211292 Pte. Frank Joseph Ludwig Canadian Army RAMC from:Berlin, Ontario,Canada My grandpa, Frank, Ludwig told my husband and I when we were still very young a few of his experiences at Stalag VI B. He passed away in 1978. My husband was always very curious about war-related stuff and would ask Grandpa about his experiences as a POW. Eventually, I had to ask my husband to stop asking Grandpa about things because Grandpa's eyes would well up with tears and he would have a hard time even finishing his conversation. He pawned away all his war medals which Grandma was very upset about, but he said they only reminded him of horrible things. He was taken prisoner in Africa and transported to Stalag VI B. Grandpa remembers when he first arrived at the camp, he was treated well. The Germans were confusing his home address with that of a place in Germany and thought him to be one of them at first. Grandpa came from Berlin, Ontario which was later renamed Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Once they became aware of his true identity, he was given the same disrespectful, treacherous treatment as the rest of the prisoners. His card which was found in an old photo album after Grandma passed away in 2011 stated that he was prisoner number 275.334. His job on the card says Upholsterer. Grandpa needed surgery after the war and his 17 months in the POW Camp. His internal organs were in bad shape. He remembers being without food for a very long time and being thirsty enough to drink his own urine. I am proud of Grandpa and every other man and woman that had to endure such devastating hardships, but not proud to know that we are of German decent and a man as evil as Hitler belonged to this culture. Grandpa missed so much when his only child, my dad was growing up. Finally after the war was over and they began to develop a relationship, my father was murdered in the streets of Kitchener, Ontario by David Brenner. David Brenner was sentenced to hang, but before his execution, capital punishment was abolished in Canada. Two criminals were never given the justice they deserved in Grandpa's life, Hitler and David Brenner. Grandpa always had an incredible sadness in his blue eyes. I loved and respected him so much.
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