany as a whole.
When we arrived at the job we invariably would have a smoke. Being a canuck fags were always plentiful. They always made life what it was for us in Germany. Cigs meant plenty to eat, clothes and other comforts. Well the meister soon would arrive. After shaking hands with the posten he would be all for the arbeit. After idly dallying at what we should do for some time we would start our job. If you worked hard you could be generally finished before noon. We usually took our time and aimed to finish around noon. Then we would eat our small lunch of black bread, and rest till one. Then it was away to the logar again.
Arriving home it was a rush for places on the hot plate. Sometimes those staying in would have our pots set on for coffee or tea. A scoff always took place on return from the bush, mostly bread and jam etc.
Then from the copper boiler outside the wire we would haul hot water with a jug and have a wash or a bath in the small washhouse. Basins were all we had but the boys kept remarkably clean.
The boys were now getting into bed for a snooze or read a book. Others played cards. Being a handy man I generally had somebody’s lighter to mend or other job to do. Five o’clock I would have supper. (After a wash). Oh yes the soup was generally up by then, turnip soup and boiled spuds. Ignoring the soup, by six I would be eating something like this. Fried spuds and meat roll, green canned peas, Fresh picked blueberries which I got in the forest today. Coffee and bread and jam. Sometimes I had things like pancakes, eggs, white buns, pork, etc. Depending on the rackets. Trading was always strictly forbidden but it went on just the same, About the first German you learn is “Hobbensei brot for seife” or “Eire for Chocolade”.
Rations came up about 7. Bread 480 gms, margarine and wurst. I then cut up our sections bread, made my next days lunch. Had a cup of cocoa and biscuits or (coke – civil) and retired to the sleeping room to bed with a book until roll call and lights out.
