Gabe's comments on the Pow Photo

I have searched around for both Stalag and Offlag VIII but as far as I can see they were all in Poland and had no connection as far as I know with Milag. However there are references to an ILAG VIII  (civilian internee camp) at Tost in Uppper Silesia.

"After a couple of months at Wulzburg, the German authorities asked for volunteers for a project in Upper Silesia. Not getting volunteers, they picked Bill Evans and eighty-seven others of the Orama crew and transferred them to a temporary work camp in Upper Silesia. Arriving in Poland they found themselves housed in barracks and put to work clearing tree stumps from river banks—hard dirty work in freezing cold conditions. Despite the hard physical work they were forced to carry out, they were given only bread and sauerkraut in inadequate quantities to replace their lost energy. When, on occasions, a jacket potato or a bowl of thin barley soup was issued, they were regarded as a luxury. The quality of the sauerkraut was so bad that when the infrequent Red Cross parcels arrived, the PoWs only ate the bread provided by the Germans. However, the PoWs still collected their rations of sauerkraut but buried them, in case the supply might be stopped if they were seen to be able to do without it.³⁹

            After three months in Poland, the working party returned to Wulzburg but, fearing trouble by having so many prisoners from one ship in one camp, the Germans split the Orama’s crew, sending half to Ilag VIII, Tost, in Bei Gleiwitz, where, for a time, they shared their captivity with the author P.G. Wodehouse. Wodehouse, had been interned while broadcasting on the German overseas programme. Several issues of a typewritten camp newspaper were produced by the inmates and Wodehouse wrote and published in ‘The Tost Times and Advertiser’, a short story in three parts entitled “All’s Well with Bingo.”

            On the 4th July 1941, almost twelve months after their arrival, those who had remained at Wulzburg, were again en-trained in the now expected mode of travel - cattle trucks. Their destination, Sandbostel Prison Camp, known as Stalag XB. They arrived at Sandbostel two days later, where some months later, they were eventually joined by the Ilag Tost section of the Orama’s crew. On 4th February 1942, they left by lorry for Milag Nord.

""Soerensen had already escaped once.  Held with others from Operation Performance,  he was amongst a party being taken from Milag for interrogation in Willhelmshaven. Still dressed in civilian clothes he took advantage of an opportunity to slip away from the party in the crowded Bremen railway station, but bad luck and hunger forced him to give himself up in Hamburg. As a recaptured escapee, Soerensen spent some time in the Marlag camp gaol, where he met Robert Graydon, an engineer from the Simnia, who had apparently also been caught trying to escape from Milag in May.

            Once safe in England, Soerensen honoured promises made in camp to relay messages on behalf of friends. He was, for example, able to tell the parents and girlfriend of Graydon, that Robert was safe and in good spirits.

            Since the news relayed to Graydon's parents included the information that Robert had been transferred to the prison camp at Tost on the 25th July, it is presumed that Soerensen made his escape after that date. ""

According to my records the following Walters were on the Orama but There are others with the initial "w" that I dont know their full name:

Walter (Tony)  Caro Assistant Purser Orama (he broke a leg trying to jump out of window at Tost)

Walter Hawkins night watchman  Orama

Walter Johnson Steward Orama

Walter Strokes  Steward

Walter Whareham Cook

The civilian clothing would seem to suggest that the mysterious Walter was photographed among Civilians who had been interned along with their civilian clothing. Most of the seamen arrived in only what they were wearing when forced to abandon ship or had second hand army clothing (often with bullet holes and blood stained from its previous owner!

Assuming this to be the case Walter is probably one of those lesss well dressed  Possibly fourth from the right at the back  also that person dressed in army greatcoat looks a bit coloured and that may be why he was a special friend of Tommys.

Would be interesting to compare this person with people in Milag photos in Tommys book. Also compare photos of P G Wodehouse (Jeeves & Bertie Wooster - Author) to see if he is in photo. That would clinch that it was in Tost!!

Like so much of my Milag research its all a bit of a 60 year old dective puzzle. After publication, several ex PoWs came out of the woodwork and asked me how did I know about them and their antics. A lot was intelligent guess work based on a few facts.

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