205511 Cpl. Aaron "Alec" Alexander British Army 9th Btn. Devonshire Regiment from:Clapton, London My father Aaron Alexander was called up and went into the 9th Devonshire Regiment on April 2, 1940. After three years he was transferred to the 53rd Welsh Recce Regiment. He was a radio operator and a Right Recce driver. June 6, 1944 his regiment went over to France and landed in Caen and Biager. They went straight into action and many vehicles and men were lost on the first day. They went through France and onto Lille (which they liberated). A message came through that a German general wanted to surrender and they were told to make their way across the border into Belgium to Ghent to meet up with the General. Instead of surrendering, the German's took my father and his regiment prisoners. They ended up in Stalag 4B at Muelberg. Two hundred prisoners in a large hut, food was black bread and a sort of soup. Once they were registered they could get some food via the Red Cross. To get these parcels they had to walk underground for a distance of three miles, and then they only had one parcel between several men. Lots of things terrible things happened whilst in the camp but he would never tell me. When the war was nearing the end the German guards left the camp, leaving the male villagers to guard the prisoners. They were finally liberated by the Russians, but although many of the prisoners tried to tell the Russians that the men guarding them were not German solders, many of the villagers were killed. My dad did mention that part of the camp was separated by razer wire and seemed to be a concentration camp.
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