The Wartime Memories Project - The Second War

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229975 Gerald Hanel Glen Mill Camp was in a disused cotton mill in Wellyhole Road in Oldham, Lancashire and heldd a large number of Russian volunteers who had been captured fighting for the Germans in France. It was at this camp also that a number of Fallschirmj�ger were also sent who, coming straight from the battlefields in France and with their strong sense of discipline intact, were enraged at the behaviour of the ill-disciplined Russians. At mealtimes they would violently push the German prisoners out of the way and eat with their bare hands straight from the serving pots, shovelling as much food into their mouths as possible. Feldwebel Gerald Hanel who was among the number of Fallschirmj�ger remembers that this was a very turbulent time at Glen Mill with discipline non-existant among the prisoners and on their arrival decided "...these Russians must be taught the sharpest lesson!" He relates that the next mealtime, at a hand signal from him, his tough Fallschirmj�ger comrades descended on the Russians who were like pigs feeding at a trough. Using their fists, elbows and knees dragged the Russians away from the food back to the other end of the hall. This enraged the Russians who hated the Germans far more that the British guards and they planned their revenge. Two nights later the German prisoners had planned a concert but the Russians seeing this as a chance for revenge decided to smash the stage up shortly before it was due to begin so no concert could take place. Word got back to Hanel's paratroopers about the Russian's plans and they decided to ambush the Russians and armed themselves with iron bars, wooden staves and planks of wood with nails hammered in to the ends. The Russians were taken by surprise and the stage remained undamaged-which is more than can said for a large number of Russians who required medical treatment for their injuries! Needless to say there was no reoccurance of such incidents again. Hanel and his paratroopers imposed a strict Nazi-style type of order and the anti-Nazi contingent among the German prisoners were quick to fall into line. Kangaroo courts were set up for offenders who could expect severe beating when found guilty. They encouraged other prisoners to be awkward with the British guards and when ordered to salute a British officer, did so with a Nazi salute. They stated that under the Geneva Convention, flying crews were not allowed to work and as they were part of the Luftwaffe they were not going to work. The British replied with a "No work, No food" policy but although this forced the paras to work they practised a go-slow so very little productivity was gained from them. Another method of causing annoyance to the British guards took place at night when the prisoners would throw paper aeroplanes from the top floor of the camp into the streets below. The guards (much to their anger) had to pick up every single one in case they contained secret messages. Also when the prisoners went on work duty early in the morning they would sing Nazi marching songs at the tops of their voices and occasionally spat at the locals they passed. More than once the guards were forced to separate enraged locals and German prisoners who had come to blows with each other. There were several escape attempts made and various methods were employed such as tunnelling and breaching the wire fences although most ended in failure with the escapees being re-captured within a few days. Four prisoners escaped by hiding in a hole on a tennis court they were constructing, quickly recaptured. Guard did 3 months in Glasshouse. The locals around the vicinity of the camp were alert to the possibility of escaped German prisoners and many were turned over by the locals to the authorities. There was one case however of two German POWs escaping from Glen Mill prison camp and making it back to Hamburg. From there they sent a rude letter to the camp commandant stating that they would not be coming back to enjoy any more of his kind hospitality!! Related Content: Glenmill Prisoner of War Camp Glenmill POW Camp Can you help us to add to our records? Add a record to our website. The names and stories on this website have been submitted by their relatives and friends. If your relations are not listed please add their names so that others can read about them Did you or your relatives live through the Second World War? Do you have any photos, newspaper clippings, postcards or letters from that period? Have you researched the names on your local or war memorial? Were you or your relative evacuated? Did an air raid affect your area? If so please let us know. Help us to build a database of information on those who served both at home and abroad so that future generations may learn of their sacrifice. Contact us. Celebrate your own Family History Celebrate by honouring members of your family who served in the Secomd World War both in the forces and at home. We love to hear about the soldiers, but also remember the many who served in support roles, nurses, doctors, land army, muntions workers etc. Please use our Family History resources to find out more about your relatives. Then please send in a short article, with a photo if possible, so that they can be remembered on these pages.

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