My father, Albert Billington joined The Territorial Army in Leicester during 1939 realizing that war was inevitable. He had a strong sense of duty and of right and wrong and knew that Hitler had to be stopped. Almost immediately after war had been declared in September 1939 he received his call up papers and joined the 1/5th Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment in the rank of private. He was trained, as all infantry were, to use the Lee Enfield rifle but also went on to be very proficient with both the Mortar, and Sten and Bren guns.
He was sent to Norway as part of the Expeditionary Force under Guy German, his Commanding Officer, in April 1940 and recalled it later as being a complete fiasco. With the sinking of their supply ship, he, like all the rest, possessed no winter clothing and very little in the way of ammunition. Their mortars only had smoke shells whilst rounds for their Lee Enfields, Sten and Bren guns was rationed. He was never bitter in later life about the fact that they had to stop tanks with rifles and that a great many good men were lost in the action.
Dad, like so many fighting men, could never bring himself to remember or discuss his experiences, saying that he preferred to keep those memories locked away. As a family we know little about the confusion that was the Norway Campaign, the actions that Dad saw, and where he was captured. What we do know is that he was Mentioned in Dispatches for something which he told us nothing about. This was recorded in The London Gazette in October 1945 and I believe Guy Gibson was also honoured at the same time.
After his capture, he eventually arrived at Stalag 20A (but we don't know at which site) at Thorn in Poland where he remained until January 1945. He was detailed to work in a local sugar factory, and because he was continually hungry, he would eat the beet raw, and any other by-products he could lay his hands on. The high sugar levels he consumed brought about serious skin problems, notably facial boils, and digestive issues. He later became badly jaundiced too.
He would speak of occasional showers under cold water (the only decent wash you could get) even in the depths of a bitterly cold Polish winter. He would also talk about delousing and fumigation which he detested.
For recreation, he became involved in the camp shows and acted alongside Sam Kydd on more than one occasion. I also have a colour photocopy of one programme at home from the camp which he managed to bring home with him.
One other piece of information is that he was shot in the calf by a German Guard at some point, for what I don�t know. Again, not unprisingly, Dad wouldn�t speak about it.
He endured The Long March to Freedom, and completely against orders, kept a daily log on a postcard. He detailed start and finish points for each day, noting occasionally when they had managed to obtain a Red Cross parcel or if a comrade had died. Throughout the �Death March� my father was accompanied by his friend Frank �Jack� Allen who my father believed had kept him going when he just wanted to lie down and give up. The two would often recount how their boots flapped open at the sole and how they packed them with newspaper and tied them up with bits of string. They talked too of frostbite and sleeping out in open fields under the watchful gaze of brutal guards.
They remained close friends after the war up until Dad died in 1975, after much suffering that we attribute to his many years as a POW.
Over the years the postcard deteriorated and Mum rewrote this diary and a couple of years ago, my son and I spent some time plotting the route. It was interesting to read his brief notes about their journey home after being repatriated by the Americans. Much of the journey across Europe was on horse and cart, American lorries, taxis and even at one point by what he described as a Hansom Cab.
Dad always maintained though that he had had an �easy war� compared to some. Sadly, I was never able to have that conversation with him to establish what he endured.
I would really appreciate contact from anyone who knew Dad or who has any information concerning him whilst a prisoner. Thank you in anticipation.
