Memories of our Dad

6145898 Pvt. Charles Leonard Kohn, Queens Royal Regiment.

My father was enlisted into the East Surrey Regiment TA on March 15th 1940 and sent to the Infantry Training Centre at Kingston upon Thames. On August 9th 1940 he was posted to 2/6th East Surrey Regiment where he was attached to 36 Motor Coach Company RASC for a short time. By August 14th 1942 he had passed a Trade Test as Driver Mechanic Class II. Driving was very much his strength and he passed tests on HGVs, PSVs and small tracked vehicles.

He was transferred to the Queens Royal Regiment on April 16th 1944 and posted to 1/6th Battalion. On June 30th he embarked for North West Europe, landing in Normandy the following day. On the night of August 2nd, during the Second Battle of the Odon, his battalion successfully attacked the enemy, but following three concerted counter attacks the following day and, before the 'situation could be fully restored', a large number of the company in which he served was missing and on August 4th it was confirmed that he was a prisoner of war in German hands. He, along with other members of his unit, had been taking cover in a farm building, just outside the village of Aunay, when they were overwhelmed and had no chance other than to surrender.
He was taken to Stalag XII-D in Trier, where he stayed only a short time, but while there he was put to work as a clerk. The following month he was transferred to Stalag IV-B in Mühlberg, where again he stayed only a short time, finally ending up in Stalag IV-C in Wistritz, now Bystřice, in the Czech Republic. Here he was placed in a work camp, Ischausch III and put to work down the coalmine. The prisoners had to rise at 4.00 am every day and work twelve hours, including Sundays, with only one day off a month. Travel to the mine entailed a two mile walk accompanied by the guards, who were mainly older or invalided soldiers and it was not uncommon for my father to help one particular guard by sometimes carrying his rifle. The POWs were always tired, underfed and glad of their beds. Sanitation left a lot to be desired. He had one small bar of hard soap a month, which had to be used sparingly and a wooden toothbrush. He once had an infected fingernail and this was removed, without anaesthetic, with the doctor quickly and efficiently making a cut along the length of the nail and pulling out each half.

Liberation finally came on May 8th 1945. The Germans had fled to the American lines leaving the POWs unattended but it was not long before the Russian troops arrived and took control. Once the Russians had dealt with him he was allowed to make his own way to the American lines where he was welcomed in. He was stripped of his clothes, which were burned, given a shower and a new set of clothes. He was offered a friendly beer but was unable to drink more than half a pint since, in his words, his stomach had shrunk over the preceding ten months. I remember him telling me how amazed he was at the food on offer from the PX, which was so much more than he could manage.

My father was finally repatriated, landing back in England on May 25th. He had been flown home in a Lancaster and as the aircraft flew over the White Cliffs of Dover one of the crew fired off a volley from the top turret in celebration.

Shortly after returning he had a period of convalescence, some of which at least was at Hatfield House and I recall him saying that in between meals he hid his cutlery in the gauntlet of a suit of armour. Following his return to duty on September 13th, he was attached to 175 Field Regiment. He ended his army service attached to 6 Chilwell (MT) Company and was finally discharged on June 8th 1946.