208768 Pte. John William Carden British Army Royal West Kent Regiment from:Isle of Sheppy, Kent My Father, Bill Carden was caught just outside Dunkirk, in a barn with five others "While sleeping" making their way to Dunkirk. Then force marched to Poland and spent most of his time in Stalag11B. Whilst there he worked mostly on filling and emptying train goods wagons. He spent his time improving his mathematics & electronics, passing in all subjects. He also acted as a camp translator. He saved one person's life (the unknown person having called a guard "swine",) this person’s crime being commuted to solitary. Father was freed by the Americans, but the night before his release the Germans had just up & left the camp taking the higher rank POW's with them to barter with if they were caught by the BEF. Father then slowly made his way back to England, he spent about five years at Stalag11B. They were “fairly treated” as POW’s, but badly fed and would eat whatever they could steal from the train wagons. The only good being he was alive at the end of the war.
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